Title: Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act
This bill requires the National Tracing Center within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to establish and maintain an electronic, searchable database of records related to firearms transactions.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2974 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2974

  To amend section 923 of title 18, United States Code, to require an 
    electronic, searchable database of the importation, production, 
       shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2018

 Mr. Leahy (for himself and Mr. Nelson) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend section 923 of title 18, United States Code, to require an 
    electronic, searchable database of the importation, production, 
       shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms.

    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 ``Crime Gun Tracing Modernization 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ELECTRONIC, SEARCHABLE DATABASES.

    Section 923(g) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(8)(A) In this paragraph, the term `foreign intelligence 
        information' has the meaning given the term in section 101 of 
        the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 
        1801).
            ``(B) Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 
        this paragraph, the National Tracing Center of the Bureau of 
        Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives shall establish and 
        maintain electronic, searchable databases of all records within 
        its possession of the importation, production, shipment, 
        receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms required to be 
        submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 
        Explosives by persons licensed under this chapter.
            ``(C) Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 
        this paragraph, each licensee under this chapter shall 
        establish and maintain electronic, searchable databases 
        remotely accessible by the National Tracing Center of all 
        records within the licensee's possession that are required to 
        be kept under this chapter.
            ``(D) A licensee may voluntarily relinquish possession of 
        any non-electronic record required to be kept under this 
        chapter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 
        Explosives.
            ``(E) The National Tracing Center--
                    ``(i) shall have remote access to and may query, 
                search, or otherwise access the electronic databases 
                described in this paragraph; and
                    ``(ii) may, with the permission of a State, or 
                political subdivision of a State, have remote access 
                to, and may query, search, or otherwise access the 
                databases of the firearms registration system or 
                pawnbroker records system of the State or political 
                subdivision.
            ``(F) The National Tracing Center may query, search, or 
        otherwise access the electronic databases described in this 
        paragraph for only the following purposes:
                    ``(i) To obtain information related to any Federal, 
                State, local, tribal, or foreign crime.
                    ``(ii) To obtain information that is--
                            ``(I) foreign intelligence information; or
                            ``(II) necessary to understand, or assess 
                        the importance of, foreign intelligence 
                        information.
            ``(G) The databases established under this paragraph--
                    ``(i) shall be electronically searchable by date of 
                disposition, license number, and the information 
                identified on each firearm or other firearm descriptor, 
                including the manufacturer, importer, model, serial 
                number, type, and caliber or gauge;
                    ``(ii) shall not be electronically searchable by 
                the personally identifiable information of any 
                individual; and
                    ``(iii) shall include in search results the entire 
                contents of the relevant records kept by the licensee.
            ``(H) This paragraph shall take effect notwithstanding any 
        other provision of law, including any temporary or permanent 
        restrictions placed on funds made available to the Bureau of 
        Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or the Department 
        of Justice.''.
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