I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3540 
To require criminal background checks on all firearms transactions occurring 
at events that provide a venue for the sale, offer for sale, transfer, 
or exchange of firearms, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2005 
Mr. CASTLE (for himself, Mrs. MCCARTHY, Mr. KIRK, and Mr. SHAYS) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary 
A BILL 
To require criminal background checks on all firearms trans-
actions occurring at events that provide a venue for 
the sale, offer for sale, transfer, or exchange 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 ‘‘Gun Show Loophole 
Closing Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(36) SPECIAL FIREARMS EVENT.—The term ‘spe-
cial firearms event’— 
‘‘(A) means any event at which 75 or more fire-
arms are offered or exhibited for sale, exchange, or 
transfer, if 1 or more of the firearms has been 
shipped or transported in, or otherwise affects, inter-
state or foreign commerce; 
‘‘(B) does not include an offer or exhibit of fire-
arms for sale, exchange, or transfer by an individual 
from the personal collection of that individual, at the 
private residence of that individual, if the individual 
is not required to be licensed under section 923 or 
932; and 
‘‘(C) does not include an offer or exhibit of fire-
arms for sale, exchange, or transfer at events con-
ducted and attended by permanent or annual dues 
paying members, and their immediate family, of pri-
vate, not-for-profit organizations whose primary pur-
pose is owning and maintaining real property for the 
purpose of hunting activities. 
‘‘(37) SPECIAL FIREARMS EVENT LICENSEE.—The 
term ‘special firearms event licensee’ means any person 
who has obtained and holds a valid license in compliance 
with section 932(d) and who is authorized to contact the 
national instant criminal background check system on be-
half of another individual, who is not licensed under this 
chapter, for the purpose of conducting a background check 
for a potential firearms transfer at a special firearms 
event in accordance with section 932(c). 
‘‘(38) SPECIAL FIREARMS EVENT VENDOR.—The 
term ‘special firearms event vendor’ means any person 
who is not required to be licensed under section 923 and 
who exhibits, sells, offers for sale, transfers, or exchanges 
1 or more firearms at a special firearms event, regardless 
of whether or not the person arranges with the special fire-
arms event promoter for a fixed location from which to 
exhibit, sell, offer for sale, transfer, or exchange 1 or more 
firearms.’’. 
SEC. 3. REGULATION OF FIREARMS TRANSFERS AT SPE-
CIAL FIREARMS EVENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 44 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 932. Regulation of firearms transfers at special 
firearms events 
‘‘(a) SPECIAL FIREARMS EVENTS OPERATORS.— 
‘‘(1) NOTIFICATION TO ATTORNEY GENERAL OF 
SPECIAL FIREARMS EVENT OPERATORS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful 
for any person to operate a special firearms
event unless that person notifies the Attorney 
General in accordance with regulations promul-
gated by the Attorney General. 
‘‘(B) FEES.—The Attorney General shall 
be prohibited from imposing or collecting any 
fee from special firearms event operators in 
connection with the notification requirement in 
subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES OF SPECIAL FIREARMS 
EVENTS OPERATORS.—It shall be unlawful for a spe-
cial firearms events operator to organize, plan, pro-
mote, or operate a special firearms event unless that 
operator— 
‘‘(A) not later than 30 days before the 
commencement of the special firearms event, 
notifies the Attorney General, in writing, of the 
date, time, duration, and location of the special 
firearms event, and the special firearms event 
vendors planning to participate; 
‘‘(B) before the commencement of the spe-
cial firearms event, or in the case of a vendor 
who arrives after the commencement of the 
event, upon the arrival of the vendor, verifies 
the identity of each special firearms event ven-
dor participating in the special firearms event
by examining a valid identification document 
(as defined in section 1028(d)(2)) of the vendor 
containing a photograph of the vendor; 
‘‘(C) before the commencement of the spe-
cial firearms event, or in the case of a vendor 
who arrives after the commencement of the 
event, upon the arrival of the vendor, requires 
each special firearms event vendor to sign— 
‘‘(i) a ledger with identifying informa-
tion concerning the vendor; and 
‘‘(ii) a notice advising the vendor of 
the obligations of the vendor under this 
chapter; 
‘‘(D) notifies each person who attends the 
special firearms event of the requirements of 
this chapter, in accordance with such regula-
tions as the Attorney General shall prescribe; 
‘‘(E) not later than 5 days after the last 
day of the special firearms event, submits to the 
Attorney General a copy of the ledger and no-
tice described in subparagraph (C)(i); and 
‘‘(F) maintains a copy of the records de-
scribed in subparagraphs (B) and (C) at the 
permanent place of business of the operator for