I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5544 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the transfer of a firearm 
to a person whose name is in the Terrorist Screening Database, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 21, 2016 
Mr. JOLLY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the trans-
fer of a firearm to a person whose name is in the 
Terrorist Screening Database, 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 ‘‘Terrorist Screening 
Database Improvement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON TRANSFER OF FIREARM TO PER-
SON WHOSE NAME IS IN THE TERRORIST 
SCREENING 
DATABASE; 
PROCEDURAL 
RULES. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—The first sentence of section 
922(d) of title 18, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph 
(8); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (9) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(10) is an individual whose name appears in 
the Terrorist Screening Database maintained by the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation.’’. 
(b) PROCEDURAL RULES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 44 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
section 925A the following: 
‘‘§ 925B. Procedures applicable with respect to fire-
arm transfers to suspected terrorists 
‘‘(a) If a licensee contacts the national instant crimi-
nal background check system established under section 
103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to re-
quest a unique identification number for the transfer of 
a firearm to a person under section 922(t) of this title, 
and— 
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‘‘(1) the information available to the system in-
dicates that the transfer of a firearm to the person 
would violate section 922(d)(10) of this title, the 
system shall immediately notify the Attorney Gen-
eral of the information; or 
‘‘(2) the person has been or is under a ter-
rorism investigation conducted by the Department of 
Justice or any other department or agency of the 
Federal Government, the system shall notify the ap-
propriate division of the Federal Bureau of Inves-
tigation of the request and pending firearm transfer. 
‘‘(b) Within 10 days after the Attorney General re-
ceives a notice pursuant to subsection (a)(1) with respect 
to a person, the Attorney General shall notify the person 
that the name of the person appears in the Terrorist 
Screening Database maintained by the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation. 
‘‘(c)(1) Within 30 days after a person receives a no-
tice pursuant to subsection (b), the person may bring an 
action against the United States in the United States dis-
trict court for the judicial district in which the person re-
sides, to require the United States to demonstrate why 
the name of the person appears in the Terrorist Screening 
Database maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion. 
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‘‘(2) In an action brought under this subsection: 
‘‘(A) If the United States fails to demonstrate 
by a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff 
may intend to cause harm to others or engage in 
terrorism or activities in support of terrorism, the 
court shall order the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion to remove the name of the plaintiff from the 
Terrorist Screening Database maintained by the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation, and may provide 
such other relief to the plaintiff as the court deems 
appropriate. 
‘‘(B) The court shall find that the United 
States has failed to make the demonstration de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) with respect to a plain-
tiff if the United States has failed to— 
‘‘(i) comply with subsection (b) with re-
spect to the plaintiff; or 
‘‘(ii) respond in a timely manner in the ac-
tion. 
‘‘(3) The court shall seal all proceedings in an action 
brought under this subsection.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions for such chapter is amended by inserting after 
the item relating to section 925A the following: 
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‘‘925B. Procedures applicable with respect to firearm transfers to suspected ter-
rorists.’’. 
Æ 
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