The proposed legislation would prohibit the possession, ownership, or sale of any weapon from which a shot or bullet can be discharged and which has a barrel length of less than sixteen inches. The prohibition would not apply to military personnel, law enforcement officers, federally licensed handgun manufacturers and wholesalers, common carriers in the ordinary course of transport, or to historical societies and museums. The act would not affect the possession of rifles, shotguns, and certain antiques and replicas. The proposal also does not change the existing statutory penalties for unlawful possession, ownership or sale of handguns, including provision imposing mandatory jail sentences.

The proposal would permit owners of handguns to surrender their weapons to any law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth within six months of the effective date of the act without incurring criminal liability. Those surrendering handguns within that six months will be compensated at a rate to be determined by the Commissioner of Public Safety.