[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2025 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2025

  To ban the manufacture of handguns that cannot be personalized, to 
 provide for a report to the Congress on the commercial feasibility of 
 personalizing firearms, and to provide for grants to improve firearm 
                                safety.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 1999

 Mr. Pascrell (for himself, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. Weiner, Mr. 
Underwood, Mr. Delahunt, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Meehan, and Mr. 
    Brady of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To ban the manufacture of handguns that cannot be personalized, to 
 provide for a report to the Congress on the commercial feasibility of 
 personalizing firearms, and to provide for grants to improve firearm 
                                safety.

    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 ``Childproof Handgun Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. BAN ON MANUFACTURE OF HANDGUNS THAT CANNOT BE PERSONALIZED.

    (a) In General.--Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after subsection (y) the following:
    ``(z)(1) It shall be unlawful for a licensed manufacturer to 
manufacture a handgun that cannot be personalized.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any manufacture for an 
individual acting under the authority of the United States or any 
department or agency of the United States, or of any State or any 
department, agency, or political subdivision of a State.''.
    (b) Personalized Defined.--Section 921(a) of such title is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
    ``(35) The term `personalized' means, with respect to a handgun, 
that, integral to the handgun is a device or feature that--
            ``(A) allows the handgun to be fired only by a particular 
        individual;
            ``(B) is not capable of being readily deactivated; and
            ``(C) may allow the handgun to be personalized to an 
        additional individual.''.
    (c) Penalty.--Section 924(a) of such title is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(7) Whoever knowingly violates section 922(z) shall be fined not 
more than $10,000, imprisoned not more than 18 months, or both. The 
fine otherwise applicable under section 3571 shall not apply to an 
offense under section 922(z).''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to conduct engaged in after the 5-year period that begins with 
the date of the enactment of this Act if the report required by section 
3 states that the technology to personalize firearms (within the 
meaning of section 921(a)(35) of title 18, United States Code) will be 
commercially feasible by the end of such 5-year period.

SEC. 3. REPORT TO THE CONGRESS ON TECHNOLOGY TO PERSONALIZE FIREARMS.

    (a) Study.--The Director of the National Institute of Justice 
(referred to in this section as the ``Director'') shall conduct a study 
of the state of the technology involved in personalizing firearms 
(within the meaning of section 921(a)(35) of title 18, United States 
Code) and determine whether such technology will be commercially 
feasible within 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Report to the Congress.--Within 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit to the Committee on 
the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the Senate a written report on the results of the study 
required by subsection (a).
    (c) Commercial Feasibility.--In determining whether the technology 
involved in personalizing firearms is commercially feasible, the 
Director shall consider the following factors:
            (1) The reliability of the technology utilized in 
        personalized firearms.
            (2) The difference between the manufacturer's suggested 
        retail price for personalized firearms and the manufacturer's 
        suggested retail price for equivalent firearms that are not 
        personalized.
            (3) Such other criteria as the Director deems appropriate.

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO IMPROVE GUN SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Grants.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
        the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the 
        National Institute of Justice (referred to in this section as 
        the ``Director''), shall make grants under this section for the 
        purpose specified in paragraph (2) to applicants that submit an 
        application that meets requirements that the Attorney General, 
        acting through the Director, shall establish.
            (2) Purpose.--The purpose of a grant under this section 
        shall be to reduce violence caused by firearms through the 
        development and improvement of personalized handgun technology, 
        as described in section 921(a)(35) of title 18, United States 
        Code.
            (3) Consultation.--In making grants under this section, the 
        Attorney General, acting through the Director, shall consult 
        with appropriate employees of the National Institute of Justice 
        with expertise in firearms and weapons technology.
    (b) Period of Grant.--A grant under this section shall be for a 
period of not to exceed 2 years.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For grants under this 
section, there are authorized to be appropriated not more than 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2003.
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