Gun Safety: Not Sorry Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.125 | Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila (D-TX)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Gun Safety: Not Sorry Act of 2021
This bill modifies firearms-related background check requirements for transfers involving a semiautomatic firearm, silencer, armor-piercing ammunition, or large capacity ammunition magazine.
For transfers by a federally licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer to a private party, the bill lengthens the number of business days—from three to seven—that the federal licensee must wait for the background check results prior to completing the transfer.
For transfers between private parties, the bill establishes a minimum seven-day waiting period.

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for a 7-day waiting 
   period before a semiautomatic firearm, a silencer, armor piercing 
ammunition, or a large capacity ammunition magazine may be transferred.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Gun Safety: Not Sorry Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) There is nearly one mass shooting per day in the United 
        States--355 mass shootings in 2015.
            (2) In December 2012, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook 
        Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 
        children, 6 adults, and himself.
            (3) Since December 2012, there have been at least 1,518 
        mass shootings, with at least 1,715 people killed and 6,089 
        wounded.
            (4) On the night of October 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire 
        on a large crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music 
        festival on the Las Vegas Strip, leaving 58 people dead and 527 
        injured.
            (5) Every day, on average, 92 Americans are victims of gun 
        violence, resulting in more than 33,000 deaths annually.
            (6) States with higher gun ownership rates have higher gun 
        murder rates--as much as 114 percent higher than States with 
        lower gun ownership rates.
            (7) A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention looking at 30 years of homicide data found that for 
        every 1 percent increase in a State's gun ownership rate, there 
        is a nearly 1 percent increase in its firearm homicide rate.
            (8) Gun death rates are generally lower in States with 
        restrictions such as safe storage requirements or assault 
        weapons bans.
            (9) Mass shootings stopped by armed civilians in the past 
        33 years: 0.
            (10) Because more than 75 percent of the weapons used in 
        mass shootings between 1982 and 2012 were obtained legally, 
        stronger legislation is needed to prevent guns from getting 
        into the wrong hands.

SEC. 3. 7-DAY WAITING PERIOD REQUIRED BEFORE TRANSFERRING A 
              SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARM, A SILENCER, ARMOR PIERCING 
              AMMUNITION, OR A LARGE CAPACITY AMMUNITION MAGAZINE.

    (a) Transfers by Licensed Importers, Licensed Manufacturers, or 
Licensed Dealers to Persons Not So Licensed.--Section 922(t) of title 
18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``, armor piercing ammunition, or 
                a large capacity ammunition magazine'' after 
                ``firearm'' the first place it appears; and
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(B)(i) in the case of a transfer not referred to in 
        clause (ii)--
                    ``(I) the system provides the licensee with a 
                unique identification number; or
                    ``(II) 3 business days (meaning a day on which 
                State offices are open) have elapsed since the licensee 
                contacted the system, and the system has not notified 
                the licensee that the receipt of a firearm by such 
                other person would violate subsection (g) or (n) of 
                this section; and
            ``(ii) in the case of the transfer of a semiautomatic 
        firearm, a silencer, armor piercing ammunition, or a large 
        capacity ammunition magazine, 7 business days (meaning a day on 
        which State offices are open) have elapsed since the licensee 
        contacted the system, and the system has not notified the 
        licensee that the receipt of the firearm or ammunition involved 
        by such other person would violate subsection (g) or (n) of 
        this section; and'';
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``firearm'' the first 
        place it appears;
            (3) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``, armor piercing 
        ammunition, or a large capacity ammunition magazine'' after 
        ``firearm'' the second place it appears;
            (4) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``, armor piercing 
        ammunition, or a large capacity ammunition magazine'' after 
        ``firearm'' the first place it appears; and
            (5) in paragraph (6)--
                    (A) by inserting ``, armor piercing ammunition, or 
                a large capacity ammunition magazine'' after 
                ``firearm'' the first place it appears; and
                    (B) by striking ``the firearm'' and inserting ``a 
                firearm''.
    (b) Transfers Between Persons Who Are Not Licensed Importers, 
Licensed Manufacturers, or Licensed Dealers.--
            (1) Prohibition.--Section 922 of such title is amended by 
        adding at the end the following:
    ``(aa) It shall be unlawful for a person who is not a licensed 
importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer, in or affecting 
interstate or foreign commerce, to transfer to another person not so 
licensed a semiautomatic firearm, a silencer, armor piercing 
ammunition, or a large capacity ammunition magazine, unless at least 7 
business days (meaning a day on which State offices are open) have 
elapsed since the transferee most recently offered or agreed to acquire 
the semiautomatic firearm, silencer, ammunition, or magazine, as the 
case may be, from the transferor.''.
            (2) Penalties.--Section 924(a)(5) of such title is amended 
        by striking ``or (t)'' and inserting ``, (t), or (aa)''.
    (c) Definitions.--Section 921(a) of such title is amended by 
inserting after paragraph (29) the following:
    ``(30) The term `semiautomatic firearm' means any repeating firearm 
which utilizes a portion of the energy of a firing cartridge to extract 
the fired cartridge case and chamber the next round, and which requires 
a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge.
    ``(31) The term `large capacity ammunition magazine' means a 
magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that has a capacity 
of, or that can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than 
10 rounds of ammunition.''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to conduct engaged in after the 30-day period that begins with 
the date of the enactment of this Act.
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