[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 553 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 553

        To regulate handgun ammunition, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 10, 1997

   Mr. Kerry introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
        To regulate handgun ammunition, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Ammunition Safety Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. DEALERS OF AMMUNITION.

    (a) Definition.--Section 921(a)(11)(A) of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting ``or ammunition'' after ``firearms''.
    (b) Licensing.--Section 923(a) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking ``or 
        importing or manufacturing ammunition'' and inserting ``or 
        importing, manufacturing, or dealing in ammunition''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' the 
                last place it appears;
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by inserting the following new subparagraph:
            ``(C) in ammunition other than ammunition for destructive 
        devices, $10 per year.''.
    (c) Unlawful Acts.--Section 922(a)(1)(A) of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) by inserting ``or ammunition'' after 
                        ``firearms''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``or ammunition'' after 
                        ``firearm''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``or licensed 
                manufacturer'' and inserting ``licensed manufacturer, 
                or licensed dealer'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding subparagraph 
        (A), by inserting ``or ammunition'' after ``firearm'';
            (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``or ammunition'' after 
        ``firearm'' the first place it appears;
            (4) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``or ammunition'' after 
        ``firearm'' the first place it appears; and
            (5) in paragraph (9), by inserting ``or ammunition'' after 
        ``firearms''.
    (d) Penalties.--Section 924 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (5)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ``1 year'' 
                and inserting ``2 years''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``1 year'' 
                        and inserting ``2 years''; and
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``10 
                        years'' and inserting ``20 years''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(o) Except to the extent a greater minimum sentence is otherwise 
provided, any person at least 18 years of age who violates section 
922(g) shall be subject to--
            ``(1) twice the maximum punishment authorized by this 
        subsection; and
            ``(2) at least twice any term of supervised release.''.
    (e) Application of Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to 
Transfer of Ammunition.--Section 922(t) of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting ``or ammunition'' after ``firearm'' each 
place it appears.

SEC. 3. REGULATION OF ARMOR PIERCING AND NEW TYPES OF DESTRUCTIVE 
              AMMUNITION.

    (a) Testing of Ammunition.--Section 921(a)(17) of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraph (D), as added by section 
        2(e)(2), as subparagraph (E); and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new 
        subparagraph:
    ``(D)(i) Notwithstanding subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5, 
United States Code, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this subparagraph, the Secretary shall--
            ``(I) establish uniform standards for testing and rating 
        the destructive capacity of projectiles capable of being used 
        in handguns;
            ``(II) utilizing the standards established pursuant to 
        subclause (I), establish performance-based standards to define 
        the rating of `armor piercing ammunition' based on the rating 
        at which the projectiles pierce armor; and
            ``(III) at the expense of the ammunition manufacturer 
        seeking to sell a particular type of ammunition, test and rate 
        the destructive capacity of the ammunition utilizing the 
        testing, rating, and performance-based standards established 
        under subclauses (I) and (II).
    ``(ii) The term `armor piercing ammunition' shall include any 
projectile determined to have a destructive capacity rating higher than 
the rating threshold established under subclause (II), in addition to 
the composition-based determination of subparagraph (B).
    ``(iii) The Congress may exempt specific ammunition designed for 
sporting purposes from the definition of `armor piercing 
ammunition'.''.
    (b) Prohibition.--Section 922(a) of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (7)--
                    (A) by striking ``or import'' and inserting ``, 
                import, possess, or use'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(D) the manufacture, importation, or use of any 
                projectile that has been proven, by testing performed 
                at the expense of the manufacturer of the projectile, 
                to have a lower rating threshold than armor piercing 
                ammunition.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (8)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(D) the manufacture, importation, or use of any 
                projectile that has been proven, by testing performed 
                at the expense of the manufacturer of the projectile, 
                to have a lower rating threshold than armor piercing 
                ammunition.''.
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