The POPVOX Blog

Issue Spotlight: Firearms and Gun Control

5/5/13: Last month, the Senate shelved its planned for a vote on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act, which would ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale. As part of this, the Senate had also considered the bipartisan compromise known as the Toomey-Manchin Amendment, which was opposed by 45 Senators.

Senator Manchin, however, is now working to make changes to his Amendment to garner the support of additional Senators -- and to beat a filibuster. And meanwhile, the House version of this compromise has more than 100 cosponsors.

Firearms and Gun Control Legislation

Congress needs to hear from their constituents on this issue at this critical time. Weigh in and POPVOX will deliver your letters to your Members of Congress -- guaranteed.

Relating to Background Checks

• HR 1565 The Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act: To protect Second Amendment rights, ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and provide a responsible and consistent background check process. 
• HR 1605 The Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act: To protect Second Amendment rights, ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and provide a responsible and consistent background check process.
• S 729 The Disarm Criminals and Protect Communities Act: to protect law abiding citizens by preventing criminals from obtaining firearms.
• Compromise The Toomey-Schumer-Manchin Amendment: would require states and the federal government to send all necessary records on criminals and the violently mentally ill to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It also extends the existing background check system to gun shows and online sales.
• S 649 The Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act: would ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale.
• S 374 The Fix Gun Checks Act: A bill to ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale.
• S 22 The Gun Show Background Check Act: A bill to establish background check procedures for gun shows.
• HR 141 Closing the ‘gun show loophole.’ To require criminal background checks on all firearms transactions occurring at gun shows.
• HR 137 The Fix Gun Checks Act: To ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale.
• HR 21 The NRA Members' Gun Safety Act: To provide for greater safety in the use of firearms.

Relating to Banning Specific Weapons and Ammunition

• HR 1914 The Preventing Victims of Stalking Act : To ban guns for persons who have been convicted of stalking or who are subject to a court order restraining the person from stalking. Just Introduced!
• HR 1474 The Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act : To reauthorize the ban on undetectable firearms, and to extend the ban to undetectable firearm receivers and undetectable ammunition magazines. Just Introduced!
• S 691 : to regulate large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
• HR 965 : To prohibit the possession or transfer of junk guns, also known as Saturday Night Specials.
• S 150 The Assault Weapons Ban: A bill to regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited.
• HR 226 The SAFER Streets Act: To amend the tax code to allow a credit against tax for surrendering to authorities certain assault weapons. 
• HR 538 Banning the Five-seveN Pistol: To protect the Nation’s law enforcement officers by banning the Five-seveN Pistol and 5.7 x 28mm SS190, SS192, SS195LF, SS196, and SS197 cartridges, testing handguns and ammunition for capability to penetrate body armor, and prohibiting the manufacture, importation, sale, or purchase of such handguns or ammunition by civilians. 
• S 33 The High Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act: A bill to prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
• HR 138 The High Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act: To prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.

Relating to Trafficking

• S 730 The Firearm Straw Purchasing and Trafficking Prevention Act: to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms through straw purchasing and trafficking.
• HR 955 : To increase public safety by punishing and deterring firearms trafficking. 
• S 443 The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act: to increase public safety by punishing and deterring firearms trafficking. 
• HR 722 : To combat illegal gun trafficking.
• HR 427 The Trafficking Reduction and Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Act: To prevent the illegal sale of firearms.
• HR 452 The Gun Trafficking Prevention Act: To prevent gun trafficking. 
• S 179 The Gun Trafficking Prevention Act: A bill to prevent gun trafficking. 
• S 54 The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act: A bill to increase public safety by punishing and deterring firearms trafficking.

Relating to Enforcement

• HR 1728 The Enforce Existing Gun Laws Act: To repeal certain appropriations riders that limit the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to administer the Federal firearms laws. Just Introduced!
• S 843 The Ammunition Management for More Accountability (AMMO) Act: to limit the amount of ammunition purchased or possessed by certain Federal agencies for a 6-month period.
• HR 1764 The Ammunition Management for More Accountability (AMMO) Act: to limit the amount of ammunition purchased or possessed by certain Federal agencies for a 6-month period. 
• HR 1728 : To repeal certain appropriations riders that limit the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to administer the Federal firearms laws. 
• HR 661 : To repeal certain impediments to the administration of the firearms laws.
• HR 431 The Gun Transparency and Accountability (Gun TRAC) Act: To restore certain authorities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to administer the firearms laws. 

Relating to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty

• HR 575 The Second Amendment Protection Act: The US should not adopt any treaty that poses a threat to national sovereignty or abridges any rights guaranteed by the US Constitution, such as the right to keep and bear arms, and to withhold funding from the United Nations unless the President certifies that the United Nations has not taken action to restrict, attempt to restrict, or otherwise adversely infringe upon the rights of individuals in the US to keep and bear arms, or abridge any of the other constitutionally protected rights of US citizens.
• HCR 23 House Resolution expressing concerns about the US becoming a signatory to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, or to any similar agreement on the arms trade.
• SCR 7 Senate Resolution expressing concerns about the US becoming a signatory to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, or to any similar agreement on the arms trade.

Relating to the Second Amendment

• HR 848 The Armed Prohibited Persons Act: to make grants to States to develop systems to retrieve firearms from armed prohibited persons. 
• S 261 : To establish and clarify that Congress does not authorize persons convicted of dangerous crimes in foreign courts to freely possess firearms in the United States.
• HR 575 The Second Amendment Protection Act: To express the sense of the Congress that the United States should not adopt any treaty that poses a threat to national sovereignty or abridges any rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution, such as the right to keep and bear arms, and to withhold funding from the United Nations unless the President certifies that the United Nations has not taken action to restrict, attempt to restrict, or otherwise adversely infringe upon the rights of individuals in the United States to keep and bear arms, or abridge any of the other constitutionally protected rights of citizens of the United States.
• S 82 The Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act: A bill to provide that any executive action infringing on the Second Amendment has no force or effect, and to prohibit the use of funds for certain purposes.
• HR 410 The Restore the Constitution Act: To provide that any executive action infringing on the Second Amendment has no force or effect, and to prohibit the use of funds for certain purposes.

Relating to Children and Schools

• S 146 The School Safety Enhancements Act: To enhance the safety of America's schools.
• HR 751 The Protect America’s Schools Act: To make supplemental appropriations for the Cops in Schools program for fiscal year 2013. 
• HR 619 : To amend title 18, United States Code, to place limitations on the possession, sale, and other disposition of a firearm by persons convicted of misdemeanor sex offenses against children.
• S 2 Sandy Hook Elementary School Violence Reduction Act: A bill to reduce violence and protect the citizens of the United States.
• HR 133 The Citizens Protection Act: To repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 and amendments to that Act.
• HR 65 Raising the age of legal handgun ownership to 21. To prevent children's access to firearms.
• HR 35 Eliminating ‘gun free zones’ in schools. To restore safety to America's schools.

Relating to the Sale of Firearms and Ammunition

• HR 1369 The Firearm Risk Protection Act: To prohibit the sale of a firearm to, and the purchase of a firearm by, a person who is not covered by appropriate liability insurance coverage. Just introduced!
• HR 720 : To increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of firearms or explosives licenses to a known or suspected dangerous terrorist.
• S 174 The Ammunition Background Check Act: A bill to appropriately restrict sales of ammunition.
• S 35 The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act: A bill to require face to face purchases of ammunition, to require licensing of ammunition dealers, and to require reporting regarding bulk purchases of ammunition.
• HR 142 The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act: To require face to face purchases of ammunition, to require licensing of ammunition dealers, and to require reporting regarding bulk purchases of ammunition.
• HR 238 The Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act: To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to restrict the ability of a person whose Federal license to import, manufacture, or deal in firearms has been revoked, whose application to renew such a license has been denied, or who has received a license revocation or renewal denial notice, to transfer business inventory firearms. 
• HR 34 The Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act: To provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms.
• HR 93 The Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act: To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to restrict the ability of a person whose Federal license to import, manufacture, or deal in firearms has been revoked, whose application to renew such a license has been denied, or who has received a license revocation or renewal denial notice, to transfer business inventory firearms.
• HR 404 The Straw Purchaser Penalty Enhancement Act: To enhance criminal penalties for straw purchasers of firearms.
• HR 236 The Crackdown on Deadbeat Gun Dealers Act: To ensure greater accountability by licensed firearms dealers. 
• S 34 The Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act: A bill to increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to known or suspected dangerous terrorists.

Relating to Gun Buybacks

• HR 868 The Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act: to make grants to States, units of local government, and gun dealers to conduct gun buyback programs. 
• HR 227 The Buyback our Safety Act: To establish a gun buyback grant program. 

Relating to Concealed Carry

• HR 793 : to impose an excise tax on concealable firearms and to require the Attorney General to establish a firearms buyback grant program.
• HR 578 The Respecting States’ Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act: To allow reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms.
• S 147 The Common Sense Concealed Firearms Permit Act: A bill to establish minimum standards for States that allow the carrying of concealed firearms.

Relating to Veterans and Active Duty Servicemembers

• HR 577 The Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act: To clarify the conditions under which certain persons may be treated as adjudicated mentally incompetent for certain purposes. 
• HR 449 The Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act: To provide an amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register certain firearms in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. 
• HRes 40 House Resolution expressing that active duty military personnel who are stationed or residing in the District of Columbia should be permitted to exercise fully their rights under the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Relating to Licensing and Registration

• HR 117 The Handgun Licensing and Registration Act: To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of handguns.

Other Bills

• HR 1883 The Secure Firearms Act: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a deduction for the purchase of secure gun storage or safety device for the securing of firearms. Just Introduced!
• HR 332 The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act: To provide victims of gun violence access to the same civil remedies as are available to those injured through other means.
• HR 321 The Firearm Safety and Public Health Research Act: To amend the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (Public Law 112-175) to permit research on firearms safety and gun violence.