I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 117 

To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of handguns. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2013 

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

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of 

handguns. 

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 ‘‘Handgun Licensing 

5 and Registration Act of 2013’’. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with 
2 

•HR 117 IH

1 SEC. 2. FEDERAL HANDGUN LICENSING AND REGISTRA2 TION SYSTEM TO APPLY IN ANY STATE THAT 

3 DOES NOT HAVE A HANDGUN LICENSING AND 

4 REGISTRATION SYSTEM THAT MEETS CER5 TAIN REQUIREMENTS. 

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

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

9 ‘‘§ 932. Licensing and registration of handguns 

10 ‘‘(a)(1) The Attorney General of the United States 

11 shall establish a Federal system for the licensing and reg12 istration of all handguns owned, possessed, or controlled 

13 in the United States, which shall include a method for eas14 ily retrieving information sufficient to identify— 

15 ‘‘(A) each resident of a State to which this sub16 section applies who owns, possesses, or controls a 

17 handgun; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the handgun. 

19 ‘‘(2) It shall be unlawful for a person to own, possess, 

20 or control a handgun in a State to which this subsection 

21 applies unless the person— 

22 ‘‘(A) is licensed to do so by the system estab23 lished pursuant to paragraph (1); and 

24 ‘‘(B) has registered the handgun with a Fed25 eral, State, or local law enforcement agency. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with 
3 

•HR 117 IH

1 ‘‘(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply in a State if there 

2 is in effect a certification by the Attorney General of the 

3 United States that the State has in effect a system for 

4 the licensing and registration of handguns owned, pos5 sessed, or controlled in the State that— 

6 ‘‘(1) includes a method for easily retrieving in7 formation sufficient to identify— 

8 ‘‘(A) each resident of the State who owns, 

9 possesses, or controls a handgun in the State; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(B) the handgun; and 

12 ‘‘(2) at a minimum, imposes criminal penalties 

13 on any person who owns, possesses, or controls a 

14 handgun in the State, and who— 

15 ‘‘(A) has not completed training in fire16 arms safety; 

17 ‘‘(B) is not licensed by the State to possess 

18 a handgun; or 

19 ‘‘(C) has not registered the handgun with 

20 a Federal, State, or local law enforcement agen21 cy. 

22 ‘‘(c) A certification under subsection (b) with respect 

23 to a State shall have no force or effect on or after the 

24 date the Attorney General finds, after an opportunity for 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with 
4 

•HR 117 IH

1 a hearing on the record, that the State does not have in 

2 effect the system described in subsection (b). 

3 ‘‘(d) The Attorney General shall prescribe such regu4 lations as may be necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

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

6 amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(7) Whoever knowingly violates section 931(a)(2) 

8 shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not less than 

9 15 years, or both. The court shall not suspend a sentence 

10 of imprisonment imposed under this paragraph or impose 

11 a probationary sentence under this paragraph.’’. 

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

13 for such chapter is amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

‘‘932. Licensing and registration of handguns.’’. 

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

16 this section shall apply to conduct engaged in after the 

17 2-year period that begins with the date of the enactment 

18 of this Act. 

Æ 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with