Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act

Summary: Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act  This bill modifies the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" for purposes of federal firearms provisions to: (1) include a projectile that is designed and intended by the manufacturer or importer for use in a handgun; (2) exclude a projectile that is primarily intended by the manufacturer or importer to be used in a rifle or shotgun and a handgun projectile that is designed for hunting, recreational, or competitive shooting. This bill repeals a prohibition on assembling from imported parts a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun that is identical to one prohibited from importation as not being suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. This bill repeals the condition that the Attorney General must approve, as suitable for sporting purposes, the shipment of firearms or ammunition to members of the Armed Forces.   The following categories of firearms or ammunition may be authorized for importation into the United States by the Attorney General: (1) ammunition that is not armor piercing; (2) a firearm or ammunition that is being brought in for the use of a federal, state, or local government agency; and (3) a firearm or ammunition that is being imported for the purpose of exportation. The definition of "destructive device" for purposes of federal firearms provisions excludes: (1) a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Department of the Treasury finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for lawful purposes, and (2) an antique or a rifle which the owner intends to use for sporting purposes. The bill authorizes certain temporary interstate transfers of firearms for lawful purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lawful Purpose and Self Defense 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF AUTHORITY TO RECLASSIFY POPULAR RIFLE AMMUNITION 
              AS ``ARMOR PIERCING AMMUNITION''.

    Section 921(a)(17) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ``may be used'' and 
        inserting ``is designed and intended by the manufacturer or 
        importer for use'';
            (2) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by inserting ``by the 
        manufacturer or importer'' before ``for use''; and
            (3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``the Attorney General 
        finds is primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes'' 
        and inserting ``is primarily intended by the manufacturer or 
        importer to be used in a rifle or shotgun, a handgun projectile 
        that is designed and intended by the manufacturer or importer 
        to be used for hunting, recreational, or competitive 
        shooting''.

SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF RESTRICTIONS ON IMPORTATION OF NON-NATIONAL 
              FIREARMS ACT FIREARM OR AMMUNITION THAT MAY OTHERWISE BE 
              LAWFULLY POSSESSED AND SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Elimination of Prohibitions.--Section 922 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (7) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(7) for any person to manufacture or import armor 
        piercing ammunition, unless the manufacture or importation of 
        the ammunition--
                    ``(A) is for the use of the United States, any 
                department or agency of the United States, any State, 
                or any department, agency, or political subdivision of 
                a State;
                    ``(B) is for the purpose of exportation; or
                    ``(C) is for the purpose of testing or 
                experimentation, and has been authorized by the 
                Attorney General;'';
            (2) in subsection (l), by striking ``925(d) of this 
        chapter'' and inserting ``925''; and
            (3) by striking subsection (r).
    (b) Broadening of Exceptions.--Section 925 of such title is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``determined'' and 
        all that follows through the end and inserting ``intended for 
        the lawful personal use of such member or club.'';
            (2) in subsection (a)(4), by striking ``(A)'' and all that 
        follows through ``for the'' and inserting ``intended for the 
        lawful''; and
            (3) by striking subsections (d) through (f) and inserting 
        the following:
    ``(d)(1) Within 30 days after the Attorney General receives an 
application therefor, the Attorney General shall authorize a firearm or 
ammunition to be imported or brought into the United States or any 
possession thereof if--
            ``(A) the firearm or ammunition is being imported or 
        brought in for scientific, research, testing, or 
        experimentation purposes;
            ``(B) the firearm is an unserviceable firearm (other than a 
        machine gun as defined in section 5845(b) of the Internal 
        Revenue Code of 1986 that is readily restorable to firing 
        condition) imported or brought in as a curio or museum piece;
            ``(C) the firearm is not a firearm as defined in section 
        5845(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
            ``(D) the ammunition is not armor piercing ammunition (as 
        defined in section 921(a)(17)(B) of this title), unless 
        subparagraph (A), (E), (F), or (G) applies;
            ``(E) the firearm or ammunition is being imported or 
        brought in for the use of the United States, any department or 
        agency of the United States, any State, or any department, 
        agency, or political subdivision of a State;
            ``(F) the firearm or ammunition is being imported or 
        brought in for the purpose of exportation;
            ``(G) the firearm or ammunition was previously taken out of 
        the United States or a possession thereof by the person who is 
        bringing in the firearm or ammunition; or
            ``(H) the firearm is a firearm defined as curio or relic by 
        the Attorney General under section 921(a)(13) of this title.
    ``(2) Within 30 days after the Attorney General receives an 
application therefor, the Attorney General shall permit the conditional 
importation or bringing in of a firearm or ammunition for examination 
and testing in connection with the making of a determination as to 
whether the importation or bringing in of the firearm or ammunition 
will be allowed under this subsection.
    ``(3) The Attorney General shall not authorize, under this 
subsection, the importation of any firearm the importation of which is 
prohibited by section 922(p).''.

SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF SHOTGUNS, SHOTGUN SHELLS, AND LARGE CALIBER 
              RIFLES FROM ARBITRARY CLASSIFICATION AS ``DESTRUCTIVE 
              DEVICES''.

    (a) Amendments to the National Firearms Act.--Section 5845(f) of 
the National Firearms Act is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``recognized as 
        particularly suitable for sporting purposes'' and inserting 
        ``recognized as suitable for lawful purposes''; and
            (2) by striking ``use solely for sporting purposes'' and 
        inserting ``use for sporting purposes''.
    (b) Amendments to Title 18, United States Code.--Section 921(a)(4) 
of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B) of the 1st sentence, by striking 
        ``particularly suitable for sporting'' and inserting ``suitable 
        for lawful''; and
            (2) in the 2nd sentence, by striking ``solely''.

SEC. 5. BROADENING OF THE TEMPORARY INTERSTATE TRANSFER PROVISION TO 
              ALLOW TEMPORARY TRANSFERS FOR ALL LAWFUL PURPOSES RATHER 
              THAN JUST FOR ``SPORTING PURPOSES''.

    Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended in each of 
subsections (a)(5)(B), (a)(9), and (b)(3)(B), by striking ``sporting''.