Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003

Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize qualified law enforcement officers (including certain qualified retired officers) carrying the photographic identification issued by their governmental agency, notwithstanding State or local laws, to carry a concealed firearm. Provides that such authorization shall not supersede State laws that: (1) permit private entities to prohibit the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit the possession of firearms on State or local government property. Excludes from the definition of "firearm" any machine gun, firearm silencer, or destructive device.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 253 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 253

To amend title 18, United States Code, to exempt qualified current and 
    former law enforcement officers from State laws prohibiting the 
                    carrying of concealed handguns.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 30, 2003

 Mr. Campbell (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Reid, Mr. Graham 
of South Carolina, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Kyl, Mr. 
    Edwards, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Baucus, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Warner, Ms. 
Cantwell, Mr. Nickles, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Burns, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Craig, 
Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dayton, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. 
    Allen, Mr. Santorum, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Nelson of 
Nebraska, Mr. Inhofe, and Ms. Stabenow) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to exempt qualified current and 
    former law enforcement officers from State laws prohibiting the 
                    carrying of concealed handguns.

    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 ``Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act 
of 2003''.

SEC. 2. EXEMPTION OF QUALIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS FROM STATE LAWS 
              PROHIBITING THE CARRYING OF CONCEALED FIREARMS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 926A the following:
``Sec. 926B. Carrying of concealed firearms by qualified law 
              enforcement officers
    ``(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law of any State 
or any political subdivision thereof, an individual who is a qualified 
law enforcement officer and who is carrying the identification required 
by subsection (d) may carry a concealed firearm that has been shipped 
or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, subject to subsection 
(b).
    ``(b) This section shall not be construed to supersede or limit the 
laws of any State that--
            ``(1) permit private persons or entities to prohibit or 
        restrict the possession of concealed firearms on their 
        property; or
            ``(2) prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on 
        any State or local government property, installation, building, 
        base, or park.
    ``(c) As used in this section, the term `qualified law enforcement 
officer' means an employee of a governmental agency who--
            ``(1) is authorized by law to engage in or supervise the 
        prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the 
        incarceration of any person for, any violation of law, and has 
        statutory powers of arrest;
            ``(2) is authorized by the agency to carry a firearm;
            ``(3) is not the subject of any disciplinary action by the 
        agency;
            ``(4) meets standards, if any, established by the agency 
        which require the employee to regularly qualify in the use of a 
        firearm; and
            ``(5) is not prohibited by Federal law from receiving a 
        firearm.
    ``(d) The identification required by this subsection is the 
photographic identification issued by the governmental agency for which 
the individual is, or was, employed as a law enforcement officer.
    ``(e) Defined Term.--As used in this section, the term `firearm' 
does not include--
            ``(1) any machinegun (as defined in section 5845 of title 
        26);
            ``(2) any firearm silencer (as defined in section 921); and
            ``(3) any destructive device (as defined in section 
        921).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 926A the 
following:

``926B. Carrying of concealed firearms by qualified law enforcement 
                            officers.''.

SEC. 3. EXEMPTION OF QUALIFIED RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS FROM 
              STATE LAWS PROHIBITING THE CARRYING OF CONCEALED 
              FIREARMS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is 
further amended by inserting after section 926B the following:
``Sec. 926C. Carrying of concealed firearms by qualified retired law 
              enforcement officers
    ``(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law of any State 
or any political subdivision thereof, an individual who is a qualified 
retired law enforcement officer and who is carrying the identification 
required by subsection (d) may carry a concealed firearm that has been 
shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, subject to 
subsection (b).
    ``(b) This section shall not be construed to supersede or limit the 
laws of any State that--
            ``(1) permit private persons or entities to prohibit or 
        restrict the possession of concealed firearms on their 
        property; or
            ``(2) prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on 
        any State or local government property, installation, building, 
        base, or park.
    ``(c) As used in this section, the term `qualified retired law 
enforcement officer' means an individual who--
            ``(1) retired in good standing from service with a public 
        agency as a law enforcement officer, other than for reasons of 
        mental instability;
            ``(2) before such retirement, was authorized by law to 
        engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, 
        investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any 
        person for, any violation of law, and had statutory powers of 
        arrest;
            ``(3)(A) before such retirement, was regularly employed as 
        a law enforcement officer for an aggregate of 15 years or more; 
        or
            ``(B) retired from service with such agency, after 
        completing any applicable probationary period of such service, 
        due to a service-connected disability, as determined by such 
        agency;
            ``(4) has a nonforfeitable right to benefits under the 
        retirement plan of the agency;
            ``(5) during the most recent 12-month period, has met, at 
        the expense of the individual, the State's standards for 
        training and qualification for active law enforcement officers 
        to carry firearms; and
            ``(6) is not prohibited by Federal law from receiving a 
        firearm.
    ``(d) The identification required by this subsection is 
photographic identification issued by the agency for which the 
individual was employed as a law enforcement officer.
    ``(e) Defined Term.--As used in this section, the term `firearm' 
does not include--
            ``(1) any machinegun (as defined in section 5845 of title 
        26);
            ``(2) any firearm silencer (as defined in section 921); and
            ``(3) a destructive device (as defined in section 921).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is 
further amended by inserting after the item relating to section 926B 
the following:

``926C. Carrying of concealed firearms by qualified retired law 
                            enforcement officers.''.
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