I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1604 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to combat straw purchases of 

firearms. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2021 

Mr. BACON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to combat straw 

purchases of firearms. 

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 Straw Pur5 chases Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INCREASE IN PENALTIES FOR STRAW PURCHASERS 

7 OF FIREARMS. 

8 Section 924(a)(2) of title 18, United States Code, is 

9 amended by inserting ‘‘, except that in the case of a viola10 tion of section 922(a)(6) involving deception as to the 


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1 identity of the actual transferee of a firearm, if the viola2 tor knows or has reasonable cause to believe the actual 

3 transferee intends the firearm to be used to commit a 

4 crime of violence (as defined in subsection (c)(3)) or drug 

5 trafficking crime (as defined in subsection (c)(2)) or to 

6 be disposed of to a person prohibited from receiving the 

7 firearm, the violator shall be fined not more than 

8 $750,000, imprisoned not more than 25 years, or both’’ 

9 before the period. 

10 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON CONTINUING CRIMINAL ENTER11 PRISE INVOLVING STRAW PURCHASES OF 

12 FIREARMS; PROHIBITION ON OBTAINING 

13 FIREARM BY INDUCING STRAW PURCHASE. 

14 (a) PROHIBITIONS.—Section 922 of title 18, United 

15 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(aa) It shall be unlawful for any person, in or affect18 ing interstate or foreign commerce, to— 

19 ‘‘(1) induce, or act in concert with, another per20 son to engage in a continuing series of violations of 

21 subsection (a)(6) involving deception as to the iden22 tity of the actual transferee of a firearm, with the 

23 intent to obtain the firearm for use in a crime of vi24 olence (as defined in section 924(c)(3)) or drug traf25 ficking crime (as defined in section 924(c)(2)) or on 


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1 behalf of a person prohibited from receiving the fire2 arm, from which such person obtains substantial in3 come or resources; and 

4 ‘‘(2) with respect to such other person, occupy 

5 a position of organizer, a supervisory position, or 

6 any other position of management. 

7 ‘‘(bb) It shall be unlawful for any person, in or affect8 ing interstate or foreign commerce, to obtain a firearm 

9 by inducing another person to violate subsection (a)(6) by 

10 falsely claiming to be the actual transferee of the firearm, 

11 with the intent to obtain the firearm for use in a crime 

12 of violence (as defined in section 924(c)(3)) or drug traf13 ficking crime (as defined in section 924(c)(2)) or on behalf 

14 of a person prohibited from receiving the firearm.’’. 

15 (b) PENALTIES.—Section 924(a) of such title is 

16 amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(8) Whoever knowingly violates section 922(aa) 

18 shall be fined not more than $1,000,000, imprisoned not 

19 more than 30 years, or both. 

20 ‘‘(9) Whoever knowingly violates section 922(bb) 

21 shall be fined not more than $750,000, imprisoned not 

22 more than 25 years, or both.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. INCLUSION IN FIREARMS TRANSACTION RECORD 

2 FORM OF OUTLINE OF PENALTIES FOR THE 

3 STRAW PURCHASE OF A FIREARM. 

4 The Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 

5 Firearms and Explosives shall ensure that the Firearms 

6 Transaction Record form used by the Bureau includes a 

7 statement outlining the penalties for acting as the straw 

8 purchaser of a firearm. For purposes of this section, a 

9 person acts as the straw purchaser of a firearm if the per10 son violates section 922(a)(6) of title 18, United States 

11 Code, through deception as to the identity of the actual 

12 transferee of the firearm, if the person knows or has rea13 sonable cause to believe the actual transferee intends the 

14 firearm is to be used to commit a crime of violence (as 

15 defined in section 924(c)(3) of such title) or drug traf16 ficking crime (as defined in section 924(c)(2) of such title) 

17 or to be disposed of to a person prohibited from receiving 

18 the firearm. 

Æ 


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