[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3373 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3373
To create a system to report the movement of firearm parts across State
lines, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 13, 2025
Ms. Tokuda (for herself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Casar,
Ms. McBride, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Dean of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. Ansari, Mr. Tran, Mr.
Levin, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Randall, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Davis of Illinois,
Ms. Escobar, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Salinas, Mr.
Min, and Mr. Thanedar) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To create a system to report the movement of firearm parts across State
lines, 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 ``Gun Hardware Oversight and Shipment
Tracking Act of 2025'' or the ``GHOST Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FEDERAL INTERSTATE FIREARM PARTS REPORTING SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--Chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 935. Federal Interstate Firearm Parts Reporting System
``(a) Establishment.--The Attorney General shall establish and
operate a program under this section, to be known as the `Federal
Interstate Firearm Parts Reporting System', to assist law enforcement
officers in monitoring the shipment or transportation of covered
firearm components in interstate or foreign commerce.
``(b) Registration Requirement.--
``(1) In general.--Within 5 business days before an entity
ships or transports in interstate or foreign commerce a covered
firearm component, the entity shall register the shipment or
transportation of the covered firearm component by submitting
to the Attorney General, in such form and manner determined by
the Attorney General, the following information:
``(A) The name, physical mailing address, phone
number or electronic mail address, and the eligible
identification number of the entity.
``(B) The name, physical mailing address, phone
number or electronic mail address, and the eligible
identification number of the intended recipient of the
covered firearm component.
``(C) The method by which the entity is shipping or
transporting the covered firearm component, such as by
mail, personal delivery, or delivery by courier, and
the name of the shipper or transporter.
``(D) A list or manifest of the items in, or a bill
of lading with respect to, the package or cargo
containing the covered firearm component, prepared by
the entity for the shipment or transportation.
``(2) Requirement for delivery.--
``(A) Postal delivery to require registered or
certified mail.--An entity using the mails to ship or
transport a covered firearm component in interstate or
foreign commerce shall use registered or certified
mail, return receipt requested, or an equivalent
service determined by the Attorney General in
consultation with the United States Postal Service.
``(B) Other forms of delivery to require signature
of recipient.--An entity using a means other than the
mails to ship or transport a covered firearm component
in interstate or foreign commerce a covered firearm
component by delivery shall obtain, cause to obtain, or
use a service that requires, the signature of the
recipient on delivery and notification to the entity of
the signature.
``(3) Confirmation of delivery.--Within 5 business days
after submitting to the Attorney General the information
described in paragraph (1), an entity that ships or transports
in interstate or foreign commerce a covered firearm component
shall submit to the Attorney General the date that the entity
began the shipment or transportation and--
``(A)(i) any documentation received by the entity
with respect to the delivery; and
``(ii) the date that the recipient received the
covered firearm component according to the
documentation; or
``(B) a certification that the entity has not
received the documentation, in which case the entity
shall comply with subparagraph (A) at the earliest
possible opportunity and submit an additional such
certification every 5 business days thereafter until--
``(i) the entity is able to, and does,
comply with subparagraph (A); or
``(ii) the Attorney General informs the
entity that additional certifications are not
required.
``(4) Safe harbor provisions.--
``(A) Retroactive registration after shipment or
transportation.--Subject to subparagraph (C), an entity
that ships or transports in interstate or foreign
commerce a covered firearm component without complying
with paragraph (1) may retroactively register the
shipment or transportation of the covered firearm
component by submitting to the Attorney General the
information required by paragraph (1) not later than 5
business days after the completion of delivery.
``(B) Putative registration by recipient.--The
recipient of a covered firearm component shipped or
transported in interstate or foreign commerce may file
a putative registration of the shipment or
transportation of the covered firearm component by
submitting to the Attorney General, not later than 5
business days after receiving the covered firearm
component--
``(i) such information required under
paragraph (1) available to the recipient, with
a certification that the information is
accurate and complete to the best of the
ability of the recipient; or
``(ii) a written assurance provided to the
recipient by the entity that shipped or
transported the covered firearm component that
contains the information required under
paragraph (1).
``(C) Discretion of attorney general to prohibit
retroactive registration.--The Attorney General may
prohibit an entity from retroactively registering the
shipment or transportation of a covered firearm
component under subparagraph (A) if the Attorney
General--
``(i) determines that the entity routinely
fails to comply with paragraph (1) and relies
on subparagraph (A) for the registration of a
shipment or transportation of a covered firearm
component; and
``(ii) provides notice to the entity of the
determination described in clause (i).
``(c) Database of Registrations.--
``(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall compile and
maintain a database containing the information gathered under
this section.
``(2) Access to database.--The Attorney General may
disclose information in the database to any of the following:
``(A) A Federal, State, local, Tribal, or foreign
law enforcement agency.
``(B) A Federal, State, or local prosecutor.
``(C) A Federal agency.
``(D) An individual with express authorization from
an entity described in any of subparagraphs (A) through
(C).
``(3) Exemption from freedom of information act.--Except as
provided under this section, the information gathered by the
Attorney General under this section may not be publicly
disclosed and shall be exempt from disclosure under section
552(b)(3) of title 5.
``(d) Unregistered Shipments or Transportations of Covered Firearm
Components.--
``(1) Components subject to seizure.--The Attorney General,
and any government entity designated by the Attorney General,
may seize a covered firearm component that was, or is being,
shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce
without registration under subsection (b).
``(2) Exigent circumstances.--A law enforcement officer
under the authority of a State, local, or Tribal law
enforcement agency may seize a covered firearm component
described in paragraph (1) if the officer certifies to the
Attorney General that exigent circumstances, with a reasonable
risk of injury or death, existed at the time of seizure that
prevented seizure of the covered firearm component after the
Attorney General could have designated the officer or agency
under paragraph (1).
``(3) Administrative proceedings for destruction.--The
Attorney General may use administrative proceedings to provide
for the destruction of a covered firearm component seized under
paragraph (1) if no person raises an objection to the Attorney
General with respect to the destruction.
``(4) Judicial review.--If a person raises an objection to
destruction of a covered firearm component under paragraph (2),
the Attorney General may petition the United States district
court for the district in which the Attorney General seized the
covered firearm component for an order authorizing the
destruction, which shall be granted if the court determines
that--
``(A) the Attorney General did not receive, with
respect to the covered firearm component, a
registration under subsection (b)(1), a retroactive
registration under subsection (b)(4)(A), or a putative
registration under subsection (b)(4)(B); and
``(B) if the recipient of the covered firearm
component had a reasonable opportunity to file a
putative registration under subsection (b)(4)(B) with
respect to the covered firearm component, the recipient
did not file the putative registration.
``(e) Unlawful Acts.--It shall be unlawful for any person to
knowingly ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce a covered
firearm component without registration under subsection (b), with
intent to evade the registration requirements of this section.
``(f) Authority To Prescribe Regulations.--The Attorney General may
prescribe regulations to carry out this section, which may include
regulations describing the administrative proceedings referred to in
subsection (d)(3).
``(g) Definitions.--In this section and section 924(q):
``(1) Covered firearm component.--The term `covered firearm
component' means the barrel, slide, or bolt carrier of a
firearm.
``(2) Eligible identification number.--The term `eligible
identification number' means, with respect to an entity--
``(A) the identifying number assigned to the entity
under section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986;
``(B) the last 4 digits of the social security
number of the entity; or
``(C) an identification number approved by the
Attorney General that uniquely identifies the
entity.''.
(b) Penalties.--Section 924 of such title is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(q) Any person who knowingly violates section 935(e)--
``(1) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more
than 1 year, or both; and
``(2) if the offense includes the shipment or
transportation of not less than 50 covered firearm components
as part of a single act, commission, conspiracy, or enterprise,
shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10
years, or both.''.
(c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for such chapter is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``935. Federal Interstate Firearm Parts Reporting System.''.
(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall take
effect on the date that is 120 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
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