I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5607 
To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of handguns, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 24, 2018 
Mrs. WATSON
COLEMAN
(for herself, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. SIRES, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Ms. NORTON, Ms. WASSERMAN 
SCHULTZ, and Ms. WILSON of Florida) 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, 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 ‘‘Handgun Licensing 
and Registration Act of 2018’’. 
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SEC. 2. FEDERAL HANDGUN LICENSING AND REGISTRA-
TION SYSTEM TO APPLY IN ANY STATE THAT 
DOES NOT HAVE A HANDGUN LICENSING AND 
REGISTRATION SYSTEM THAT MEETS CER-
TAIN REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 44 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 932. Licensing and registration of handguns 
‘‘(a)(1) The Attorney General of the United States 
shall establish a Federal system for the licensing and reg-
istration of all handguns owned, possessed, or controlled 
in the United States— 
‘‘(A) under which— 
‘‘(i) a person shall not be eligible to receive 
such a license if the person— 
‘‘(I) has not attained 21 years of age; 
‘‘(II) is not a citizen, national, or law-
ful permanent resident of the United 
States; 
‘‘(III) has not completed training in 
firearms safety; 
‘‘(IV) as part of the process for apply-
ing for such a license— 
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‘‘(aa) has not submitted to a 
background investigation and criminal 
history check of the person; or 
‘‘(bb) has not submitted the fin-
gerprints of the person and a recent 
photograph that clearly shows the face 
of the person; or 
‘‘(V) is prohibited by Federal law 
from possessing a firearm; and 
‘‘(ii) such a license shall expire not more 
than 5 years after issuance; and 
‘‘(B) which shall include a method for easily re-
trieving information sufficient to identify— 
‘‘(i) each resident of a State to which this 
subsection applies who owns, possesses, or con-
trols a handgun; and 
‘‘(ii) the handgun. 
‘‘(2) It shall be unlawful for a person to own, possess, 
or control a handgun in a State to which this subsection 
applies unless the person— 
‘‘(A) is licensed to do so by the system estab-
lished pursuant to paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) has registered the handgun with a Fed-
eral, State, or local law enforcement agency. 
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‘‘(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply in a State if there 
is in effect a certification by the Attorney General of the 
United States that the State has in effect a system for 
the licensing and registration of handguns owned, pos-
sessed, or controlled in the State that— 
‘‘(1) meets the requirements of subsection 
(a)(1)(A); 
‘‘(2) includes a method for easily retrieving in-
formation sufficient to identify— 
‘‘(A) each resident of the State who owns, 
possesses, or controls a handgun in the State; 
and 
‘‘(B) the handgun; and 
‘‘(3) at a minimum, imposes criminal penalties 
on any person who— 
‘‘(A) owns, possesses, or controls a hand-
gun in the State, and— 
‘‘(i) is not licensed by the State to 
possess a handgun; or 
‘‘(ii) has not registered the handgun 
with a Federal, State, or local law enforce-
ment agency; or 
‘‘(B) transfers or receives handgun ammu-
nition, unless the recipient— 
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‘‘(i) is a licensed importer, licensed 
manufacturer, or licensed dealer; or 
‘‘(ii) before the receipt, has presented 
to the transferor— 
‘‘(I) a valid firearms purchaser 
identification card issued by the State 
to the recipient; 
‘‘(II) a valid copy of a handgun 
purchase permit issued by the State 
to the recipient; or 
‘‘(III) a valid permit to carry a 
handgun issued by the State to the re-
cipient. 
‘‘(c) A certification under subsection (b) with respect 
to a State shall have no force or effect on or after the 
date the Attorney General finds, after an opportunity for 
a hearing on the record, that the State does not have in 
effect the system described in subsection (b). 
‘‘(d) The Attorney General shall prescribe such regu-
lations as may be necessary to carry out this section.’’. 
(b) PENALTIES.—Section 924(a) of such title is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) Whoever knowingly violates section 932(a)(2) 
shall be fined under this title, imprisoned, or both. The 
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court shall not suspend a sentence of imprisonment im-
posed under this paragraph.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for such chapter is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘932. Licensing and registration of handguns.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to conduct engaged in after the 
2-year period that begins with the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION OF PRO-
GRAMS TO LICENSE AND REGISTER HAND-
GUNS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General is author-
ized to award grants to States, units of local government, 
and Indian tribes to comply with the requirements under 
subsection (a) of section 932 of title 18, United States 
Code, or to implement a system described in subsection 
(b) of that section. 
(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts ap-
propriated to carry out this section, and not later than 
90 days after such amounts are appropriated, the Attor-
ney General shall award grants, on a competitive basis, 
to eligible applicants whose applications are approved 
under subsection (c) to assist such applicants in carrying 
out the activities described in subsection (a). 
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(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this Act, a State, unit of local government, or In-
dian tribe shall submit to the Attorney General an applica-
tion at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Attorney General may require, includ-
ing— 
(1) whether the applicant will use the grant 
to— 
(A) comply with the requirements under 
subsection (a) of section 932 of title 18, United 
States Code; or 
(B) implement a system described in sub-
section (b) of that section, including a descrip-
tion of the law that the applicant has enacted 
to require a license for any purchase of a hand-
gun including a description of any other exemp-
tions to such law; and 
(2) a description of the specific activities for 
which the applicant will use the grant. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.—A grantee under this Act shall 
use such grant to carry out the activities described in sub-
section (a). 
(e) AUDITS.—The Attorney General shall conduct an 
audit every 2 years of each applicant receiving a grant 
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under this section, and may conduct such additional audits 
as the Attorney General determines necessary. 
(f) REPORT.—The Attorney General shall submit an 
annual report to Congress on the grant program under 
this section, which shall include information on the 
progress made in establishing the Federal system de-
scribed in subsection (a) of section 932 of title 18, United 
States Code, and the progress made by States in estab-
lishing a system described in subsection (b) of such sec-
tion. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec-
essary to carry out this Act. 
Æ 
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