[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5208 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5208

      To prohibit the possession of a firearm in a hospital zone.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 4, 2004

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To prohibit the possession of a firearm in a hospital zone.

    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-Free Hospital Zones Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON THE POSSESSION OF A FIREARM IN A HOSPITAL ZONE.

    (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 any person to possess a firearm 
that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, 
in a place that the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe is 
in a hospital zone.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the possession of a 
firearm--
            ``(A) on private property that is not on the grounds of any 
        hospital;
            ``(B) on public property outside any building or enclosed 
        structure, if the individual possessing the firearm is licensed 
        to do so by the State or political subdivision in which the 
        hospital zone is located, and the law of the State or political 
        subdivision requires that, before an individual obtains such a 
        license, the law enforcement authorities of the State or 
        political subdivision verify that the individual is qualified 
        under law to receive the license;
            ``(C) by an individual in accordance with a contract 
        entered into between the owner of a hospital in the hospital 
        zone and the individual or an employer of the individual; or
            ``(D) by a law enforcement officer acting in his or her 
        official capacity.''.
    (b) Definitions.--Section 921(a) of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(36) The term `hospital zone' means--
            ``(A) in or on the grounds of a public or private hospital; 
        or
            ``(B) within 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public or 
        private hospital.
    ``(37) The term `hospital' means an institution which--
            ``(A) is primarily engaged in providing, by or under the 
        supervision of physicians, to inpatients--
                    ``(i) diagnostic services and therapeutic services 
                for medical diagnosis, treatment, and care of injured, 
                disabled, or sick persons; or
                    ``(ii) rehabilitation services for the 
                rehabilitation of injured, disabled, or sick persons; 
                or
            ``(B) in the case of an institution in a State in which 
        State or applicable local law provides for the licensing of 
        hospitals--
                    ``(i) is licensed pursuant to such law; or
                    ``(ii) is approved, by the agency of the State or 
                locality responsible for licensing hospitals, as 
                meeting the standards established for such 
                licensing.''.
    (c) Penalties.--Section 924(a) of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(8) Whoever knowingly violates section 922(z) shall be fined 
under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a term of imprisonment 
imposed against a person under this paragraph shall not run 
concurrently with any other term of imprisonment imposed against the 
person under any other provision of law.''.
                                 <all>