I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8427 

To prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of 

.50 caliber rifles, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 16, 2024 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. FROST, Mrs. 

CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. BOWMAN, 

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, 

Mr. TAKANO, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, and Ms. BROWNLEY) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 

and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to 

be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or 

possession of .50 caliber rifles, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Stop Arming Cartels 

5 Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON RIFLES CAPABLE OF FIRING .50 

2 CALIBER AMMUNITION. 

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

4 States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) in section 922, by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(aa) RIFLES CAPABLE OF FIRING .50 CALIBER AM8 MUNITION.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para10 graph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to im11 port, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or af12 fecting interstate or foreign commerce, a rifle capa13 ble of firing .50 caliber ammunition. 

14 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) GOVERNMENT USE.—Paragraph (1) 

16 shall not apply to the importation for, manufac17 ture for, sale to, transfer to, or possession by 

18 the United States, a department or agency of 

19 the United States, a State, or a department, 

20 agency, or political subdivision of a State, of a 

21 rifle capable of firing .50 caliber ammunition. 

22 ‘‘(B) GRANDFATHERED RIFLES.—Para23 graph (1) shall not apply to the sale, transfer, 

24 or possession of any rifle otherwise lawfully pos25 sessed on or before the date of enactment of the 

26 Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2024.’’; and 


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1 (2) in section 924(a)(1)(B), by striking ‘‘or 

2 (q)’’ and inserting ‘‘(q), or (aa)’’. 

3 (b) INCLUSION OF CERTAIN RIFLES AS FIREARMS

4 UNDER NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 5845(a) of the In6 ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking 

7 ‘‘and (8) a destructive device’’ and inserting ‘‘(8) a 

8 destructive device; and (9) a rifle which is capable 

9 of firing .50 caliber ammunition and is lawfully pos10 sessed on or before the date of enactment of the 

11 Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2024’’. 

12 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara14 graph (B), the amendments made by this sub15 section shall take effect on the date which is 12 

16 months after the date of enactment of this Act. 

17 (B) REGISTRATION.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

19 subparagraph (A) or any other provision of 

20 law, any person possessing a rifle which is 

21 capable of firing .50 caliber ammunition 

22 which is not registered to such person in 

23 the National Firearms Registration and 

24 Transfer Record shall register each such 

25 rifle so possessed with the Secretary in 


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1 such form and manner as the Secretary 

2 may require within the 12-month period 

3 immediately following the date of enact4 ment of this Act. No fee or tax shall be im5 posed with respect to any registration re6 quired under this subparagraph. 

7 (ii) INCLUSION IN REGISTRY.—Any 

8 registration described in clause (i) shall be9 come a part of the National Firearms Reg10 istration and Transfer Record. No infor11 mation or evidence required to be sub12 mitted or retained by a natural person to 

13 register a firearm under this subparagraph 

14 shall be used, directly or indirectly, as evi15 dence against such person in any criminal 

16 proceeding with respect to a prior or con17 current violation of law. 

18 (C) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

19 (i) NATIONAL FIREARMS REGISTRA20 TION AND TRANSFER RECORD.—The term 

21 ‘‘National Firearms Registration and 

22 Transfer Record’’ means the registry es23 tablished pursuant to section 5841 of the 

24 Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 


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1 (ii) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Sec2 retary’’ has the same meaning given such 

3 term under section 7701(a)(11)(B) of the 

4 Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

5 SEC. 3. EXCEPTION TO COVERAGE UNDER PROTECTION OF 

6 LAWFUL COMMERCE IN ARMS ACT. 

7 Section 4(5)(A) of the Protection of Lawful Com8 merce in Arms Act (15 U.S.C. 7903(5)(A)) is amended— 

9 (1) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; 

10 (2) in clause (vi), by striking the period at the 

11 end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(vii) an action brought against a 

14 manufacturer or seller that knowingly sells 

15 or transfers a qualified product, or at16 tempts or conspires to do so, knowing or 

17 having reasonable cause to believe that the 

18 transaction is prohibited under section 

19 805(c) of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin 

20 Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1904(c)).’’. 

21 SEC. 4. FEDERAL FIREARM PROHIBITOR FOR SIGNIFICANT 

22 FOREIGN NARCOTICS TRAFFICKERS AND 

23 CERTAIN OTHER FOREIGN PERSONS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 922(d) of title 18, United 

25 States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (2) by redesignating paragraph (11) as para4 graph (12); 

5 (3) by inserting after paragraph (10) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(11) is— 

8 ‘‘(A) a significant foreign narcotics traf9 ficker publicly identified by the President in a 

10 report under subsection (b) or (h)(1) of section 

11 804 of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designa12 tion Act (21 U.S.C. 1903); or 

13 ‘‘(B) a foreign person designated by the 

14 Secretary of the Treasury under section 805(b) 

15 of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation 

16 Act (21 U.S.C. 1904(b)); or’’; and 

17 (4) in paragraph (12), as so redesignated, by 

18 striking ‘‘(10)’’ and inserting ‘‘(11)’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO

20 NICS.—Section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Pre21 vention Act (34 U.S.C. 40901) is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (b)(2)(D), by inserting ‘‘or 

23 that transfer of a firearm or ammunition to the indi24 vidual would violate subsection (d)(11) of such secVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jun 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8427.IH H8427

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1 tion 922’’ after ‘‘section 922 of title 18, United 

2 States Code,’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (e)(1)— 

4 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘or 

5 to whom transfer of a firearm would violate 

6 subsection (d)(11) of such section 922,’’ after 

7 ‘‘section 922 of title 18, United States Code or 

8 State law,’’; 

9 (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘or 

10 that transfer of a firearm or ammunition to the 

11 person would violate subsection (d)(11) of such 

12 section 922,’’ after ‘‘section 922 of title 18, 

13 United States Code,’’; 

14 (C) in subparagraph (F)(iii)(I), by striking 

15 ‘‘(g) or (n)’’ and inserting ‘‘(d)(11), (g), or 

16 (n)’’; and 

17 (D) in subparagraph (G)(i), by striking 

18 ‘‘(g) or (n)’’ and inserting ‘‘(d)(11), (g), or 

19 (n)’’; 

20 (3) in subsection (g), by inserting ‘‘or that 

21 transfer of a firearm to a prospective transferee 

22 would violate subsection (d)(11) of such section 

23 922,’’ after ‘‘section 922 of title 18, United States 

24 Code or State law,’’; and 

25 (4) in subsection (i)(2)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘persons,’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘persons who are’’; and 

3 (B) by inserting before the period at the 

4 end the following: ‘‘, or to whom transfer of a 

5 firearm would violate subsection (d)(11) of such 

6 section 922’’. 

7 SEC. 5. ADDING RIFLES TO MULTIPLE FIREARM SALES RE8 PORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

9 Section 923(g)(3)(A) of title 18, United States Code, 

10 is amended by striking ‘‘pistols, or revolvers, or any com11 bination of pistols and revolvers’’ and inserting ‘‘pistols, 

12 revolvers, or rifles, or any combination of pistols, revolvers, 

13 and rifles’’. 

Æ 


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