I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2003
To apply the same quality and safety standards to domestically manufactured
handguns that are currently applied to imported handguns.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 27, 1999
Mrs. TAUSCHER (for herself, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BER-
MAN, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. BROWN of California, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN,
Mr. COYNE, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. KIL-
PATRICK, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. LOFGREN, Mrs.
LOWEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEHAN, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD,
Ms. NORTON, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. STARK, Mr. TIERNEY, and Ms. WOOL-
SEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary
A BILL
To apply the same quality and safety standards to domesti-
cally manufactured handguns that are currently applied
to imported handguns.
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 ‘‘American Handgun
Standards Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibited the
importation of handguns that failed to meet min-
imum quality and safety standards;
(2) the Gun Control Act of 1968 did not impose
any quality and safety standards on domestically
produced handguns;
(3) domestically produced handguns are specifi-
cally exempted from oversight by the Consumer
Product Safety Commission and are not required to
meet any quality and safety standards;
(4) each year—
(A) gunshots kill more than 35,000 Ameri-
cans and wound approximately 250,000;
(B) approximately 75,000 Americans are
hospitalized for the treatment of gunshot
wounds;
(C) Americans spend more than $20 billion
for the medical treatment of gunshot wounds;
and
(D) gun violence costs the United States
economy a total of $135 billion;
(5) the disparate treatment of imported hand-
guns and domestically produced handguns has led to
the creation of a high-volume market for junk guns,
defined as those handguns that fail to meet the
quality and safety standards required of imported
handguns;
(6) traffic in junk guns constitutes a serious
threat to public welfare and to law enforcement offi-
cers;
(7) junk guns are used disproportionately in the
commission of crimes; and
(8) the domestic manufacture, transfer, and
possession of junk guns should be restricted.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF JUNK GUN.
Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph:
‘‘(35) The term ‘junk gun’ means any handgun that
does not meet the standard imposed on imported hand-
guns as described in section 925(d)(3), and any regula-
tions issued under such section.’’.
SEC. 4. RESTRICTION ON MANUFACTURE, TRANSFER, AND
POSSESSION OF CERTAIN HANDGUNS.
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(z)(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to manufac-
ture, transfer, or possess a junk gun that has been shipped
or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to—
‘‘(A) the possession or transfer of a junk gun
otherwise lawfully possessed under Federal law on
the date of the enactment of the American Handgun
Standards Act of 1999;
‘‘(B) a firearm or replica of a firearm that has
been rendered permanently inoperative;
‘‘(C)(i) the manufacture for, transfer to, or pos-
session by, the United States or a State or a depart-
ment or agency of the United States, or a State or
a department, agency, or political subdivision of a
State, of a junk gun; or
‘‘(ii) the transfer to, or possession by, a law en-
forcement officer employed by an entity referred to
in clause (i) of a junk gun for law enforcement pur-
poses (whether on or off-duty);
‘‘(D) the transfer to, or possession by, a rail po-
lice officer employed by a rail carrier and certified
or commissioned as a police officer under the laws
of a State of a junk gun for purposes of law enforce-
ment (whether on or off-duty); or
‘‘(E) the manufacture, transfer, or possession
of a junk gun by a licensed manufacturer or licensed
importer for the purposes of testing or experimen-
tation authorized by the Secretary.’’.
Æ