I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2493

To assist local governments in conducting gun buyback programs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 17, 2003

Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL

To assist local governments in conducting gun buyback 

programs.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nationwide Gun 

5 Buyback Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing and 

8 Urban Development may make grants to units of local 

9 government to conduct gun buyback programs. 

10 (b) REDUCTION OF INCIDENCE OF GUN VIOLENCE

11 TO BE GIVEN GREAT WEIGHT.—In assessing applications 
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1 for grants under this Act, the Secretary shall give greater 

2 weight to the incidence of gun violence and the need to 

3 reduce the availability of guns in the jurisdictions involved 

4 than to any other factors. 

5 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—A unit of local government to 

6 which a grant is made under this Act shall use the grant 

7 only to conduct a gun buyback program in accordance 

8 with the approved application for the grant. 

9 SEC. 3. APPLICATIONS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The chief executive of a unit of 

11 local government desiring a grant under this Act shall sub12 mit to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

13 an application for the grant, which shall be in such form 

14 and contain such information as the Secretary may rea15 sonably require. 

16 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—An application for a grant 

17 under this Act for a gun buyback program shall contain 

18 assurances from the chief executive of the unit of local 

19 government (after consultation with the local chief of po20 lice or equivalent officer) that—

21 (1) within 60 days after the date the program 

22 collects a gun, the gun will be destroyed or, if the 

23 gun is an inoperable curio or relic with historic sig24 nificance, donated to a museum for display; 
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1 (2) the local law enforcement authority is able 

2 to collect guns safely under the program; and 

3 (3) the unit of local government has the author4 ity to grant an appropriate amnesty to persons from 

5 whom guns are obtained under the program. 

6 (c) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Hous8 ing and Urban Development shall promulgate regulations 

9 to implement this Act, which shall specify the information 

10 that must be included in an application for a grant under 

11 this Act, and the requirements that units of local govern12 ment must meet to be eligible for such a grant. 

13 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

15 (1) GUN.—The term ‘‘gun’’ means a firearm 

16 (as defined in section 921(a)(3) of title 18, United 

17 States Code). 

18 (2) GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘gun 

19 buyback program’’ means a program conducted by a 

20 local law enforcement authority under which the au21 thority purchases guns from, or accepts gun dona22 tions made by individuals or groups desiring to dis23 pose of guns. 
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1 SEC. 5. LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA2 TIONS. 

3 For grants under this Act, there are authorized to 

4 be appropriated to the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

5 Development not more than $100,000,000 for each fiscal 

6 year.

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