TASER.com
Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee voted 18-8 to send H.R. 2189, the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act of 2025, to the full House of Representatives for a vote. The bill would weaken federal firearms laws by redefining key terms under the Gun Control Act (GCA), creating broad exemptions for so-called “less-than-lethal” devices that are currently classified as firearms under the law. This could result in legal loopholes for the gun industry to produce and sell untraceable, unregulated, and easily modifiable weapons like ghost guns, armed drones, and other explosive-powered weapons to the public, including individuals convicted of serious violent crimes who cannot pass a background check.
Some boosters of the bill have said the measure would lead to more adoption and use of less-lethal devices by police, but gun violence prevention advocates deny those claims. One key lobbyist for the measure has been former CO-7 Congressman Ed Perlmutter, long considered a strong advocate for gun violence prevention.
Mark Collins, Brady Director of Federal Policy, said, “lawmakers who think the passage of this legislation will keep Americans safe and protect them from lethal force by law enforcement are being taken for a ride by weapons manufacturers. By weakening our existing federal firearms law, lawmakers will unwittingly be creating an entirely new ghost gun market, and criminals will have a new access point for deadly weapons to wreak havoc on our communities. Law enforcement already has nearly-limitless access to ‘less-than-lethal’ weapons, even those classified as firearms, and passage of this bill would not only endanger them but the communities they serve and protect as well. That’s definitionally ‘soft-on-crime’ and we urge the full House to reject this measure if it reaches the floor.”