[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 123 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 123
To authorize for a grant program for handgun licensing programs, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 16, 2025
Mr. Van Hollen (for himself, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize for a grant program for handgun licensing programs, 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 ``Handgun Permit to Purchase Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) in 2023, gun violence claimed 46,728 lives, marking the
third-highest number of gun-related deaths ever recorded in the
United States in a single year.
(2) Between 2018 and 2022, approximately 90 percent of the
firearm violence committed in the United States for which a
firearm type was specified involved a handgun.
(3) During the 5-year period described in paragraph (2),
35,959 people in the United States were killed with a handgun.
(4) Research by top national experts shows that--
(A) the adoption of handgun purchaser licensing
laws is associated with significant reductions in
firearm-related homicides; and
(B) the repeal of handgun purchaser licensing laws
is associated with significant increases in firearm-
related homicides.
(5) Research on the effects of the adoption of a handgun
purchaser licensing law in Connecticut in 1995 showed--
(A) a 27.8-percent reduction in the rate of firearm
homicide; and
(B) a 32.8-percent reduction in firearm suicide
rates.
(6) Published research has shown that the repeal of a
handgun purchaser licensing law in Missouri in 2007 was
associated with--
(A) a 47.3-percent increase in the rate of firearm
homicide; and
(B) a 23.5-percent increase in firearm suicide
rates.
(7) Research on the impact of the adoption of a handgun
purchaser licensing law in Maryland in 2013 found--
(A) that the adoption was associated with an 82-
percent reduction in the Baltimore Police Department's
recovery of handguns with key indications of diversion
for criminal use; and
(B) that 41 percent of prohibited purchasers
surveyed in Baltimore reported greater difficulty in
obtaining a handgun.
(8) Research on the effects of firearm purchaser licensing
laws throughout 3 decades found that--
(A) in urban counties between 1984 and 2015,
firearm purchaser licensing laws were associated with
an 11 percent reduction in firearm homicides; and
(B) between 1984 and 2017, States with strong
firearm purchaser licensing laws were associated with
56 percent lower rates of fatal mass shooting incidents
and 67 percent fewer mass shooting victims.
(9) In States that have had effective handgun purchaser
licensing laws for decades, such as Connecticut, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, and New York, the vast majority of firearms traced
to crimes originated in States that do not have handgun
purchaser licensing laws, which supports the need for handgun
purchaser licensing laws in every State.
(10) Research has shown that States with handgun purchaser
licensing laws export far fewer firearms for criminal use in
other States than States that lack handgun purchaser licensing
laws.
(11) On January 13, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United
States declined to hear a challenge to Maryland's handgun
licensing law, allowing the ruling of the United States Court
of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which upheld the
constitutionality of the law, to stand.
SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED FOR HANDGUN LICENSING.
(a) In General.--Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``PART PP--HANDGUN LICENSING GRANT PROGRAM
``SEC. 3061. DEFINITION.
``In this part, the term `handgun' has the meaning given the term
in section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code.
``SEC. 3062. GRANT PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Attorney General may award grants to States,
units of local government, and Indian tribes for the development,
implementation, and evaluation of handgun purchaser licensing
requirements.
``(b) Program Authorized.--From the amounts appropriated to carry
out this part, and not later than 90 days after such amounts are
appropriated, the Attorney General shall award grants, on a competitive
basis, to eligible applicants whose applications are approved under
subsection (c) to assist such applicants in implementing and improving
handgun purchaser licensing programs.
``(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
part, a State, unit of local government, or Indian tribe shall submit
to the Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Attorney General may require,
including--
``(1) a description of the law that the applicant has
enacted to require a license for any purchase of a handgun,
including a description of any exemptions to such law; and
``(2) a description of how the applicant will use the grant
to carry out or improve its handgun purchaser licensing
program.
``(d) Eligibility Requirements.--To be eligible for a grant under
this part, an applicant shall have in effect a handgun purchaser
licensing law that includes the following requirements:
``(1) With respect to an individual applying for a handgun
license or permit--
``(A) the individual shall be--
``(i) not less than 21 years old; and
``(ii) a citizen or national of the United
States or an alien lawfully admitted for
permanent residence (as those terms are defined
in section 101(a) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)));
``(B) the individual shall apply for the handgun
purchaser license or permit at a law enforcement agency
in the State in which the individual resides;
``(C) the individual shall reapply for the handgun
purchaser license or permit after a period not longer
than 5 years; and
``(D) the individual shall, in connection with the
application for the handgun purchaser license or
permit--
``(i) submit to a background investigation
and a criminal history check, as established by
the State, which shall ensure, at a minimum,
that the individual is not prohibited from
possessing a firearm under section 922(g) of
title 18, United States Code; and
``(ii) submit fingerprints and photographs.
``(2) An individual who is prohibited from possessing a
firearm under section 922(g) of title 18, United States Code,
may not be issued a handgun purchasing license or permit.
``(e) Use of Funds.--Grant funds awarded under this part shall be
used to improve the handgun purchaser licensing program of the grant
recipient.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1001(a) of title I of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10261(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(29) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out part PP.''.
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