I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1474 

To reauthorize the ban on undetectable firearms, and to extend the ban 

to undetectable firearm receivers and undetectable ammunition magazines. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 10, 2013 

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

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the ban on undetectable firearms, and to 

extend the ban to undetectable firearm receivers and 

undetectable ammunition magazines. 

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 ‘‘Undetectable Firearms 

5 Modernization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds that— 

8 (1) according to data from the Federal Bureau 

9 of Investigation, 8,583 of the 12,664 murders in the 

10 United States in 2011 were committed using a fireVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:41 Apr 17, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1474.IH H1474

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1 arm, and more than 57 percent of the murders that 

2 occurred in New York State were perpetrated with 

3 a firearm; 

4 (2) the ability to produce a receiver for a fire5 arm in the home would circumvent a number of 

6 laws, because the receiver is the component of the 

7 firearm that bears its serial number, as required by 

8 regulations; 

9 (3) digital manufacturing technologies, includ10 ing but not limited to computer numerical control 

11 mills (‘‘CNC mills’’), 3-dimensional printers (‘‘3D 

12 printers’’), and laser cutting machines, are quickly 

13 advancing to a point where it will soon be possible 

14 to fabricate fully operational firearm components; 

15 and 

16 (4) some commercially available products that 

17 utilize digital manufacturing technologies to manu18 facture objects are able to manufacture these objects 

19 using materials that are unable to be detected by 

20 traditional metal detectors, and may not present an 

21 accurate image on an x-ray. 


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1 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF BAN ON UNDETECTABLE 

2 FIREARMS. 

3 Section 2(f)(2) of the Undetectable Firearms Act of 

4 1988 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amended by striking ‘‘25’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘35’’. 

6 SEC. 4. BAN EXTENDED TO UNDETECTABLE FIREARM RE7 CEIVERS MADE BY INDIVIDUALS. 

8 Section 922(p) of title 18, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

12 (A), by striking ‘‘receive any firearm—’’ and in13 serting ‘‘receive—’’; and 

14 (B) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

15 and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) any firearm— 

17 ‘‘(i) that, after removal of grips, stocks, 

18 and magazines, is not as detectable as the Se19 curity Exemplar, by walk-through metal detec20 tors calibrated and operated to detect the Secu21 rity Exemplar; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) any major component of which, when 

23 subjected to inspection by the types of x-ray 

24 machines commonly used at airports, does not 

25 generate an image that accurately depicts the 

26 shape of the component. Barium sulfate or 


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1 other compounds may be used in the fabrication 

2 of the component; or 

3 ‘‘(B) any receiver for a rifle, or receiver for a 

4 handgun, manufactured by a person who is not a li5 censed manufacturer— 

6 ‘‘(i) that is not as detectable as the Re7 ceiver Security Exemplar for a rifle or for a 

8 handgun, as the case may be, by walk-through 

9 metal detectors calibrated and operated to de10 tect that Receiver Security Exemplar; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) which, when subjected to inspection 

12 by the types of x-ray machines commonly used 

13 at airports, does not generate an image that ac14 curately depicts the shape of the receiver. Bar15 ium sulfate or other compounds may be used in 

16 the fabrication of the receiver.’’; 

17 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub19 paragraph (B); 

20 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

21 subparagraph (C) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(D) the term ‘Receiver Security Exemplar’ 

24 means, with respect to a rifle or a handgun, an obVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:41 Apr 17, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1474.IH H1474

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1 ject, to be fabricated at the direction of the Attorney 

2 General, that is— 

3 ‘‘(i) constructed of, during the 12-month 

4 period beginning on the date of the enactment 

5 of this subparagraph, 3.7 ounces of material 

6 type 17–4 PH stainless steel in a shape resem7 bling the lower receiver for a rifle or for a 

8 handgun, as the case may be; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) suitable for testing and calibrating 

10 metal detectors: 

11 Provided, however, That at the close of such 12- 

12 month period, and at appropriate times thereafter 

13 the Attorney General shall promulgate regulations to 

14 permit the manufacture, importation, sale, shipment, 

15 delivery, possession, transfer, or receipt of receivers 

16 for a rifle or receivers for a handgun, that were pre17 viously prohibited under this subparagraph that are 

18 as detectable as the ‘Receiver Security Exemplar’ for 

19 a rifle or for a handgun, as the case may be, which 

20 contains 3.7 ounces of material type 17–4 PH stain21 less steel, in a shape resembling the lower receiver 

22 for a rifle or for a handgun, as the case may be, or 

23 such lesser amount as is detectable in view of ad24 vances in state-of-the-art developments in weapons 

25 detection technology.’’; 


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1 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

2 (A) by inserting ‘‘or receiver’’ after ‘‘fire3 arm’’ each place it appears; and 

4 (B) by inserting ‘‘or receivers’’ after ‘‘fire5 arms’’; and 

6 (4) in each of paragraphs (4) through (6), by 

7 inserting ‘‘or receiver’’ after ‘‘firearm’’ each place it 

8 appears. 

9 SEC. 5. BAN EXTENDED TO UNDETECTABLE AMMUNITION 

10 MAGAZINES MADE BY INDIVIDUALS. 

11 Section 922(p) of title 18, United States Code, as 

12 amended by section 3 of this Act, is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subpara15 graph (A)(ii); 

16 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

17 subparagraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(C) any ammunition magazine, manufactured 

20 by a person who is not a licensed manufacturer— 

21 ‘‘(i) that, after removal of the spring and 

22 follower, is not as detectable as the Magazine 

23 Security Exemplar, by walk-through metal de24 tectors calibrated and operated to detect the 

25 Magazine Security Exemplar; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) which, when subjected to inspection 

2 by the types of x-ray machines commonly used 

3 at airports, does not generate an image that ac4 curately depicts the shape of the magazine.’’; 

5 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub7 paragraph (C); 

8 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

9 subparagraph (D) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(E) the term ‘Magazine Security Exemplar’ 

12 means an object, to be fabricated at the direction of 

13 the Attorney General, that is— 

14 ‘‘(i) constructed of, during the 12-month 

15 period beginning on the date of the enactment 

16 of this subparagraph, 1 ounce of material type 

17 17–4 PH stainless steel in a shape resembling 

18 an ammunition magazine; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) suitable for testing and calibrating 

20 metal detectors: 

21 Provided, however, That at the close of such 12- 

22 month period, and at appropriate times thereafter 

23 the Attorney General shall promulgate regulations to 

24 permit the manufacture, importation, sale, shipment, 

25 delivery, possession, transfer, or receipt of ammuniVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:41 Apr 17, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1474.IH H1474

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1 tion magazines previously prohibited under this sub2 paragraph that are as detectable as a ‘Magazine Se3 curity Exemplar’ which contains 1 ounce of material 

4 type 17–4 PH stainless steel, in a shape resembling 

5 an ammunition magazine, or such lesser amount as 

6 is detectable in view of advances in state-of-the-art 

7 developments in weapons detection technology.’’; 

8 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘firearm or receiver’’ each 

10 place it appears and inserting ‘‘firearm, re11 ceiver, or ammunition magazine’’; 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘firearms or receivers’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘firearms, receivers, or ammunition 

14 magazines’’; and 

15 (4) in each of paragraphs (4) through (6), by 

16 striking ‘‘firearm or receiver’’ each place it appears 

17 and inserting ‘‘firearm, receiver, or ammunition 

18 magazine’’. 

Æ 


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