[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 967 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 967

    To provide a uniform national standard to ensure that concealed 
 firearms are available only to authorized persons for lawful purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 5, 1999

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide a uniform national standard to ensure that concealed 
 firearms are available only to authorized persons for lawful 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 ``Concealed Firearms Prohibition 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) crimes committed with firearms threaten the peace and 
        domestic tranquility of the United States and reduce the 
        security and general welfare of the people of the United 
        States;
            (2) crimes committed with firearms impose a substantial 
        burden on interstate commerce and lead to a reduction in 
        productivity and profitability for businesses around the 
        country whose workers, suppliers, and customers are adversely 
        affected by gun violence;
            (3) the public carrying of firearms increases the level of 
        gun violence by enabling the rapid escalation of otherwise 
        minor conflicts into deadly shootings;
            (4) the public carrying of firearms increases the 
        likelihood that incompetent or careless firearm users will 
        accidently injure or kill innocent bystanders;
            (5) the public carrying of firearms poses a danger to 
        citizens of the United States who travel across State lines for 
        business or other purposes; and
            (6) all Americans have a right to be protected from the 
        dangers posed by the carrying of concealed firearms, regardless 
        of their State of residence.

SEC. 3. UNLAWFUL ACT.

    Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after subsection (y) the following:
    ``(z) Firearms.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), it 
        shall be unlawful for a person to carry a firearm, any part of 
        which has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce, 
        on his or her person in public.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--Paragraph (1) does not apply to--
                    ``(A) a person authorized to carry a firearm under 
                State law who is--
                            ``(i) a law enforcement official;
                            ``(ii) a retired law enforcement official;
                            ``(iii) a duly authorized private security 
                        officer;
                            ``(iv) a person whose employment involves 
                        the transport of substantial amounts of cash or 
                        other valuable items; or
                            ``(v) any other person that the Attorney 
                        General determines should be allowed to carry a 
                        firearm because of compelling circumstances, 
                        under regulations that the Attorney General may 
                        promulgate;
                    ``(B) a person authorized to carry a firearm under 
                a State law that permits a person to carry a firearm 
                based on an individualized determination, based on a 
                review of credible evidence, that the person should be 
                allowed to carry a firearm because of compelling 
                circumstances (not including a claim of concern about 
                generalized or unspecified risks); or
                    ``(C) a person authorized to carry a firearm on his 
                or her person under Federal law.
            ``(3) Effect on other laws.--
                    ``(A) Federal laws.--Nothing in this subsection 
                supersedes or limits any other Federal law (including a 
                regulation) that prohibits or restricts the possession 
                or transportation of a firearm.
                    ``(B) State and local laws.--Nothing in this 
                subsection supersedes or limits any law (including a 
                regulation) of a State or political subdivision of a 
                State that--
                            ``(i) grants a right to carry a concealed 
                        firearm that is more restrictive than a right 
                        granted under this subsection;
                            ``(ii) permits a private person or entity 
                        to prohibit or restrict the possession of a 
                        concealed firearm on property belonging to the 
                        person;
                            ``(iii) prohibits or restricts the 
                        possession of a firearm on any property, 
                        installation, building, facility, or park 
                        belonging to a State or political subdivision 
                        of a State; or
                            ``(iv) permits a person to--
                                    ``(I) transport a lawfully-owned 
                                and lawfully-secured firearm in a 
                                vehicle for hunting or sporting 
                                purposes; or
                                    ``(II) use a lawfully-owned firearm 
                                for hunting or sporting purposes.''.
                                 <all>