[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4237 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4237

 To prohibit the possession in a public housing zone of a firearm the 
    possession of which is otherwise unlawful, and to prohibit the 
            discharge of a firearm in a public housing zone.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 18, 1994

  Mr. Durbin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit the possession in a public housing zone of a firearm the 
    possession of which is otherwise unlawful, and to prohibit the 
            discharge of a firearm in a public housing zone.

    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-Free Public Housing Zones Act of 
1994''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST ILLEGAL POSSESSION OR DISCHARGE OF A 
              FIREARM IN A PUBLIC HOUSING ZONE.

    (a) In General.--Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(v)(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess a firearm, 
in violation of any other Federal law or of any State or local law, at 
a place that the person knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is 
in a public housing zone.
    ``(2)(A) It shall be unlawful for any person, knowingly or with 
reckless disregard for the safety of another, to discharge or attempt 
to discharge a firearm at a place that the person knows is in a public 
housing zone.
    ``(B) Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to the discharge of a 
firearm--
            ``(i) by a person employed by a public housing agency to 
        provide security for a public housing project in the public 
        housing zone, acting within the scope of such employment; or
            ``(ii) by a law enforcement officer acting in his or her 
        official capacity.''.
    (b) Definitions.--Section 921(a) of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(30)(A) The term `public housing zone' means in or upon--
            ``(i) the real property comprising the public housing 
        projects of any public housing agency; or
            ``(ii) any public property which is at a distance of not 
        more than 1,000 feet from property referred to in clause (i).
    ``(B) The terms `project', `public housing', and `public housing 
agency' shall have the meanings given such terms in section 3(b) of the 
Housing Act of 1937.''.
    (c) Penalties.--Section 924(a)(4) of such title is amended by 
striking ``922(q)'' each place such term appears and inserting 
``subsection (q) or (v) of section 922''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to conduct engaged in after the end of the 60-day period that 
begins with the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (e) Gun-Free Zone Signs.--Federal, State, and local authorities are 
encouraged to cause signs to be posted around public housing zones 
(within the meaning of section 921(a)(30) of title 18, United States 
Code) giving warning of prohibition against the illegal possession of a 
firearm in such zones.

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