| 1 | 1 | | I |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION H. R. 624 |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | To reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | JANUARY22, 2025 |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | Mr. M |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | ANN(for himself, Mr. CLYDE, Mr. FINSTAD, Mr. DOWNING, Mr. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | O |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | GLES, Mr. FEENSTRA, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. SCHMIDT, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | E |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | STES, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. SMITHof Nebraska, Mr. ROSE, Mr. COLLINS, |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | Mr. M |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | CDOWELL, Mrs. BIGGSof South Carolina, Mr. SELF, Mr. ELLZEY, |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | Mr. M |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | OOREof Alabama, Mr. BIGGSof Arizona, and Mr. JACKSONof |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | on the Judiciary |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | A BILL |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | To reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | Explosives. |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reining In Federal 4 |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | Licensing Enforcement Act of 2025’’ or the ‘‘RIFLE Act 5 |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | of 2025’’. 6 |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | SEC. 2. GRADUATED PENALTIES FOR CIVIL VIOLATIONS BY 1 |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSEES. 2 |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | Section 923 of title 18, United States Code, is 3 |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | amended by striking subsections (e) and (f) and inserting 4 |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | the following: 5 |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | ‘‘(e)(1)(A) If the Attorney General determines that 6 |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | a licensee under this section has violated this chapter— 7 |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | ‘‘(i) in the case of a violation that is not 8 |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | willful, the Attorney General shall notify the li-9 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | censee of the violation and work with the li-10 |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | censee to rectify the violation within a commer-11 |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | cially reasonable time frame; or 12 |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | ‘‘(ii) in the case of a willful violation, if the 13 |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | Attorney General, after working with the li-14 |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | censee to rectify the violation within a commer-15 |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | cially reasonable time frame, finds that a lesser 16 |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | action (such as a warning, warning letter, or 17 |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | warning conference) is not likely to lead to fu-18 |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | ture compliance, and the Attorney General 19 |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | seeks revocation of the license in an administra-20 |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | tive action, the Attorney General may— 21 |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | ‘‘(I) if the licensee has no history of 22 |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | noncompliance with this chapter, suspend 23 |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | the license for not more than 30 days or 24 |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | such lesser period as would apply on com-25 |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | pliance with such conditions as are speci-1 |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | fied by the Attorney General; or 2 |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | ‘‘(II) in any other case, revoke the li-3 |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | cense. 4 |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | ‘‘(B) In applying subparagraph (A), the Attorney 5 |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | General shall presume that the violation is not willful, ab-6 |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | sent clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. 7 |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | ‘‘(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A): 8 |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | ‘‘(i) A violation of this chapter with respect to 9 |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | 2 or more firearms during a single transaction shall 10 |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | be considered a single violation. 11 |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | ‘‘(ii) A violation of this chapter with respect to 12 |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | any category of record keeping requirements, even if 13 |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | involving multiple instances, shall be considered a 14 |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | single violation. 15 |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | ‘‘(D) The Attorney General may not commence an 16 |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | enforcement action under subparagraph (A) with respect 17 |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | to a violation, after the 3-year period that begins with— 18 |
|---|
| 78 | 78 | | ‘‘(i) the date the violation occurred; or 19 |
|---|
| 79 | 79 | | ‘‘(ii) if the licensee intentionally obstructed dis-20 |
|---|
| 80 | 80 | | covery of the violation, the date the violation is dis-21 |
|---|
| 81 | 81 | | covered. 22 |
|---|
| 82 | 82 | | ‘‘(E) The Attorney General may not commence an en-23 |
|---|
| 83 | 83 | | forcement action under subparagraph (A) with respect to 24 |
|---|
| 84 | 84 | | a violation without first notifying the licensee of the rea-25 |
|---|
| 85 | 85 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 86 | 86 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 4 |
|---|
| 87 | 87 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 88 | 88 | | sons for the contemplated action and affording the licensee 1 |
|---|
| 89 | 89 | | an opportunity to demonstrate or achieve compliance with 2 |
|---|
| 90 | 90 | | this chapter and to submit facts, arguments, or proposals 3 |
|---|
| 91 | 91 | | of adjustment. 4 |
|---|
| 92 | 92 | | ‘‘(2)(A)(i) Not less than 60 days before the effective 5 |
|---|
| 93 | 93 | | date of any penalty imposed on a licensee by reason of 6 |
|---|
| 94 | 94 | | a determination made under paragraph (1), the Attorney 7 |
|---|
| 95 | 95 | | General shall send the licensee a written notice by certified 8 |
|---|
| 96 | 96 | | return receipt mail— 9 |
|---|
| 97 | 97 | | ‘‘(I) of the determination, and the grounds 10 |
|---|
| 98 | 98 | | on which the determination was made; 11 |
|---|
| 99 | 99 | | ‘‘(II) that sets forth the facts on which the 12 |
|---|
| 100 | 100 | | Attorney General relied as a basis for the deter-13 |
|---|
| 101 | 101 | | mination, including the facts pertaining to any 14 |
|---|
| 102 | 102 | | determination of willfulness; 15 |
|---|
| 103 | 103 | | ‘‘(III) of the nature of the penalty; and 16 |
|---|
| 104 | 104 | | ‘‘(IV) that the licensee may, within 60 17 |
|---|
| 105 | 105 | | days after receipt of the notice, request in writ-18 |
|---|
| 106 | 106 | | ing a hearing to review the determination. 19 |
|---|
| 107 | 107 | | ‘‘(ii) Within 5 calendar days after serving the written 20 |
|---|
| 108 | 108 | | notice on the licensee, the Attorney General, shall give 21 |
|---|
| 109 | 109 | | written notice to the licensee of the date the written notice 22 |
|---|
| 110 | 110 | | was so served and provide the licensee with proof of the 23 |
|---|
| 111 | 111 | | service. 24 |
|---|
| 112 | 112 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 113 | 113 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 5 |
|---|
| 114 | 114 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 115 | 115 | | ‘‘(B) A hearing to review a determination made under 1 |
|---|
| 116 | 116 | | paragraph (1) with respect to a licensee shall not be held 2 |
|---|
| 117 | 117 | | unless the licensee or an agent of the licensee requests 3 |
|---|
| 118 | 118 | | such a hearing within 60 days after receiving the written 4 |
|---|
| 119 | 119 | | notice required by subparagraph (A), and if held, shall be 5 |
|---|
| 120 | 120 | | open to the public 6 |
|---|
| 121 | 121 | | ‘‘(C) On timely receipt from the licensee of a request 7 |
|---|
| 122 | 122 | | for such a review, the Attorney General shall stay the im-8 |
|---|
| 123 | 123 | | position of any penalty under paragraph (1), pending reso-9 |
|---|
| 124 | 124 | | lution of the hearing, unless, in the case of a license rev-10 |
|---|
| 125 | 125 | | ocation, the Attorney General establishes, at a hearing be-11 |
|---|
| 126 | 126 | | fore an administrative law judge, by clear and convincing 12 |
|---|
| 127 | 127 | | evidence, that the licensee committed the violation willfully 13 |
|---|
| 128 | 128 | | and that the continued operation by the licensee of the 14 |
|---|
| 129 | 129 | | business involved poses an immediate and grave threat to 15 |
|---|
| 130 | 130 | | public safety. 16 |
|---|
| 131 | 131 | | ‘‘(3)(A) Within not fewer than 60 days after timely 17 |
|---|
| 132 | 132 | | receipt from a licensee or an agent of the licensee of a 18 |
|---|
| 133 | 133 | | written request for a hearing to review a determination 19 |
|---|
| 134 | 134 | | made under paragraph (1) (or at such later time as is 20 |
|---|
| 135 | 135 | | agreed to by the Attorney General and the licensee), an 21 |
|---|
| 136 | 136 | | administrative law judge shall hold an evidentiary hearing, 22 |
|---|
| 137 | 137 | | at a location convenient to the licensee, to review the de-23 |
|---|
| 138 | 138 | | termination, except that, if the licensee moves for leave 24 |
|---|
| 139 | 139 | | to take the deposition of any witness identified by the At-25 |
|---|
| 140 | 140 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 141 | 141 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 6 |
|---|
| 142 | 142 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 143 | 143 | | torney General or any officer or employee of the Depart-1 |
|---|
| 144 | 144 | | ment of Justice who was involved in the inspection or ex-2 |
|---|
| 145 | 145 | | amination, or any prior inspection or examination on 3 |
|---|
| 146 | 146 | | which the Attorney General relies, the administrative law 4 |
|---|
| 147 | 147 | | judge shall grant the motion and adjust the hearing date 5 |
|---|
| 148 | 148 | | accordingly. 6 |
|---|
| 149 | 149 | | ‘‘(B) Not less than 30 days before the hearing, the 7 |
|---|
| 150 | 150 | | Attorney General shall deliver to the licensee— 8 |
|---|
| 151 | 151 | | ‘‘(i) a document identifying each person whom 9 |
|---|
| 152 | 152 | | the Attorney General intends to call as a witness 10 |
|---|
| 153 | 153 | | during the hearing and a summary of the proposed 11 |
|---|
| 154 | 154 | | sworn testimony of the witness; 12 |
|---|
| 155 | 155 | | ‘‘(ii) a copy of each document, in unredacted 13 |
|---|
| 156 | 156 | | form, that will be introduced by the Attorney Gen-14 |
|---|
| 157 | 157 | | eral as evidence at the hearing; 15 |
|---|
| 158 | 158 | | ‘‘(iii) copies of all documents on which the de-16 |
|---|
| 159 | 159 | | termination is based; 17 |
|---|
| 160 | 160 | | ‘‘(iv) a complete copy of the file of the licensee 18 |
|---|
| 161 | 161 | | maintained by the Attorney General; and 19 |
|---|
| 162 | 162 | | ‘‘(v) a sworn statement from the Attorney Gen-20 |
|---|
| 163 | 163 | | eral as to whether or not there is a pending criminal 21 |
|---|
| 164 | 164 | | investigation by the Attorney General of the licensee, 22 |
|---|
| 165 | 165 | | which statement shall be supplemented or amended 23 |
|---|
| 166 | 166 | | by the Attorney General if a criminal investigation 24 |
|---|
| 167 | 167 | | is initiated before the conclusion of the hearing. 25 |
|---|
| 168 | 168 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 169 | 169 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 7 |
|---|
| 170 | 170 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 171 | 171 | | ‘‘(C)(i) Within 120 days after the hearing, the admin-1 |
|---|
| 172 | 172 | | istrative law judge shall issue a written decision setting 2 |
|---|
| 173 | 173 | | forth findings of fact and conclusions of law, and a deci-3 |
|---|
| 174 | 174 | | sion as to whether to affirm, modify, or reverse the deter-4 |
|---|
| 175 | 175 | | mination. 5 |
|---|
| 176 | 176 | | ‘‘(ii) The findings of fact and conclusions of law and 6 |
|---|
| 177 | 177 | | decision of the administrative law judge shall be— 7 |
|---|
| 178 | 178 | | ‘‘(I) de novo and not predicated on a presump-8 |
|---|
| 179 | 179 | | tion that the determination of the Attorney General 9 |
|---|
| 180 | 180 | | was correct; and 10 |
|---|
| 181 | 181 | | ‘‘(II) based on a clear and convincing standard 11 |
|---|
| 182 | 182 | | of proof, which shall be borne by the Attorney Gen-12 |
|---|
| 183 | 183 | | eral. 13 |
|---|
| 184 | 184 | | ‘‘(iii) The administrative law judge shall not make a 14 |
|---|
| 185 | 185 | | determination to revoke a license unless the administrative 15 |
|---|
| 186 | 186 | | law judge finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that— 16 |
|---|
| 187 | 187 | | ‘‘(I) the Attorney General notified the licensee 17 |
|---|
| 188 | 188 | | in writing of all reasons for the contemplated action 18 |
|---|
| 189 | 189 | | of the Attorney General; 19 |
|---|
| 190 | 190 | | ‘‘(II) the Attorney General afforded the licensee 20 |
|---|
| 191 | 191 | | a commercially reasonable opportunity to dem-21 |
|---|
| 192 | 192 | | onstrate or achieve compliance with this chapter; 22 |
|---|
| 193 | 193 | | and 23 |
|---|
| 194 | 194 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 195 | 195 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 8 |
|---|
| 196 | 196 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 197 | 197 | | ‘‘(III) the licensee has not complied, and is un-1 |
|---|
| 198 | 198 | | likely to be able to achieve compliance, with this 2 |
|---|
| 199 | 199 | | chapter. 3 |
|---|
| 200 | 200 | | ‘‘(iv) The Attorney General shall provide to the li-4 |
|---|
| 201 | 201 | | censee a complete copy of the hearing transcript, including 5 |
|---|
| 202 | 202 | | exhibits, within 60 days after the date of the hearing. 6 |
|---|
| 203 | 203 | | ‘‘(D) On request of the licensee, the Attorney General 7 |
|---|
| 204 | 204 | | shall stay the effective date of any penalty, suspension, 8 |
|---|
| 205 | 205 | | or revocation until there is a final, unreviewable judgment 9 |
|---|
| 206 | 206 | | with respect to the determination of the administrative law 10 |
|---|
| 207 | 207 | | judge, unless, in the case of a license revocation, the Attor-11 |
|---|
| 208 | 208 | | ney General establishes, at a hearing before an adminis-12 |
|---|
| 209 | 209 | | trative law judge, by clear and convincing evidence, that 13 |
|---|
| 210 | 210 | | the licensee committed the violation willfully and that the 14 |
|---|
| 211 | 211 | | continued operation by the licensee of the business in-15 |
|---|
| 212 | 212 | | volved poses an immediate and grave threat to public safe-16 |
|---|
| 213 | 213 | | ty. 17 |
|---|
| 214 | 214 | | ‘‘(E) An action of an administrative law judge under 18 |
|---|
| 215 | 215 | | this subsection shall be considered final agency action for 19 |
|---|
| 216 | 216 | | all purposes, and may be reviewed only as provided in sub-20 |
|---|
| 217 | 217 | | section (f). 21 |
|---|
| 218 | 218 | | ‘‘(4) This subsection shall not be interpreted to affect 22 |
|---|
| 219 | 219 | | the authority of the Attorney General under section 23 |
|---|
| 220 | 220 | | 922(t)(5), except that the provisions of section 922(t)(5) 24 |
|---|
| 221 | 221 | | regarding notice and opportunity for a hearing shall be 25 |
|---|
| 222 | 222 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 223 | 223 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 9 |
|---|
| 224 | 224 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 225 | 225 | | subject to the procedural and evidentiary requirements 1 |
|---|
| 226 | 226 | | provided in this subsection. 2 |
|---|
| 227 | 227 | | ‘‘(f)(1) Within 60 days after a party receives a notice 3 |
|---|
| 228 | 228 | | issued under subsection (d) of a decision to deny a license, 4 |
|---|
| 229 | 229 | | or a notice issued under subsection (e)(3)(C) of a deter-5 |
|---|
| 230 | 230 | | mination to suspend or revoke a license, the party may 6 |
|---|
| 231 | 231 | | file a petition with the United States district court for the 7 |
|---|
| 232 | 232 | | district in which the party resides or has a principal place 8 |
|---|
| 233 | 233 | | of business for a de novo trial of the determination. 9 |
|---|
| 234 | 234 | | ‘‘(2) In a proceeding conducted under this subsection, 10 |
|---|
| 235 | 235 | | the court shall, on application of a party, consider any evi-11 |
|---|
| 236 | 236 | | dence submitted by the parties to the proceeding whether 12 |
|---|
| 237 | 237 | | or not the evidence was considered at the hearing held 13 |
|---|
| 238 | 238 | | under subsection (d) or (e)(3). 14 |
|---|
| 239 | 239 | | ‘‘(3)(A) If the court decides that the determination 15 |
|---|
| 240 | 240 | | was not authorized by law, the court shall order the Attor-16 |
|---|
| 241 | 241 | | ney General to take such action as may be necessary to 17 |
|---|
| 242 | 242 | | comply with the judgment of the court. 18 |
|---|
| 243 | 243 | | ‘‘(B) The court shall not make a determination to 19 |
|---|
| 244 | 244 | | revoke a license unless the court finds, by clear and con-20 |
|---|
| 245 | 245 | | vincing evidence, that— 21 |
|---|
| 246 | 246 | | ‘‘(i) the Attorney General notified the licensee 22 |
|---|
| 247 | 247 | | in writing of all reasons for the contemplated action 23 |
|---|
| 248 | 248 | | of the Attorney General; 24 |
|---|
| 249 | 249 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 250 | 250 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 10 |
|---|
| 251 | 251 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 252 | 252 | | ‘‘(ii) the Attorney General afforded the licensee 1 |
|---|
| 253 | 253 | | a commercially reasonable opportunity to dem-2 |
|---|
| 254 | 254 | | onstrate or achieve compliance with this chapter; 3 |
|---|
| 255 | 255 | | and 4 |
|---|
| 256 | 256 | | ‘‘(iii) the licensee has not complied, and is un-5 |
|---|
| 257 | 257 | | likely to be able to comply, with this chapter. 6 |
|---|
| 258 | 258 | | ‘‘(4) If criminal proceedings are instituted against an 7 |
|---|
| 259 | 259 | | applicant for a license under this chapter or a licensee al-8 |
|---|
| 260 | 260 | | leging a violation of this chapter, and the applicant or li-9 |
|---|
| 261 | 261 | | censee, as the case may be, is acquitted of the charges, 10 |
|---|
| 262 | 262 | | or the proceedings are terminated, other than on motion 11 |
|---|
| 263 | 263 | | of the Government before trial on the charges, the Attor-12 |
|---|
| 264 | 264 | | ney General shall be absolutely barred from denying a li-13 |
|---|
| 265 | 265 | | cense under this chapter, or suspending or revoking a li-14 |
|---|
| 266 | 266 | | cense granted under this chapter, if the action would be 15 |
|---|
| 267 | 267 | | based in whole or in part on the facts which form the basis 16 |
|---|
| 268 | 268 | | of the criminal charges. 17 |
|---|
| 269 | 269 | | ‘‘(5) The Attorney General may not institute a pro-18 |
|---|
| 270 | 270 | | ceeding to suspend or revoke a license granted under this 19 |
|---|
| 271 | 271 | | chapter, more than 1 year after the filing of the indict-20 |
|---|
| 272 | 272 | | ment or information. 21 |
|---|
| 273 | 273 | | ‘‘(6) The Attorney General may not institute a pro-22 |
|---|
| 274 | 274 | | ceeding to suspend or revoke a license granted under this 23 |
|---|
| 275 | 275 | | chapter, based on a violation that is finally determined to 24 |
|---|
| 276 | 276 | | have occurred with respect to a different license.’’. 25 |
|---|
| 277 | 277 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 278 | 278 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 11 |
|---|
| 279 | 279 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 280 | 280 | | SEC. 3. CONSIDERATION OF FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSE 1 |
|---|
| 281 | 281 | | APPLICATIONS. 2 |
|---|
| 282 | 282 | | Section 923(d) of title 18, United States Code, is 3 |
|---|
| 283 | 283 | | amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the fol-4 |
|---|
| 284 | 284 | | lowing: 5 |
|---|
| 285 | 285 | | ‘‘(2) The Attorney General shall make a preliminary 6 |
|---|
| 286 | 286 | | determination as to whether to approve or deny an appli-7 |
|---|
| 287 | 287 | | cation submitted under subsection (a) or (b). If the pre-8 |
|---|
| 288 | 288 | | liminary determination is to deny the application, the At-9 |
|---|
| 289 | 289 | | torney General shall notify the applicant in writing of the 10 |
|---|
| 290 | 290 | | preliminary determination and the reasons for the prelimi-11 |
|---|
| 291 | 291 | | nary determination, and shall afford the applicant an op-12 |
|---|
| 292 | 292 | | portunity to supplement the application with additional in-13 |
|---|
| 293 | 293 | | formation and to request a hearing on the application. If 14 |
|---|
| 294 | 294 | | the applicant, in a timely manner, requests such a hearing, 15 |
|---|
| 295 | 295 | | the Attorney General shall hold the hearing at a location 16 |
|---|
| 296 | 296 | | convenient to the applicant, and shall notify the applicant 17 |
|---|
| 297 | 297 | | in writing of the time and place of the hearing. 18 |
|---|
| 298 | 298 | | ‘‘(3) The Attorney General may not deny an applica-19 |
|---|
| 299 | 299 | | tion for a license based on— 20 |
|---|
| 300 | 300 | | ‘‘(A) any prior violation of this chapter by the 21 |
|---|
| 301 | 301 | | applicant, if more than 5 years have elapsed since 22 |
|---|
| 302 | 302 | | the date a license previously issued to the applicant 23 |
|---|
| 303 | 303 | | under this chapter was terminated, unless the Attor-24 |
|---|
| 304 | 304 | | ney General finds that the applicant is a person de-25 |
|---|
| 305 | 305 | | scribed in section 922(g); 26 |
|---|
| 306 | 306 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 307 | 307 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 12 |
|---|
| 308 | 308 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 309 | 309 | | ‘‘(B) the applicant having been employed by, or 1 |
|---|
| 310 | 310 | | a responsible party for, a licensee whose license 2 |
|---|
| 311 | 311 | | under this chapter was revoked, unless there is clear 3 |
|---|
| 312 | 312 | | and convincing evidence that the applicant willfully 4 |
|---|
| 313 | 313 | | violated this chapter in that capacity; or 5 |
|---|
| 314 | 314 | | ‘‘(C) the applicant being a spouse, former 6 |
|---|
| 315 | 315 | | spouse, or child of a licensee whose license under 7 |
|---|
| 316 | 316 | | this chapter was revoked, unless there is clear and 8 |
|---|
| 317 | 317 | | convincing evidence that the applicant willfully vio-9 |
|---|
| 318 | 318 | | lated this chapter as a responsible party under the 10 |
|---|
| 319 | 319 | | license. 11 |
|---|
| 320 | 320 | | ‘‘(4) The procedures provided for in subsection (e) 12 |
|---|
| 321 | 321 | | shall apply with respect to any applicant for a license 13 |
|---|
| 322 | 322 | | under this chapter and any application for such a li-14 |
|---|
| 323 | 323 | | cense.’’. 15 |
|---|
| 324 | 324 | | SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF ‘‘WILLFULLY’’; CERTAIN EVIDENCE 16 |
|---|
| 325 | 325 | | INADMISSIBLE TO PROVE WILLFULNESS. 17 |
|---|
| 326 | 326 | | Section 923(e) of title 18, United States Code, as 18 |
|---|
| 327 | 327 | | amended by section 2(a) of this Act, is amended by adding 19 |
|---|
| 328 | 328 | | at the end the following: 20 |
|---|
| 329 | 329 | | ‘‘(5) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘will-21 |
|---|
| 330 | 330 | | fully’ means, with respect to conduct of an individual who 22 |
|---|
| 331 | 331 | | holds a license or is designated in the records of the Attor-23 |
|---|
| 332 | 332 | | ney General as a responsible party under a specific license, 24 |
|---|
| 333 | 333 | | that the person— 25 |
|---|
| 334 | 334 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 335 | 335 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 13 |
|---|
| 336 | 336 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 337 | 337 | | ‘‘(A) had actual knowledge of a clearly estab-1 |
|---|
| 338 | 338 | | lished legal duty; 2 |
|---|
| 339 | 339 | | ‘‘(B) understood the obligation imposed by the 3 |
|---|
| 340 | 340 | | legal duty; and 4 |
|---|
| 341 | 341 | | ‘‘(C) engaged in the conduct knowingly and in 5 |
|---|
| 342 | 342 | | deliberate disregard of the legal duty. 6 |
|---|
| 343 | 343 | | ‘‘(6) Evidence that a person has received a document 7 |
|---|
| 344 | 344 | | or other communication containing information about a 8 |
|---|
| 345 | 345 | | requirement imposed by or under this chapter and evi-9 |
|---|
| 346 | 346 | | dence that the person has signed an acknowledgment that 10 |
|---|
| 347 | 347 | | the person understands the legal obligations of the person 11 |
|---|
| 348 | 348 | | under this chapter shall not be admissible as part of the 12 |
|---|
| 349 | 349 | | determination of the Attorney General, in an administra-13 |
|---|
| 350 | 350 | | tive law hearing or in a court of law, to prove actual 14 |
|---|
| 351 | 351 | | knowledge and shall not be admissible as evidence to es-15 |
|---|
| 352 | 352 | | tablish a willful violation of this chapter. 16 |
|---|
| 353 | 353 | | ‘‘(7) Evidence that a person has substantial experi-17 |
|---|
| 354 | 354 | | ence as a licensee, or has in other instances successfully 18 |
|---|
| 355 | 355 | | complied with this chapter, shall not be admissible as part 19 |
|---|
| 356 | 356 | | of the determination of the Attorney General, in an admin-20 |
|---|
| 357 | 357 | | istrative law hearing or in a court of law, to prove actual 21 |
|---|
| 358 | 358 | | knowledge and shall not be admissible as evidence to es-22 |
|---|
| 359 | 359 | | tablished a willful violation of this chapter. 23 |
|---|
| 360 | 360 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 361 | 361 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 14 |
|---|
| 362 | 362 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 363 | 363 | | ‘‘(8) In determining under this subsection whether 1 |
|---|
| 364 | 364 | | conduct of a licensee was willful, the entire historical ad-2 |
|---|
| 365 | 365 | | ministrative record of the licensee shall be considered.’’. 3 |
|---|
| 366 | 366 | | SEC. 5. RECONSIDERATION OF DENIED APPLICATIONS 4 |
|---|
| 367 | 367 | | FROM FORMER FIREARM LICENSEES, IN 5 |
|---|
| 368 | 368 | | LIGHT OF NEW RULES PERTAINING TO 6 |
|---|
| 369 | 369 | | WILLFULLNESS; REVERSAL OF LICENSE REV-7 |
|---|
| 370 | 370 | | OCATIONS, SUSPENSIONS AND DENIALS 8 |
|---|
| 371 | 371 | | MADE WHILE CERTAIN ATF ORDERS ARE IN 9 |
|---|
| 372 | 372 | | EFFECT. 10 |
|---|
| 373 | 373 | | (a) R |
|---|
| 374 | 374 | | ECONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS.—The At-11 |
|---|
| 375 | 375 | | torney General shall reconsider each application for a li-12 |
|---|
| 376 | 376 | | cense under chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, 13 |
|---|
| 377 | 377 | | that is submitted by a person formerly licensed under such 14 |
|---|
| 378 | 378 | | chapter whose application for a license under such chapter 15 |
|---|
| 379 | 379 | | was denied before the date of the enactment of this Act, 16 |
|---|
| 380 | 380 | | and that was disposed of on or before such date of enact-17 |
|---|
| 381 | 381 | | ment, and, in doing so, the Attorney General shall apply 18 |
|---|
| 382 | 382 | | the amendments made by section 4 of this Act. 19 |
|---|
| 383 | 383 | | (b) R |
|---|
| 384 | 384 | | EVERSAL OFREVOCATIONS, SUSPENSION, AND 20 |
|---|
| 385 | 385 | | D |
|---|
| 386 | 386 | | ENIALS.—In the case of any person whose license under 21 |
|---|
| 387 | 387 | | chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is revoked or 22 |
|---|
| 388 | 388 | | suspended, or whose application for such a license is de-23 |
|---|
| 389 | 389 | | nied, while ATF Order 5370.1E, ATF Order 5370.1F, or 24 |
|---|
| 390 | 390 | | ATF Order 5370.1G is in effect, the Attorney General 25 |
|---|
| 391 | 391 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 392 | 392 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 15 |
|---|
| 393 | 393 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 394 | 394 | | shall, absent clear and convincing evidence that the contin-1 |
|---|
| 395 | 395 | | ued operation by the licensee of the business subject to 2 |
|---|
| 396 | 396 | | the license poses an immediate and grave threat to public 3 |
|---|
| 397 | 397 | | safety— 4 |
|---|
| 398 | 398 | | (1)(A) in the case of such a revocation, rein-5 |
|---|
| 399 | 399 | | state the license; 6 |
|---|
| 400 | 400 | | (B) in the case of such a suspension, end the 7 |
|---|
| 401 | 401 | | suspension; or 8 |
|---|
| 402 | 402 | | (C) in the case of such a denial, reconsider the 9 |
|---|
| 403 | 403 | | application; and 10 |
|---|
| 404 | 404 | | (2) in each case, reimburse the person for all 11 |
|---|
| 405 | 405 | | legal fees incurred by the person, while the Order is 12 |
|---|
| 406 | 406 | | in effect, with respect to any proceeding involving 13 |
|---|
| 407 | 407 | | the revocation, suspension, or application. 14 |
|---|
| 408 | 408 | | (c) E |
|---|
| 409 | 409 | | STABLISHMENT OF WEBSITE FORADMINISTRA-15 |
|---|
| 410 | 410 | | TION OFRELIEF.— 16 |
|---|
| 411 | 411 | | (1) I |
|---|
| 412 | 412 | | N GENERAL.—Within 120 days after the 17 |
|---|
| 413 | 413 | | date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen-18 |
|---|
| 414 | 414 | | eral shall— 19 |
|---|
| 415 | 415 | | (A) establish a website, entitled 20 |
|---|
| 416 | 416 | | ‘‘gunrightsrestored.gov’’, through which a per-21 |
|---|
| 417 | 417 | | son described in subsection (a) or (b) may sub-22 |
|---|
| 418 | 418 | | mit a claim for the reimbursement described in 23 |
|---|
| 419 | 419 | | subsection (b)(2); and 24 |
|---|
| 420 | 420 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 421 | 421 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 16 |
|---|
| 422 | 422 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 423 | 423 | | (B) publish in the Federal Register all in-1 |
|---|
| 424 | 424 | | formation about how such a person may so sub-2 |
|---|
| 425 | 425 | | mit such a claim. 3 |
|---|
| 426 | 426 | | (2) N |
|---|
| 427 | 427 | | ONDELEGATION.—The Attorney General 4 |
|---|
| 428 | 428 | | may not delegate the implementation of paragraph 5 |
|---|
| 429 | 429 | | (1) to any entity that is not in the Office of the At-6 |
|---|
| 430 | 430 | | torney General or the Office of the Deputy Attorney 7 |
|---|
| 431 | 431 | | General. 8 |
|---|
| 432 | 432 | | (d) R |
|---|
| 433 | 433 | | EPORTS.—Within 6 months after the date of the 9 |
|---|
| 434 | 434 | | enactment of this Act, the Attorney General and the In-10 |
|---|
| 435 | 435 | | spector General of the Department of Justice shall pre-11 |
|---|
| 436 | 436 | | pare and submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the 12 |
|---|
| 437 | 437 | | House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judi-13 |
|---|
| 438 | 438 | | ciary of the Senate separate reports on the implementation 14 |
|---|
| 439 | 439 | | of this section. 15 |
|---|
| 440 | 440 | | SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF FORMAL INSPECTION, EXAM-16 |
|---|
| 441 | 441 | | INATION, AND INVESTIGATIVE STANDARDS. 17 |
|---|
| 442 | 442 | | (a) I |
|---|
| 443 | 443 | | NGENERAL.—The Attorney General shall estab-18 |
|---|
| 444 | 444 | | lish written standards for how the Bureau of Alcohol, To-19 |
|---|
| 445 | 445 | | bacco, Firearms, and Explosives is to— 20 |
|---|
| 446 | 446 | | (1) conduct inspections, examinations, or inves-21 |
|---|
| 447 | 447 | | tigations of a possible violation of chapter 40 or 44 22 |
|---|
| 448 | 448 | | of title 18, United States Code; and 23 |
|---|
| 449 | 449 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 450 | 450 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 17 |
|---|
| 451 | 451 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 452 | 452 | | (2) make license application denial, license sus-1 |
|---|
| 453 | 453 | | pension, license revocation or other adverse deter-2 |
|---|
| 454 | 454 | | minations regarding an applicant or licensee. 3 |
|---|
| 455 | 455 | | (b) I |
|---|
| 456 | 456 | | NCLUSION OF MITIGATINGFACTORS.—The 4 |
|---|
| 457 | 457 | | standards shall include mitigation factors that must be 5 |
|---|
| 458 | 458 | | considered before the Attorney General initiates any ad-6 |
|---|
| 459 | 459 | | verse action against an applicant or licensee. 7 |
|---|
| 460 | 460 | | (c) A |
|---|
| 461 | 461 | | VAILABILITY.—The written standards shall be 8 |
|---|
| 462 | 462 | | made available to the public, and shall be provided by the 9 |
|---|
| 463 | 463 | | Attorney General to applicants and licensees at the time 10 |
|---|
| 464 | 464 | | of any license application and on demand. 11 |
|---|
| 465 | 465 | | SEC. 7. LIMITATIONS ON USE OF FIREARMS PURCHASER 12 |
|---|
| 466 | 466 | | INFORMATION. 13 |
|---|
| 467 | 467 | | Section 923(g)(1)(D) of title 18, United States Code, 14 |
|---|
| 468 | 468 | | is amended in the last sentence by inserting ‘‘, except that 15 |
|---|
| 469 | 469 | | information identifying a person who has purchased or re-16 |
|---|
| 470 | 470 | | ceived firearms or ammunition and who is not prohibited 17 |
|---|
| 471 | 471 | | from doing so may not be so made available or so provided 18 |
|---|
| 472 | 472 | | unless the agency involved has certified that the agency 19 |
|---|
| 473 | 473 | | will not disclose the information to any entity other than 20 |
|---|
| 474 | 474 | | a court, federal, State or local law enforcement agency, 21 |
|---|
| 475 | 475 | | or prosecutor’’ before the period. 22 |
|---|
| 476 | 476 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 477 | 477 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 18 |
|---|
| 478 | 478 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 479 | 479 | | SEC. 8. LIQUIDATION OF INVENTORY IN FEDERAL FIRE-1 |
|---|
| 480 | 480 | | ARMS LICENSE EXPIRATION, SURRENDER, OR 2 |
|---|
| 481 | 481 | | REVOCATION CASES. 3 |
|---|
| 482 | 482 | | Section 923 of title 18, United States Code, is 4 |
|---|
| 483 | 483 | | amended by adding at the end the following: 5 |
|---|
| 484 | 484 | | ‘‘(m)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), an en-6 |
|---|
| 485 | 485 | | tity whose license issued under this chapter is expired, sur-7 |
|---|
| 486 | 486 | | rendered, or revoked shall be afforded 90 days from the 8 |
|---|
| 487 | 487 | | effective date of the expiration, surrender, or revocation 9 |
|---|
| 488 | 488 | | (not counting any period in which an appeal of such a 10 |
|---|
| 489 | 489 | | revocation is pending) to liquidate the firearms business 11 |
|---|
| 490 | 490 | | inventory of the entity, which time may be extended on 12 |
|---|
| 491 | 491 | | a showing of reasonable cause. During the 90-day period 13 |
|---|
| 492 | 492 | | (including any extension of the period), the license in-14 |
|---|
| 493 | 493 | | volved shall continue to be considered valid, notwith-15 |
|---|
| 494 | 494 | | standing the expiration, surrender, or revocation, and the 16 |
|---|
| 495 | 495 | | Attorney General shall issue letters of authorization to the 17 |
|---|
| 496 | 496 | | entity on which licensees under this chapter and commer-18 |
|---|
| 497 | 497 | | cial third parties may rely. At any time before the expira-19 |
|---|
| 498 | 498 | | tion of the disposition period, the entity may transfer any 20 |
|---|
| 499 | 499 | | remaining firearms from the firearms business inventory 21 |
|---|
| 500 | 500 | | of the entity to the entity or, if more than 1 person holds 22 |
|---|
| 501 | 501 | | an interest in the entity, to the interest holders, at which 23 |
|---|
| 502 | 502 | | point the firearms are deemed to be a personal collection 24 |
|---|
| 503 | 503 | | of the entity or interest holders, as the case may be. 25 |
|---|
| 504 | 504 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 505 | 505 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 19 |
|---|
| 506 | 506 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 507 | 507 | | ‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to 1 |
|---|
| 508 | 508 | | a person if a United States district court for the judicial 2 |
|---|
| 509 | 509 | | district in which the person resides or in which the prin-3 |
|---|
| 510 | 510 | | cipal place of business of the person subject to the license 4 |
|---|
| 511 | 511 | | is located finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that the 5 |
|---|
| 512 | 512 | | continued operation by the person of the firearms business 6 |
|---|
| 513 | 513 | | involved poses an immediate and grave threat to public 7 |
|---|
| 514 | 514 | | safety, in which case the person may transfer all firearms 8 |
|---|
| 515 | 515 | | from the firearms business inventory of the person to the 9 |
|---|
| 516 | 516 | | personal collection of the person or to another licensee for 10 |
|---|
| 517 | 517 | | consignment or other liquidation at the direction of the 11 |
|---|
| 518 | 518 | | person.’’. 12 |
|---|
| 519 | 519 | | SEC. 9. OPPORTUNITY TO CURE VIOLATIONS AFTER ACQUI-13 |
|---|
| 520 | 520 | | SITION OF FIREARMS BUSINESS. 14 |
|---|
| 521 | 521 | | Section 923 of title 18, United States Code, is further 15 |
|---|
| 522 | 522 | | amended by adding at the end the following: 16 |
|---|
| 523 | 523 | | ‘‘(n) If the Attorney General is made aware that a 17 |
|---|
| 524 | 524 | | business licensed under this chapter has been transferred 18 |
|---|
| 525 | 525 | | to a surviving spouse or child of the licensee, to an execu-19 |
|---|
| 526 | 526 | | tor, administrator, or other legal representative of a de-20 |
|---|
| 527 | 527 | | ceased or incompetent licensee, to a receiver or trustee in 21 |
|---|
| 528 | 528 | | bankruptcy, to an assignee for benefit of creditors, or to 22 |
|---|
| 529 | 529 | | an entity holding a security interest in an item as collat-23 |
|---|
| 530 | 530 | | eral pursuant to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial 24 |
|---|
| 531 | 531 | | Code (U.C.C. § 9–102(a)(73)), and, before the transfer, 25 |
|---|
| 532 | 532 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 533 | 533 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 20 |
|---|
| 534 | 534 | | •HR 624 IH |
|---|
| 535 | 535 | | or on the first inspection or examination by the Attorney 1 |
|---|
| 536 | 536 | | General of the records of the licensee after the transfer, 2 |
|---|
| 537 | 537 | | the licensee is found to be operating the business in viola-3 |
|---|
| 538 | 538 | | tion of this chapter, the Attorney General— 4 |
|---|
| 539 | 539 | | ‘‘(1) shall notify the transferee of the violation 5 |
|---|
| 540 | 540 | | by the transferor; and 6 |
|---|
| 541 | 541 | | ‘‘(2) shall not presume that the transferee is 7 |
|---|
| 542 | 542 | | committing the violation.’’. 8 |
|---|
| 543 | 543 | | SEC. 10. STANDARDS FOR CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS OF REC-9 |
|---|
| 544 | 544 | | ORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS. 10 |
|---|
| 545 | 545 | | Section 922(m) of title 18, United States Code, is 11 |
|---|
| 546 | 546 | | amended— 12 |
|---|
| 547 | 547 | | (1) by striking ‘‘any false entry’’ and inserting 13 |
|---|
| 548 | 548 | | ‘‘a materially false entry’’; 14 |
|---|
| 549 | 549 | | (2) by striking ‘‘appropriate entry’’ and insert-15 |
|---|
| 550 | 550 | | ing ‘‘a materially significant entry’’; and 16 |
|---|
| 551 | 551 | | (3) by striking ‘‘properly maintain’’ and insert-17 |
|---|
| 552 | 552 | | ing ‘‘retain custody of’’. 18 |
|---|
| 553 | 553 | | Æ |
|---|
| 554 | 554 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Feb 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H624.IH H624 |
|---|
| 555 | 555 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS |
|---|