Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act

Summary: Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the definition of &quot;armor piercing ammunition&quot; 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 (currently, a projectile that may be used in a handgun); (2) repeal the exclusion of a projectile that the Department of Justice (DOJ) finds is primarily intended for sporting purposes; and (3) 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 and intended by the manufacturer or importer to be used for hunting, recreational, or competitive shooting. It 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. It repeals the condition that in order for a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to be permitted to ship to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty outside the United States or to clubs whose entire membership is composed of such members, and for such members or clubs to be permitted to receive, a firearm or ammunition intended for the lawful personal use of such members or club, the firearm or ammunition must be determined by DOJ to be generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes. The bill includes among the categories of firearms or ammunition that may be authorized for importation into the United States by DOJ, within 30 days after receiving an application therefor: (1) ammunition that is not armor piercing ammunition; (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. It amends the National Firearms Act to modify the definition of &quot;destructive device&quot; to exclude: (1) a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Department of the Treasury finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for lawful (currently, sporting) purposes; and (2) an antique or a rifle which the owner intends to use for (currently, solely for) sporting purposes. It authorizes the temporary interstate transfer of a firearm for lawful (currently, sporting) 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)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by striking ``may be used'' and 
                inserting ``is designed and intended by the 
                manufacturer or importer for use''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii), by inserting ``by the 
                manufacturer or importer'' before ``for use''; and
            (2) 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 title 18, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``determined'' 
                and all that follows through the end and inserting 
                ``intended for the lawful personal use of such member 
                or club.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``(A)'' and all 
                that follows through ``for the'' and inserting 
                ``intended for the lawful''; and
            (2) by striking subsections (d), (e), and (f) and inserting 
        the following:
    ``(d)(1) Not later than 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) of this paragraph 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) Not later than 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) of the first sentence, by striking 
        ``recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes'' 
        and inserting ``recognized as suitable for lawful purposes''; 
        and
            (2) in the second sentence, 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--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ``sporting''; 
                and
                    (B) in paragraph (9), by striking ``sporting''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking ``sporting''.