[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 116 Introduced in House (IH)]







                                    


105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 116

   To apply equal standards to certain foreign made and domestically 
                           produced handguns.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 7, 1997

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To apply equal standards to certain foreign made and domestically 
                           produced handguns.

    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 Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the prohibition on the importation of handguns that are 
        not generally recognized as particularly suitable for or 
        readily adaptable to sporting purposes, often described as junk 
        guns or Saturday night specials, has led to the creation of a 
        high-volume market for these weapons that are domestically 
        manufactured;
            (2) traffic in junk guns constitutes a serious threat to 
        public welfare and to law enforcement officers, and the use of 
        such firearms is increasing;
            (3) junk guns are used disproportionately in the commission 
        of crimes;
            (4) of the firearms traced in 1995, the 3 firearms most 
        commonly traced to crimes were junk guns; and
            (5) the domestic manufacture, transfer, and possession of 
        junk guns should be restricted.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST TRANSFER OR POSSESSION OF CERTAIN HANDGUNS.

    (a) Prohibition.--Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(y)(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to transfer or possess a 
junk gun that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign 
commerce.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to--
            ``(A) the possession or transfer of a junk gun otherwise 
        lawfully possessed under Federal law on the date of the 
        enactment of the Gun Safety Act;
            ``(B) any firearm or replica of a firearm that has been 
        rendered permanently inoperative;
            ``(C) a transfer to or possession by the United States or a 
        State or a department or agency of the United States, or a 
        State or a department, agency, or political subdivision of a 
        State, or a transfer to or possession by a law enforcement 
        officer employed by such an entity for law enforcement purposes 
        (whether on or off duty); or
            ``(D) the transfer or possession of a junk gun by a 
        licensed manufacturer or licensed importer for the purposes of 
        testing or experimentation authorized by the Secretary.''.
    (b) Definition of Junk Gun.--Section 921(a) of such title is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(34) The term `junk gun' means any firearm that is not described 
in section 925(d)(3) or any regulation issued under such section.''.

SEC. 4. FIREARMS AND CHILD SAFETY.

    (a) Prohibition.--Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, as 
amended by section 3(a) of this Act, is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(z)(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to manufacture or import 
a firearm that does not have as an integral part a device or devices 
that--
            ``(A) prevent a child of less than 7 years of age from 
        discharging the firearm by reason of the amount of strength, 
        dexterity, cognitive skill, or other ability required to cause 
        a discharge;
            ``(B) prevent a firearm that has a removable magazine from 
        discharging when the magazine has been removed; and
            ``(C) in the case of a handgun other than a revolver, 
        clearly indicate whether the magazine or chamber contains a 
        round of ammunition.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to the manufacture 
or importation by or for the United States or a department or agency 
thereof or a State or a department, agency, or political subdivision 
thereof.''.
    (b) Penalty.--Section 924(a)(5) of such title is amended by 
striking ``or (t)'' and inserting ``(t), or (z)''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
become effective on the date that is 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>