FILE h1025.enr
          --H.R.1025--
              H.R.1025
          One Hundred Third Congress
          of the
          United States of America
          AT THE FIRST SESSION
          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
          the fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three
          An Act
          To provide for a waiting period before the purchase of a handgun,
          and for the establishment of a national instant criminal background
          check system to be contacted by firearms dealers before the 
          transfer of any firearm.
           [Italic->]   Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
          Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
          assembled, [<-Italic]
                             TITLE I--BRADY HANDGUN CONTROL
          SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
            This title may be cited as the `Brady Handgun Violence Prevention
          Act'.
            (a) INTERIM PROVISION- 
                (1) IN GENERAL- Section 922 of title 18, United States Code,
              is amended by adding at the end the following:
            `(s)(1) Beginning on the date that is 90 days after the date of
          enactment of this subsection and ending on the day before the date
          that is 60 months after such date of enactment, it shall be 
          unlawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or
          licensed dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun to an
          individual who is not licensed under section 923, unless--
                `(A) after the most recent proposal of such transfer by the
              transferee--
                    `(i) the transferor has--
                        `(I) received from the transferee a statement of the
                      transferee containing the information described in
                      paragraph (3);
                        `(II) verified the identity of the transferee by
                      examining the identification document presented;
                        `(III) within 1 day after the transferee furnishes 
                      the statement, provided notice of the contents of the
                      statement to the chief law enforcement officer of the
                      place of residence of the transferee; and
                        `(IV) within 1 day after the transferee furnishes the
                      statement, transmitted a copy of the statement
                      to the chief law enforcement officer of the place of
                      residence of the transferee; and
                    `(ii)(I) 5 business days (meaning days on which State
                  offices are open) have elapsed from the date the transferor
                  furnished notice of the contents of the statement to the
                  chief law enforcement officer, during which period the
                  transferor has not received information from the chief law
                  enforcement officer that receipt or possession of the
                  handgun by the transferee would be in violation of Federal,
                  State, or local law; or
                    `(II) the transferor has received notice from the chief
                  law enforcement officer that the officer has no information
                  indicating that receipt or possession of the handgun by the
                  transferee would violate Federal, State, or local law;
                `(B) the transferee has presented to the transferor a written
              statement, issued by the chief law enforcement officer of the
              place of residence of the transferee during the 10-day period
              ending on the date of the most recent proposal of such transfer
              by the transferee, stating that the transferee requires access
              to a handgun because of a threat to the life of the transferee
              or of any member of the household of the transferee;
                `(C)(i) the transferee has presented to the transferor a
              permit that--
                    `(I) allows the transferee to possess or acquire a
                  handgun; and
                    `(II) was issued not more than 5 years earlier by the
                  State in which the transfer is to take place; and
                `(ii) the law of the State provides that such a permit is to
              be issued only after an authorized government official has
              verified that the information available to such official does
              not indicate that possession of a handgun by the transferee
              would be in violation of the law;
                `(D) the law of the State requires that, before any licensed
              importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer completes
              the transfer of a handgun to an individual who is not licensed
              under section 923, an authorized government official verify 
              that the information available to such official does not
              indicate that possession of a handgun by the transferee would 
              be in violation of law;
                `(E) the Secretary has approved the transfer under section
              5812 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or
                `(F) on application of the transferor, the Secretary has
              certified that compliance with subparagraph (A)(i)(III) is
              impracticable because--
                    `(i) the ratio of the number of law enforcement officers
                  of the State in which the transfer is to occur to the 
                  number of square miles of land area of the State does not
                  exceed 0.0025;
                    `(ii) the business premises of the transferor at which 
                  the transfer is to occur are extremely remote in relation 
                  to the chief law enforcement officer; and
                    `(iii) there is an absence of telecommunications
                  facilities in the geographical area in which the business
                  premises are located.
            `(2) A chief law enforcement officer to whom a transferor has
          provided notice pursuant to paragraph (1)(A)(i)(III) shall make a
          reasonable effort to ascertain within 5 business days whether
          receipt or possession would be in violation of the law, including
          research in whatever State and local recordkeeping systems are
          available and in a national system designated by the Attorney
          General.
            `(3) The statement referred to in paragraph (1)(A)(i)(I) shall
          contain only--
                `(A) the name, address, and date of birth appearing on a 
              valid identification document (as defined in section 
              1028(d)(1)) of the transferee containing a photograph of the
              transferee and a description of the identification used;
                `(B) a statement that the transferee--
                    `(i) is not under indictment for, and has not been
                  convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by
                  imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year;
                    `(ii) is not a fugitive from justice;
                    `(iii) is not an unlawful user of or addicted to any
                  controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the
                  Controlled Substances Act);
                    `(iv) has not been adjudicated as a mental defective or
                  been committed to a mental institution;
                    `(v) is not an alien who is illegally or unlawfully in 
                  the United States;
                    `(vi) has not been discharged from the Armed Forces under
                  dishonorable conditions; and
                    `(vii) is not a person who, having been a citizen of the
                  United States, has renounced such citizenship;
                `(C) the date the statement is made; and
                `(D) notice that the transferee intends to obtain a handgun
              from the transferor.
            `(4) Any transferor of a handgun who, after such transfer,
          receives a report from a chief law enforcement officer containing
          information that receipt or possession of the handgun by the
          transferee violates Federal, State, or local law shall, within 1
          business day after receipt of such request, communicate any
          information related to the transfer that the transferor has about
          the transfer and the transferee to--
                `(A) the chief law enforcement officer of the place of
              business of the transferor; and
                `(B) the chief law enforcement officer of the place of
              residence of the transferee.
            `(5) Any transferor who receives information, not otherwise
          available to the public, in a report under this subsection shall 
          not disclose such information except to the transferee, to law
          enforcement authorities, or pursuant to the direction of a court of
          law.
            `(6)(A) Any transferor who sells, delivers, or otherwise 
          transfers a handgun to a transferee shall retain the copy of the
          statement of the transferee with respect to the handgun 
          transaction, and shall retain evidence that the transferor has
          complied with subclauses (III) and (IV) of paragraph (1)(A)(i) with
          respect to the statement.
            `(B) Unless the chief law enforcement officer to whom a statement
          is transmitted under paragraph (1)(A)(i)(IV) determines that a
          transaction would violate Federal, State, or local law--
                `(i) the officer shall, within 20 business days after the 
              date the transferee made the statement on the basis of which 
              the notice was provided, destroy the statement, any record
              containing information derived from the statement, and any
              record created as a result of the notice required by paragraph
              (1)(A)(i)(III);
                `(ii) the information contained in the statement shall not be
              conveyed to any person except a person who has a need to know 
              in order to carry out this subsection; and
                `(iii) the information contained in the statement shall not 
              be used for any purpose other than to carry out this subsection.
            `(C) If a chief law enforcement officer determines that an
          individual is ineligible to receive a handgun and the individual
          requests the officer to provide the reason for such determination,
          the officer shall provide such reasons to the individual in writing
          within 20 business days after receipt of the request.
            `(7) A chief law enforcement officer or other person responsible
          for providing criminal history background "information" tppabs="http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/laws/majorlaw/information" pursuant to
          this subsection shall not be liable in an action at law for damages--
                `(A) for failure to prevent the sale or transfer of a handgun
              to a person whose receipt or possession of the handgun is
              unlawful under this section; or
                `(B) for preventing such a sale or transfer to a person who
              may lawfully receive or possess a handgun.
            `(8) For purposes of this subsection, the term `chief law
          enforcement officer' means the chief of police, the sheriff, or an
          equivalent officer or the designee of any such individual.
            `(9) The Secretary shall take necessary actions to ensure that 
          the provisions of this subsection are published and disseminated to
          licensed dealers, law enforcement officials, and the public.'.
                (2) HANDGUN DEFINED- Section 921(a) of title 18, United 
              States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
            `(29) The term `handgun' means--
                `(A) a firearm which has a short stock and is designed to be
              held and fired by the use of a single hand; and
                `(B) any combination of parts from which a firearm described
              in subparagraph (A) can be assembled.'.
            (b) PERMANENT PROVISION- Section 922 of title 18, United States
          Code, as amended by subsection (a)(1), is amended by adding at the
          end the following:
            `(t)(1) Beginning on the date that is 30 days after the Attorney
          General notifies licensees under section 103(d) of the Brady 
          Handgun Violence Prevention Act that the national instant criminal
          background check system is established, a licensed importer,
          licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer shall not transfer a
          firearm to any other person who is not licensed under this chapter,
          unless--
                `(A) before the completion of the transfer, the licensee
              contacts the national instant criminal background check system
              established under section 103 of that Act;
                `(B)(i) the system provides the licensee with a unique
              identification number; or
                `(ii) 3 business days (meaning a day on which State offices
              are open) have elapsed since the licensee contacted the system,
              and the system has not notified the licensee that the receipt 
              of a firearm by such other person would violate subsection (g)
              or (n) of this section; and
                `(C) the transferor has verified the identity of the
              transferee by examining a valid identification document (as
              defined in section 1028(d)(1) of this title) of the transferee
              containing a photograph of the transferee.
            `(2) If receipt of a firearm would not violate section 922 (g) or
          (n) or State law, the system shall--
                `(A) assign a unique identification number to the transfer;
                `(B) provide the licensee with the number; and
                `(C) destroy all records of the system with respect to the
              call (other than the identifying number and the date the number
              was assigned) and all records of the system relating to the
              person or the transfer.
            `(3) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a firearm transfer between 
          a licensee and another person if--
                `(A)(i) such other person has presented to the licensee a
              permit that--
                    `(I) allows such other person to possess or acquire a
                  firearm; and
                    `(II) was issued not more than 5 years earlier by the
                  State in which the transfer is to take place; and
                `(ii) the law of the State provides that such a permit is to
              be issued only after an authorized government official has
              verified that the information available to such official does
              not indicate that possession of a firearm by such other person
              would be in violation of law;
                `(B) the Secretary has approved the transfer under section
              5812 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or
                `(C) on application of the transferor, the Secretary has
              certified that compliance with paragraph (1)(A) is 
              impracticable because--
                    `(i) the ratio of the number of law enforcement officers
                  of the State in which the transfer is to occur to the 
                  number of square miles of land area of the State does not
                  exceed 0.0025;
                    `(ii) the business premises of the licensee at which the
                  transfer is to occur are extremely remote in relation to 
                  the chief law enforcement officer (as defined in subsection
                  (s)(8)); and
                    `(iii) there is an absence of telecommunications
                  facilities in the geographical area in which the business
                  premises are located.
            `(4) If the national instant criminal background check system
          notifies the licensee that the information available to the system
          does not demonstrate that the receipt of a firearm by such other
          person would violate subsection (g) or (n) or State law, and the
          licensee transfers a firearm to such other person, the licensee
          shall include in the record of the transfer the unique
          identification number provided by the system with respect to the
          transfer.
            `(5) If the licensee knowingly transfers a firearm to such other
          person and knowingly fails to comply with paragraph (1) of this
          subsection with respect to the transfer and, at the time such other
          person most recently proposed the transfer, the national instant
          criminal background check system was operating and information was
          available to the system demonstrating that receipt of a firearm by
          such other person would violate subsection (g) or (n) of this
          section or State law, the Secretary may, after notice and
          opportunity for a hearing, suspend for not more than 6 months or
          revoke any license issued to the licensee under section 923, and 
          may impose on the licensee a civil fine of not more than $5,000.
            `(6) Neither a local government nor an employee of the Federal
          Government or of any State or local government, responsible for
          providing information to the national instant criminal background
          check system shall be liable in an action at law for damages--
                `(A) for failure to prevent the sale or transfer of a firearm
              to a person whose receipt or possession of the firearm is
              unlawful under this section; or
                `(B) for preventing such a sale or transfer to a person who
              may lawfully receive or possess a firearm.'.
            (c) PENALTY- Section 924(a) of title 18, United States Code, is
          amended--
                (1) in paragraph (1), by striking `paragraph (2) or (3) of';
              and
                (2) by adding at the end the following:
            `(5) Whoever knowingly violates subsection (s) or (t) of section
          922 shall be fined not more than $1,000, imprisoned for not more
          than 1 year, or both.'.
            (a) DETERMINATION OF TIMETABLES- Not later than 6 months after 
          the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall--
                (1) determine the type of computer hardware and software that
              will be used to operate the national instant criminal 
              background check system and the means by which State criminal
              records systems and the telephone or electronic device of
              licensees will communicate with the national system;
                (2) investigate the criminal records system of each State and
              determine for each State a timetable by which the State should
              be able to provide criminal records on an on-line capacity 
              basis to the national system; and
                (3) notify each State of the determinations made pursuant to
              paragraphs (1) and (2).
            (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF SYSTEM- Not later than 60 months after the
          date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall
          establish a national instant criminal background check system that
          any licensee may contact, by telephone or by other electronic means
          in addition to the telephone, for information, to be supplied
          immediately, on whether receipt of a firearm by a prospective
          transferee would violate section 922 of title 18, United States
          Code, or State law.
            (c) EXPEDITED ACTION BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL- The Attorney 
          General shall expedite--
                (1) the upgrading and indexing of State criminal history
              records in the Federal criminal records system maintained by 
              the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
                (2) the development of hardware and software systems to link
              State criminal history check systems into the national instant
              criminal background check system established by the Attorney
              General pursuant to this section; and
                (3) the current revitalization initiatives by the Federal
              Bureau of Investigation for technologically advanced 
              fingerprint and criminal records identification.
            (d) NOTIFICATION OF LICENSEES- On establishment of the system
          under this section, the Attorney General shall notify each licensee
          and the chief law enforcement officer of each State of the 
          existence and purpose of the system and the means to be used to
          contact the system.
            (e) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS- 
                (1) AUTHORITY TO OBTAIN OFFICIAL INFORMATION- Notwithstanding
              any other law, the Attorney General may secure directly from 
              any department or agency of the United States such information
              on persons for whom receipt of a firearm would violate
              subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States
              Code or State law, as is necessary to enable the system to
              operate in accordance with this section. On request of the
              Attorney General, the head of such department or agency shall
              furnish such information to the system.
                (2) OTHER AUTHORITY- The Attorney General shall develop such
              computer software, design and obtain such telecommunications 
              and computer hardware, and employ such personnel, as are
              necessary to establish and operate the system in accordance 
              with this section.
            (f) WRITTEN REASONS PROVIDED ON REQUEST- If the national instant
          criminal background check system determines that an individual is
          ineligible to receive a firearm and the individual requests the
          system to provide the reasons for the determination, the system
          shall provide such reasons to the individual, in writing, within 5
          business days after the date of the request.
            (g) CORRECTION OF ERRONEOUS SYSTEM INFORMATION- If the system
          established under this section informs an individual contacting the
          system that receipt of a firearm by a prospective transferee would
          violate subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United
          States Code or State law, the prospective transferee may request 
          the Attorney General to provide the prospective transferee with the
          reasons therefor. Upon receipt of such a request, the Attorney
          General shall immediately comply with the request. The prospective
          transferee may submit to the Attorney General information to
          correct, clarify, or supplement records of the system with respect
          to the prospective transferee. After receipt of such information,
          the Attorney General shall immediately consider the information,
          investigate the matter further, and correct all erroneous Federal
          records relating to the prospective transferee and give notice of
          the error to any Federal department or agency or any State that was
          the source of such erroneous records.
            (h) REGULATIONS- After 90 days' notice to the public and an
          opportunity for hearing by interested parties, the Attorney General
          shall prescribe regulations to ensure the privacy and security of
          the information of the system established under this section.
            (i) PROHIBITION RELATING TO ESTABLISHMENT OF REGISTRATION SYSTEMS
          WITH RESPECT TO FIREARMS- No department, agency, officer, or
          employee of the United States may--
                (1) require that any record or portion thereof generated by
              the system established under this section be recorded at or
              transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the
              United States or any State or political subdivision thereof; or
                (2) use the system established under this section to 
              establish any system for the registration of firearms, firearm
              owners, or firearm transactions or dispositions, except with
              respect to persons, prohibited by section 922 (g) or (n) of
              title 18, United States Code or State law, from receiving a
              firearm.
            (j) DEFINITIONS- As used in this section:
                (1) LICENSEE- The term `licensee' means a licensed importer
              (as defined in section 921(a)(9) of title 18, United States
              Code), a licensed manufacturer (as defined in section 
              921(a)(10) of that title), or a licensed dealer (as defined in
              section 921(a)(11) of that title).
                (2) OTHER TERMS- The terms `firearm', `handgun', `licensed
              importer', `licensed manufacturer', and `licensed dealer' have
              the meanings stated in section 921(a) of title 18, United 
              States Code, as amended by subsection (a)(2).
            (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be
          appropriated, which may be appropriated from the Violent Crime
          Reduction Trust Fund established by section 1115 of title 31, 
          United States Code, such sums as are necessary to enable the
          Attorney General to carry out this section.
          SEC. 104. REMEDY FOR ERRONEOUS DENIAL OF FIREARM.
            (a) IN GENERAL- Chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is
          amended by inserting after section 925 the following new section:
          `Sec. 925A. Remedy for erroneous denial of firearm
            `Any person denied a firearm pursuant to subsection (s) or (t) of
          section 922--
                `(1) due to the provision of erroneous information relating 
              to the person by any State or political subdivision thereof, or
              by the national instant criminal background check system
              established under section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence
              Prevention Act; or
                `(2) who was not prohibited from receipt of a firearm 
              pursuant to subsection (g) or (n) of section 922,
          may bring an action against the State or political subdivision
          responsible for providing the erroneous information, or responsible
          for denying the transfer, or against the United States, as the case
          may be, for an order directing that the erroneous information be
          corrected or that the transfer be approved, as the case may be. In
          any action under this section, the court, in its discretion, may
          allow the prevailing party a reasonable attorney's fee as part of
          the costs.'.
            (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT- The chapter analysis for chapter 44 of
          title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the 
          item relating to section 925 the following new item:
          `925A. Remedy for erroneous denial of firearm.'.
          SEC. 105. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
            This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall not be
          construed to alter or impair any right or remedy under section 552a
          of title 5, United States Code.
          SEC. 106. FUNDING FOR IMPROVEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS.
            (a) USE OF FORMULA GRANTS- Section 509(b) of title I of the
          Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C.
          3759(b)) is amended--
                (1) in paragraph (2) by striking `and' after the semicolon;
                (2) in paragraph (3) by striking the period and inserting `;
              and'; and
                (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
                `(4) the improvement of State record systems and the sharing
              with the Attorney General of all of the records described in
              paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this subsection and the records
              required by the Attorney General under section 103 of the Brady
              Handgun Violence Prevention Act, for the purpose of 
              implementing that Act.'.
            (b) Additional Funding- 
                (1) GRANTS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS- The
              Attorney General, through the Bureau of Justice Statistics,
              shall, subject to appropriations and with preference to States
              that as of the date of enactment of this Act have the lowest
              percent currency of case dispositions in computerized criminal
              history files, make a grant to each State to be used--
                    (A) for the creation of a computerized criminal history
                  record system or improvement of an existing system;
                    (B) to improve accessibility to the national instant
                  criminal background system; and
                    (C) upon establishment of the national system, to assist
                  the State in the transmittal of criminal records to the
                  national system.
                (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to
              be appropriated for grants under paragraph (1), which may be
              appropriated from the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund
              established by section 1115 of title 31, United States Code, a
              total of $200,000,000 for fiscal year 1994 and all fiscal years
              thereafter.
             TITLE II--MULTIPLE FIREARM PURCHASES TO STATE AND LOCAL POLICE
          SEC. 201. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
            Section 923(g)(3) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
                (1) in the second sentence by inserting after `thereon,' the
              following: `and to the department of State police or State law
              enforcement agency of the State or local law enforcement agency
              of the local jurisdiction in which the sale or other 
              disposition took place,';
                (2) by inserting `(A)' after `(3)'; and
                (3) by adding at the end thereof the following:
                `(B) Except in the case of forms and contents thereof
              regarding a purchaser who is prohibited by subsection (g) or 
              (n) of section 922 of this title from receipt of a firearm, the
              department of State police or State law enforcement agency or
              local law enforcement agency of the local jurisdiction shall 
              not disclose any such form or the contents thereof to any 
              person or entity, and shall destroy each such form and any
              record of the contents thereof no more than 20 days from the
              date such form is received. No later than the date that is 6
              months after the effective date of this subparagraph, and at 
              the end of each 6-month period thereafter, the department of
              State police or State law enforcement agency or local law
              enforcement agency of the local jurisdiction shall certify to
              the Attorney General of the United States that no disclosure
              contrary to this subparagraph has been made and that all forms
              and any record of the contents thereof have been destroyed as
              provided in this subparagraph.'.
                       TITLE III--FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSE REFORM
          SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE.
            This title may be cited as the `Federal Firearms License Reform
          Act of 1993'.
          SEC. 302. PREVENTION OF THEFT OF FIREARMS.
            (a) COMMON CARRIERS- Section 922(e) of title 18, United States
          Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: `No common or
          contract carrier shall require or cause any label, tag, or other
          written notice to be placed on the outside of any package, luggage,
          or other container that such package, luggage, or other container
          contains a firearm.'.
            (b) RECEIPT REQUIREMENT- Section 922(f) of title 18, United 
          States Code, is amended--
                (1) by inserting `(1)' after `(f)'; and
                (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            `(2) It shall be unlawful for any common or contract carrier to
          deliver in interstate or foreign commerce any firearm without
          obtaining written acknowledgement of receipt from the recipient of
          the package or other container in which there is a firearm.'.
            (c) UNLAWFUL ACTS- Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, 
          as amended by section 102, is amended by adding at the end the
          following new subsection:
            `(u) It shall be unlawful for a person to steal or unlawfully 
          take or carry away from the person or the premises of a person who
          is licensed to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing,
          or dealing in firearms, any firearm in the licensee's business
          inventory that has been shipped or transported in interstate or
          foreign commerce.'.
            (d) PENALTIES- Section 924 of title 18, United States Code, is
          amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
            `(i)(1) A person who knowingly violates section 922(u) shall be
          fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or
          both.
            `(2) Nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed as
          indicating an intent on the part of Congress to occupy the field in
          which provisions of this subsection operate to the exclusion of
          State laws on the same subject matter, nor shall any provision of
          this subsection be construed as invalidating any provision of State
          law unless such provision is inconsistent with any of the purposes
          of this subsection.'.
          SEC. 303. LICENSE APPLICATION FEES FOR DEALERS IN FIREARMS.
            Section 923(a)(3) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
                (1) in subparagraph (A), by adding `or' at the end;
                (2) in subparagraph (B) by striking `a pawnbroker dealing in
              firearms other than' and inserting `not a dealer in';
                (3) in subparagraph (B) by striking `$25 per year; or' and
              inserting `$200 for 3 years, except that the fee for renewal of
              a valid license shall be $90 for 3 years.'; and
                (4) by striking subparagraph (C).
          Speaker of the House of Representatives.
          Vice President of the United States and  
          President of the Senate.