I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3536 

To amend section 923 of title 18, United States Code, to require an electronic, 

searchable database of the importation, production, shipment, receipt, 

sale, or other disposition of firearms. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2021 

Mr. PASCRELL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend section 923 of title 18, United States Code, to 

require an electronic, searchable database of the importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition 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 ‘‘Crime Gun Tracing 

5 Modernization Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ELECTRONIC, SEARCHABLE DATABASES. 

7 Section 923(g) of title 18, United States Code, is 

8 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(8)(A) In this paragraph, the term ‘foreign intel2 ligence information’ has the meaning given the term in 

3 section 101 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 

4 of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1801). 

5 ‘‘(B) Not later than 3 years after the date of enact6 ment of this paragraph, the National Tracing Center of 

7 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 

8 shall establish and maintain electronic, searchable data9 bases of all records within its possession of the importa10 tion, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposi11 tion of firearms required to be submitted to the Bureau 

12 of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by persons 

13 licensed under this chapter. 

14 ‘‘(C) Each licensee under this chapter may provide 

15 the National Tracing Center with electronic access, con16 sistent with the requirements of this paragraph, to all 

17 records within the licensee’s possession that are required 

18 to be kept under this chapter. 

19 ‘‘(D) A licensee may voluntarily relinquish possession 

20 of any non-electronic record required to be kept under this 

21 chapter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 

22 Explosives if— 

23 ‘‘(i) 10 years have elapsed from the date of the 

24 firearm transaction; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) in the case of paper acquisition and dis2 position books, 10 years have elapsed without any 

3 open disposition entries and with no dispositions re4 corded in the record. 

5 ‘‘(E) The National Tracing Center— 

6 ‘‘(i) shall have remote access to and may query, 

7 search, or otherwise access the electronic databases 

8 described in this paragraph; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) may, with the permission of a State, or po10 litical subdivision of a State, have remote access to, 

11 and may query, search, or otherwise access the data12 bases of the firearms registration system or pawn13 broker records system of the State or political sub14 division. 

15 ‘‘(F) The National Tracing Center may query, 

16 search, or otherwise access the electronic databases de17 scribed in this paragraph for only the following purposes: 

18 ‘‘(i) To obtain information related to a bona 

19 fide law enforcement investigation by a Federal, 

20 State, local, tribal, or foreign law enforcement agen21 cy. 

22 ‘‘(ii) To obtain information that is— 

23 ‘‘(I) foreign intelligence information; or 


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1 ‘‘(II) necessary to understand, or assess 

2 the importance of, foreign intelligence informa3 tion. 

4 ‘‘(iii) To obtain information necessary during a 

5 compliance inspection of an active licensee who has 

6 submitted non-electronic records in accordance with 

7 subparagraph (D). 

8 ‘‘(G) The databases established under this para9 graph— 

10 ‘‘(i) shall be electronically searchable by date of 

11 acquisition or disposition, license number, and the 

12 information identified on each firearm or other fire13 arm descriptor, including the manufacturer, im14 porter, model, serial number, type, and caliber or 

15 gauge; 

16 ‘‘(ii) shall not be electronically searchable by 

17 the personally identifiable information of any indi18 vidual; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) shall include in search results the entire 

20 contents of the relevant records kept by the licensee. 

21 ‘‘(H) This paragraph shall take effect notwith22 standing any other provision of law, including any tem23 porary or permanent restrictions placed on funds made 


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1 available to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 

2 Explosives, or the Department of Justice.’’. 

Æ 


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