I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1478 
To modernize the business of selling firearms. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2023 
Ms. KELLY of Illinois (for herself, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. 
MORELLE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 
CASTEN, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. 
CROCKETT, Mr. CROW, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, Mr. FROST, Mr. IVEY, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
PAYNE, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. 
SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHOLTEN, Mr. SWALWELL, Ms. TITUS, 
Ms. TLAIB, Ms. TOKUDA, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. WILSON of Flor-
ida, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. VARGAS, and Mr. TONKO) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To modernize the business of selling firearms. 
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 ‘‘Federal Firearm Li-
censee Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
17:08 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1478.IH
H1478
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
(1) A growing body of evidence demonstrates 
that gun dealers’ sales practices affect the prob-
ability of guns getting to criminals and that policies 
designed to hold gun sellers accountable can curtail 
the diversion of guns to criminals. 
(2) Federal laws governing firearm dealers have 
not been updated in over 30 years, contain safe-
guards that protect dealers who engage in illegal 
practices from adverse enforcement action, frustrate 
law enforcement efforts to curb gun trafficking and 
violence and are, thus, inadequate to meet the reali-
ties of the twenty-first century. 
(3) The Tiahrt Amendments, for one, severely 
limit the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, To-
bacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to disclose 
crime gun trace data to the public, prevent the col-
lection of valuable information, and the establish-
ment of effective policies to prevent illegal guns from 
being used in crimes and impede enforcement of the 
gun laws by requiring most background check 
records to be destroyed within 24 hours, and by bar-
ring the Government from requiring annual inven-
tory audits by owners of gun shops. Repealing the 
Tiahrt Amendments would support law enforcement 
efforts and give the public vital information needed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
17:08 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1478.IH
H1478
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
to craft the most effective policies against illegal 
guns. 
(4) Additionally, Federal law imposes no re-
quirements that dealers physically secure their high-
ly valuable and lethal inventory. The number of gun 
thefts from licensed gun dealers has increased more 
than the number from any other source. Between 
2013 and 2017, the number of firearms stolen in 
gun-dealer burglaries more than doubled and the 
number of firearms stolen in gun-dealer robberies 
tripled. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(38) The term ‘facilitator’ means any person en-
gaged in the business of hosting a commercial marketplace 
in which offers for firearm sales, purchases, or other 
transfers are allowed to be made, except that such a per-
son shall not be considered to be a facilitator with respect 
to any transaction that is made through the use of a 
website or mobile application owned or operated by the 
person if the transaction violates the terms of service of 
the website or mobile application and the person has made 
a good faith effort to enforce the terms of service by, at 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
17:08 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1478.IH
H1478
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
a minimum, auditing firearms transactions on a quarterly 
basis to ensure compliance with this chapter. 
‘‘(39) The term ‘occasional’ means, with respect to 
transactions, fewer than 5 transactions in a 12-month pe-
riod. 
‘‘(40) The term ‘personal collection’ includes any fire-
arm obtained only for the personal use of an individual 
and not for the purpose of selling or trading, except that 
a firearm obtained through inheritance shall not be consid-
ered part of a personal collection until the firearm has 
been possessed for 1 year. 
‘‘(41) The term ‘business inventory firearm’ means, 
with respect to a person, a firearm required by law to be 
recorded in the acquisition and disposition logs of any fire-
arms business of the person. 
‘‘(42)(A) The term ‘frame’ means the part of a hand-
gun, or variants thereof, that provides housing or a struc-
ture for the primary energized component designed to hold 
back the hammer, striker, bolt, or similar component prior 
to initiation of the firing sequence (such as a sear or the 
equivalent), even if pins or other attachments are required 
to connect such component to the housing or structure. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘receiver’ means the part of a rifle, 
shotgun, or projectile weapon other than a handgun, or 
variants thereof, that provides housing or a structure for 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
17:08 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1478.IH
H1478
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
the primary component designed to block or seal the 
breech prior to initiation of the firing sequence (such as 
a bolt, breechblock, or the equivalent), even if pins or other 
attachments are required to connect such component to 
the housing or structure. 
‘‘(C) For purposes of this paragraph, the terms ‘vari-
ant’ and ‘variants thereof’ mean a weapon utilizing a simi-
lar frame or receiver design irrespective of new or different 
model designations or configurations, characteristics, fea-
tures, components, accessories, or attachments. For exam-
ple, an AK-type firearm with a short stock and a pistol 
grip is a pistol variant of an AK-type rifle, an AR-type 
firearm with a short stock and a pistol grip is a pistol 
variant of an AR-type rifle, and a revolving cylinder shot-
gun is a shotgun variant of a revolver.’’. 
SEC. 4. REPEAL OF TEMPORARY BRADY PROVISION. 
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by striking subsection (s). 
SEC. 5. PHYSICAL SECURITY OF DEALER PREMISES. 
(a) SECURITY PLAN SUBMISSION REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 923(d)(1)(G) of title 
18, United States Code, is amended by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘, and the applicant 
submits with the application a security plan that de-
scribes how the applicant will secure, in accordance 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
17:08 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1478.IH
H1478
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
with the regulations issued under section 926(d), the 
premises from which the applicant will conduct busi-
ness under the license (including in the event of a 
natural disaster or other emergency), and the appli-
cant certifies that, if issued such a license, the appli-
cant will comply with the plan; and’’. 
(2) WRITTEN APPROVAL REQUIRED BEFORE LI-
CENSE RENEWAL.—Section 923(d)(1) of such title is 
amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (F)(iii), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(H) in the case of an application to renew a 
license to deal in firearms— 
‘‘(i) the license is not suspended; 
‘‘(ii) the applicant has not had a license 
issued under this chapter revoked; and 
‘‘(iii) the Attorney General has inspected 
the premises and provided written approval of 
the security plan submitted by the applicant 
under subparagraph (G).’’. 
(3) APPLICABILITY.—A person who, on the 
date of the enactment of this Act, is a licensed deal-
er (as defined in section 921(a)(11) of title 18, 
United States Code) and whose license to deal in 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
17:08 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1478.IH
H1478
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
firearms, issued under chapter 44 of such title, will 
not expire before the end of the 1-year period that 
begins with the date regulations are prescribed 
under section 926(d) of such title, shall submit to 
the Attorney General a plan of the type described in 
section 923(d)(1)(G) of such title not later than the 
end of that period. Any plan so submitted shall be 
considered to be submitted pursuant to such section 
923(d)(1)(G). 
(b) ANNUAL SECURITY PLAN COMPLIANCE CERTIFI-
CATION REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 923 of such title is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(m)(1) Each licensed manufacturer, licensed im-
porter, and licensed dealer shall annually certify to the At-
torney General that each premises from which the licensee 
conducts business subject to license under this chapter is 
in compliance with the regulations prescribed under sec-
tion 926(d), and include with the certification the results 
of a reconciliation of the resale firearms then in the busi-
ness inventory of the licensee against the resale firearms 
in the business inventory of the licensee at the time of 
the most recent prior certification (if any) under this para-
graph, and all dispositions and acquisitions of resale fire-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
17:08 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1478.IH
H1478
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB