I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 24

To require ballistics testing of firearms manufactured in or imported into 

the United States, and to provide for the compilation, use, and availability of ballistics information for the purpose of curbing the use of 

firearms in crime. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 7, 2003

Mr. BECERRA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Judiciary 

A BILL

To require ballistics testing of firearms manufactured in 

or imported into the United States, and to provide for 

the compilation, use, and availability of ballistics information for the purpose of curbing the use of firearms 

in crime.

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 ‘‘Bullet Tracing Act 

5 To Reduce Gun Violence’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON TRANSFER OF FIREARM BY LI2 CENSED FIREARMS MANUFACTURER OR LI3 CENSED FIREARMS IMPORTER BEFORE TEST 

4 FIRING AND TRANSMISSION OF BALLISTICS 

5 RECORDS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 44 of title 18, United 

7 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘§ 931. Test firing and transmission of ballistics 

10 records 

11 ‘‘(a) A licensed manufacturer or licensed importer 

12 shall not transfer a firearm to any person before—

13 ‘‘(1) test firing the firearm; 

14 ‘‘(2) preparing ballistics records of the fired 

15 bullet and cartridge casings from the test fire; and 

16 ‘‘(3) transmitting the records to the Attorney 

17 General. 

18 ‘‘(b)(1)(A) With respect to each violation of sub19 section (a) by a licensee, the Attorney General may, after 

20 notice and opportunity for hearing, suspend for not more 

21 than 5 years or revoke the license of the licensee, impose 

22 on the licensee a civil fine of not more than $20,000, or 

23 both. 

24 ‘‘(B) An action of the Attorney General under this 

25 paragraph may be reviewed only as provided in section 

26 923(f). 
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1 ‘‘(2) The suspension or revocation of a license or the 

2 imposition of a civil fine under paragraph (1) shall not 

3 preclude any administrative remedy that is available to the 

4 Attorney General under other law. 

5 ‘‘(3) Whoever knowingly violates subsection (a) shall 

6 be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 

7 years, or both.’’. 

8 (b) DEFINITION OF BALLISTICS.—Section 921(a) of 

9 such title is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(35) The term ‘ballistics’ means a comparative anal11 ysis of fired bullets or cartridge casings to identify the 

12 firearm from which the bullets or cartridge casings were 

13 discharged, through the identification of the unique char14 acteristics that each firearm imprints on bullets and car15 tridge casings.’’. 

16 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

17 for such chapter is amended by adding at the end the fol18 lowing:

‘‘931. Test firing and automated storage of ballistics records.’’.

19 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

20 this section shall take effect 1 year after the date of the 

21 enactment of this Act. 

22 SEC. 3. COMPILATION, USE, AND AVAILABILITY OF BALLIS23 TICS INFORMATION. 

24 (a) COMPILATION OF INFORMATION.—The Attorney 

25 General shall compile, in electronic form, the ballistics 
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1 records transmitted pursuant to section 931(a)(3) of title 

2 18, United States Code, and shall make the compilation 

3 available for use in Federal, State, and local criminal in4 vestigations, arrests, indictments, and prosecutions. 

5 (b) FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO FIREARM MANUFAC6 TURERS AND IMPORTERS.—The Attorney General shall 

7 assist qualified firearms manufacturers and qualified fire8 arms importers in—

9 (1) obtaining use of new and upgraded comput10 erized ballistics equipment and bullet recovery equip11 ment owned by the Federal Government, to be 

12 placed at the sites of licensed manufacturers and li13 censed importers; 

14 (2) training personnel necessary to develop, 

15 maintain, research, and evaluate a database con16 taining ballistics information on firearms possessed 

17 by the manufacturers or importers, and to record 

18 and transmit to the Attorney General such informa19 tion; and 

20 (3) taking any other steps necessary to imple21 ment effective ballistics testing. 

22 (c) QUALIFIED FIREARMS MANUFACTURERS AND

23 QUALIFIED FIREARMS IMPORTERS.—A manufacturer or 

24 importer of firearms shall be considered qualified for as25 sistance under subsection (b) only if the Attorney General 
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1 determines that the manufacturer or importer meets such 

2 uniform requirements as the Attorney General establishes 

3 relating to the creation, preservation, and transmission of 

4 ballistics records described in section 931(a) of title 18, 

5 United States Code. 

6 (d) ANNUAL REPORTS ON EFFECTS OF THIS ACT.—

7 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 

8 this section and annually thereafter, the Attorney General 

9 shall submit to the Congress a report regarding the effects 

10 of this Act, including the number of Federal, State, and 

11 local criminal investigations, arrests, indictments, and 

12 prosecutions of all cases in which access to ballistics 

13 records provided under section 931 of title 18, United 

14 States Code, served as a valuable investigative tool. 

15 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘li16 censed manufacturer’’, ‘‘licensed importer’’, ‘‘firearm’’, 

17 and ‘‘ballistics’’ shall have the meanings given in section 

18 921(a) of title 18, United States Code.

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