Title: Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act
This bill amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to repeal provisions that prohibit civil actions against a firearm or ammunition manufacturer, seller, importer, dealer, or trade association for the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm.
Additionally, the bill states that firearms trace data maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is not immune from legal process. Such data is subject to discovery; is admissible as evidence; and may be used, relied on, or disclosed in a civil action or administrative proceeding.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3984 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3984

 To repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and provide 
 for the discoverability and admissibility of gun trace information in 
                           civil proceedings.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 5, 2017

 Mr. Schiff (for himself, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. 
  Cicilline, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Courtney, Mr. 
Cummings, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Esty 
  of Connecticut, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Himes, Mr. Huffman, 
Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Norton, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Serrano, Mr. 
    Sires, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Swalwell of 
California, Mr. Takano, and Mr. Yarmuth) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and provide 
 for the discoverability and admissibility of gun trace information in 
                           civil proceedings.

    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 ``Equal Access to Justice for Victims 
of Gun Violence Act''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE PROTECTION OF LAWFUL 
              COMMERCE IN ARMS ACT.

    Sections 2 through 4 of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms 
Act (15 U.S.C. 7901-7903) are repealed.

SEC. 3. DISCOVERABILITY AND ADMISSIBILITY OF GUN TRACE INFORMATION IN 
              CIVIL PROCEEDINGS.

    The contents of the Firearms Trace System database maintained by 
the National Trace Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms 
and Explosives shall not be immune from legal process, shall be subject 
to subpoena or other discovery, shall be admissible as evidence, and 
may be used, relied on, or disclosed in any manner, and testimony or 
other evidence may be permitted based on the data, on the same basis as 
other information, in a civil action in any State (including the 
District of Columbia) or Federal court or in an administrative 
proceeding.
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