I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 377 
To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to require homemade 
firearms to have serial numbers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 14, 2015 
Mr. HONDA (for himself, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. DANNY 
K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, 
and Mr. SWALWELL of California) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to 
require homemade firearms to have serial numbers, 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 ‘‘Homemade Firearms 
Accountability Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT THAT HOMEMADE FIREARMS HAVE 
SERIAL NUMBERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 44 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 923 the 
following: 
‘‘§ 923A. Serial numbers for homemade firearms 
‘‘(a) REQUEST.—A person who has attained 18 years 
of age and desires to make a firearm, or obtain a unique 
serial number or other identifying mark for a firearm 
made by the person after 1968, may request a licensed 
dealer to issue a unique serial number or other identifying 
mark for the firearm, which request shall describe the fire-
arm involved, and state whether the firearm will be (or 
is) a handgun. 
‘‘(b) CONSIDERATION.— 
‘‘(1) TREATMENT OF REQUEST AS TRANSFER 
PROPOSAL.—A request made of a licensed dealer 
pursuant to subsection (a) with respect to firearm 
shall be treated as a proposed transfer of the fire-
arm from the licensed dealer to the applicant, for 
purposes of section 922(t) of this title and section 
103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. 
‘‘(2) ISSUANCE
OF
SERIAL
NUMBER.—A li-
censed dealer may issue to an applicant a unique se-
rial number and identifying mark for a firearm pur-
suant to such a request if, applying paragraph (1) 
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of this subsection to the request, section 922(t) or 
other law would not prohibit the licensed dealer from 
transferring the firearm to the applicant. 
‘‘(3) FEE AUTHORITY.—A licensed dealer may 
charge an applicant a fee for each serial number and 
identifying mark assigned and issued under this sec-
tion, in an amount that is not more than the actual 
costs associated with assigning and issuing the serial 
number and identifying mark, and a fee for con-
tacting the national instant criminal background 
check system with respect to the applicant. 
‘‘(c) PROHIBITIONS; REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) BAN ON MAKING FIREARM BEFORE OB-
TAINING SERIAL NUMBER.—It shall be unlawful for 
any person, in or affecting interstate or foreign com-
merce, to make a firearm, unless the person has ob-
tained a serial number and identifying mark for the 
firearm under this section. 
‘‘(2) BAN
ON
POSSESSION
OR
TRANSFER
OF 
FIREARM
WITHOUT
SERIAL
NUMBER.—It shall be 
unlawful for any person, in or affecting interstate or 
foreign commerce, to possess or transfer a firearm 
made by the person after 1968, unless— 
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‘‘(A) a serial number and identifying mark 
for the firearm has been issued under this sec-
tion; 
‘‘(B) within 10 days after the issuance, the 
serial number and identifying mark is stamped 
on or otherwise permanently affixed to the fire-
arm; and 
‘‘(C) if the firearm is made from polymer 
plastic, 3.7 ounces of material type 17–4 PH 
stainless steel, on which the unique serial num-
ber or identifying mark is stamped or otherwise 
permanently affixed, are embedded within the 
plastic. 
‘‘(3) EXCEPTIONS.—This subsection shall not 
apply to— 
‘‘(A) a firearm to which a serial number 
has been assigned pursuant to section 923 of 
this title or chapter 53 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986; or 
‘‘(B) a licensed manufacturer. 
‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION.—The Attorney 
General shall maintain, and make available on request, in-
formation on— 
‘‘(1) the number of serial numbers and identi-
fying marks issued under this section; and 
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‘‘(2) the number of arrests for violations of this 
section.’’. 
(b) PENALTIES.—Section 924(a) of such title is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end the 
following: ‘‘For purposes of this paragraph, the 
issuance of a serial number and identifying mark for 
a firearm in violation of section 923A shall be con-
sidered a transfer of the firearm in violation of sec-
tion 922(t).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) Whoever knowingly violates section 923A(c) 
shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 
6 months (or, if the firearm involved in the violation is 
a handgun, 1 year), or both.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 44 of such title is amended by inserting after 
the item relating to section 923 the following: 
‘‘923A. Serial number requirement for homemade firearms.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on January 1, 2016. 
Æ 
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