[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 693 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 693
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
February 14, 2001
Mr. Pascrell (for himself, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mrs. McCarthy of
New York, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Brady of
Pennsylvania, and Mr. Barrett) 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 2001''.
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 2002 through 2005.
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