I

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 114

To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of handguns.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 3, 2001

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 2001’’.
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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 ‘‘§ 931. 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.
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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 ‘‘(i) has not completed training in firearms

16 safety;

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

18 a handgun; or

19 ‘‘(iii) 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
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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:

‘‘931. 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.

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