I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2471 

To prohibit the unauthorized possession of a firearm at a Federal election 

site. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 3, 2023 

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

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To prohibit the unauthorized possession of a firearm at a 

Federal election site. 

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 ‘‘Vote Without Fear 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON UNAUTHORIZED FIREARM POS7 SESSION AT A FEDERAL ELECTION SITE. 

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

9 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 


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•HR 2471 IH

1 ‘‘§ 935. Prohibition on unauthorized firearm posses2 sion at a Federal election site 

3 ‘‘(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), whoever 

4 knowingly possesses or causes to be present a firearm in, 

5 or within 100 yards of an entrance to, a place that the 

6 individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a 

7 Federal election site, or attempts to do so, shall be fined 

8 under this title, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both. 

9 ‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to— 

10 ‘‘(A) the possession of a firearm by a law en11 forcement officer employed by the United States, a 

12 State, or a political subdivision thereof, or a private 

13 security guard hired or arranged for by the owner 

14 or manager of a building in which there is a Federal 

15 election site, who is authorized by law to possess a 

16 firearm and who is on duty; 

17 ‘‘(B) the possession of a firearm in a vehicle 

18 within 100 yards of an entrance to a Federal elec19 tion site, if the firearm is not removed from the ve20 hicle or brandished while the vehicle is in, or within 

21 100 yards of the entrance to, a Federal election site; 

22 or 

23 ‘‘(C) the otherwise lawful possession of a fire24 arm in a place of residence, in a place of business, 

25 or on private property, in or within 100 yards of an 

26 entrance to a Federal election site. 


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1 ‘‘(b) Whoever, with intent that a firearm be used in 

2 the commission of a crime, knowingly possesses or causes 

3 to be present the firearm in, or within 100 yards of an 

4 entrance to, a place that the individual knows, or has rea5 sonable cause to believe, is a Federal election site, or at6 tempts to do so, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned 

7 not more than 5 years, or both. 

8 ‘‘(c) A person who kills any person in the course of 

9 a violation of subsection (a) or (b), or in the course of 

10 an attack on a Federal election site, involving the use of 

11 a firearm, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be pun12 ished as provided in sections 1111, 1112, 1113, and 1117. 

13 ‘‘(d) In this section, the term ‘Federal election site’ 

14 means a building or any part thereof at which an employee 

15 of the United States, a State, or a political subdivision 

16 thereof is engaged in— 

17 ‘‘(1) the administration of a polling place in an 

18 election for Federal office; or 

19 ‘‘(2) the processing or counting of ballots cast 

20 in such an election.’’. 

21 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

22 for such chapter is amended by adding at the end the fol23 lowing new item: 

‘‘935. Prohibition on unauthorized firearm possession at a Federal election 

site.’’. 

Æ 


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