I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4255 
To prevent the illegal sale of firearms, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 
Mr. QUIGLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To prevent the illegal sale of firearms, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Trafficking Reduction 
And Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Act’’. 
SEC. 2. REGULATORY REQUIREMENT TO MARK FIREARMS 
WITH SECOND, HIDDEN SERIAL NUMBER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Within 12 months after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 
promulgate final regulations that require each firearm 
manufactured in the United States on or after the effec-
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tive date of the regulation, to be marked with a serial 
number that is located inside the receiver of the firearm 
or that is visible only in infrared light, in addition to the 
serial number with which the firearm is otherwise required 
by law to be marked. 
(b) DEFINITION OF RECEIVER.—Section 921(a) of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘, including an unfinished 
frame or receiver’’ after ‘‘such weapon’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or (D) any destructive de-
vice’’ and inserting ‘‘; (D) any destructive de-
vice; or (E) any combination of parts designed 
or intended for use in converting any device 
into a firearm and from which a firearm may 
be readily assembled’’; 
(2) in paragraph (10)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and the’’ and inserting 
‘‘the’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘; and the term ‘manufac-
turing firearms’ shall include assembling a 
functional firearm from a frame or receiver or 
molding, machining, or 3D printing a frame or 
receiver, and shall not include making or fitting 
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special barrels, stocks, or trigger mechanisms to 
firearms’’ before the period; and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (29) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(30) The term ‘frame or receiver’— 
‘‘(A) means the part of a firearm that can 
provide the action or housing for the hammer, 
bolt, or breechblock and firing mechanism; 
‘‘(B) includes a frame or lower receiver 
blank, casting, or machined body that requires 
further machining or molding to be used as 
part of a functional firearm, and which is de-
signed and intended to be used in the assembly 
of a functional firearm; and 
‘‘(C) does not include a piece of material 
that has had— 
‘‘(i) its size or external shape altered 
solely to facilitate transportation or stor-
age; or 
‘‘(ii) solely its chemical composition 
altered.’’. 
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SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO PRESERVE INSTANT CRIMINAL 
BACKGROUND CHECK RECORDS FOR 180 
DAYS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 922(t)(2)(C) of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘after the 
180-day period that begins with the date the system com-
plies with subparagraphs (A) and (B),’’ before ‘‘destroy’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 511 of divi-
sion B of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appro-
priations Act, 2012 (34 U.S.C. 40901 note; Public Law 
112–55; 125 Stat. 632) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘for—’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘(1)’’; and 
(2) by striking the semicolon and all that fol-
lows and inserting a period. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—Within 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 
prescribe regulations to implement the amendments made 
by this section. 
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT THAT LICENSED FIREARMS DEAL-
ERS CONDUCT PHYSICAL CHECK OF THEIR 
FIREARMS BUSINESS INVENTORY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 923(g) of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(8) Each licensee shall conduct a physical check of 
the firearms inventory of the business of the licensee li-
censed under this chapter, in accordance with regulations 
which shall be prescribed by the Attorney General.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The matter under 
the heading ‘‘BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS 
AND EXPLOSIVES—SALARIES AND EXPENSES’’ in title II 
of division B of the Consolidated and Further Continuing 
Appropriations Act, 2013 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public 
Law 113–6; 127 Stat. 247–248) is amended by striking 
the 5th proviso. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—Within 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 
prescribe regulations to implement section 923(g)(8) of 
title 18, United States Code. 
SEC. 5. ELIMINATION OF LIMITATIONS ON USE OF GUN 
TRACE INFORMATION. 
(a) CONSOLIDATED AND FURTHER CONTINUING AP-
PROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012.—The matter under the head-
ing ‘‘BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND 
EXPLOSIVES—SALARIES AND EXPENSES’’ in title II of di-
vision B of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Ap-
propriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 
112–55; 125 Stat. 609–610) is amended by striking the 
1st and 6th provisos. 
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(b) CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010.— 
The 6th proviso under the heading ‘‘BUREAU OF ALCO-
HOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES—SALARIES 
AND EXPENSES’’ in title II of division B of the Consoli-
dated Appropriations Act, 2010 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Pub-
lic Law 111–117; 123 Stat. 3128–3129) is amended by 
striking ‘‘beginning in fiscal year 2010 and thereafter’’ 
and inserting ‘‘in fiscal year 2010’’. 
(c) OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009.—The 6th 
proviso under the heading ‘‘BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TO-
BACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES—SALARIES AND EX-
PENSES’’ in title II of division B of the Omnibus Appro-
priations Act, 2009 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111– 
8; 123 Stat. 574–576) is amended by striking ‘‘beginning 
in fiscal year 2009 and thereafter’’ and inserting ‘‘in fiscal 
year 2009’’. 
(d) CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008.— 
The 6th proviso under the heading ‘‘BUREAU OF ALCO-
HOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES—SALARIES 
AND EXPENSES’’ in title II of division B of the Consoli-
dated Appropriations Act, 2008 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Pub-
lic Law 110–161; 121 Stat. 1903–1904) is amended by 
striking ‘‘beginning in fiscal year 2008 and thereafter’’ 
and inserting ‘‘in fiscal year 2008’’. 
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(e) SCIENCE, STATE, JUSTICE, COMMERCE, AND RE-
LATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006.—The 6th 
proviso under the heading ‘‘BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TO-
BACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES—SALARIES AND EX-
PENSES’’ in title I of the Science, State, Justice, Com-
merce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 
(18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 109–108; 119 Stat. 
2295–2296) is amended by striking ‘‘with respect to any 
fiscal year’’. 
(f) CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005.— 
The 6th proviso under the heading ‘‘BUREAU OF ALCO-
HOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES—SALARIES 
AND EXPENSES’’ in title I of division B of the Science, 
State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appro-
priations Act, 2005 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 108– 
447; 118 Stat. 2859) is amended by striking ‘‘with respect 
to any fiscal year’’. 
(g) CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 
2003.—Section 644 of division J of the Consolidated Ap-
propriations Resolution, 2003 (5 U.S.C. 552 note; Public 
Law 108–7; 117 Stat. 473–474) is amended by striking 
‘‘or any other Act with respect to any fiscal year’’. 
Æ 
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