Brady Denounces House Passage of Deadly Legislation Creating New Ghost Gun Loophole and Deregulating Dangerous Weapons

H.R. 2189 is being pushed by taser manufacturer Axon Enterprise and the gun industry— with Axon alone spending nearly $2.5 million in federal lobbying in 2025 

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 12, 2026 — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 233-185 to pass H.R. 2189, the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate, which includes the language of H.R. 2189 as well as H.R. 4242, the Innovate Less Lethal to De-Escalate Tax Modernization Act. Per public disclosures, Axon Enterprise, Inc. (Axon), Gun Owners of America (GOA), and the National Rifle Association (NRA) have lobbied Members of Congress and their staff to pass this legislation.

The combined legislation would weaken the nation’s oldest federal firearms laws by redefining key terms under the Gun Control Act of 1968 and National Firearm Act of 1934 and creating broad exemptions for so-called “less-than-lethal” devices like tasers that are currently classified as firearms under federal law. As a result, the gun industry could exploit new legal loopholes to produce and sell untraceable, unregulated, and easily modifiable ghost guns and other explosive-powered weapons, including destructive devices like grenade launchers, to the public – including individuals convicted of serious violent crimes who cannot pass a Brady Background Check. 

In addition to a $2.5 million lobbying campaign last year, Axon’s officers, including the CEO Rick Wilson and his wife, have donated at least $520,000 to federal candidates for elected office and associated political action committees since 2021.

Brady President Kris Brown said:

We’ve made it abundantly clear to legislators: a yes vote today is caving to the weapons’ industry and their lies that put profits over people’s lives. The House’s passage today of this bill is everything wrong with Washington: a well-funded orchestration of corporate greed misrepresenting reality to advance policy that’ll make Americans worse off and less safe by putting weapons in the hands of domestic abusers, gun traffickers, and kids. 

The billion-dollar weapons industry has claimed supporting this legislation means assisting law enforcement and simultaneously preventing the tragedy of police shootings, which disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities. In actuality, law enforcement agencies in every state, at every level already have near-limitless access to  ‘less-lethal’ weapons – even those classified as firearms under longstanding federal law. Instead of de-escalating police-civilian interactions and saving lives, this legislation will put so called ‘less-lethal’ weapons in the hands of people who can’t pass a Brady Background Check as well as create a loophole to produce untraceable, deadly ghost guns the gun industry will eagerly exploit for profit. 

We implore the Senate to reject this legislation that endangers law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect.