Foreign National Firearms Background Check Enhancement Act

Foreign National Firearms Background Check Enhancement Act

This bill requires a nonimmigrant alien to get Department of Justice (DOJ) approval before purchasing a firearm. Specifically, the party transferring the firearm to the alien must receive a copy of the DOJ waiver or confirm with the DOJ that such an alien falls within specified exceptions, such as the alien possessing a U.S. hunting license. Currently, a nonimmigrant alien may acquire a firearm if the alien qualifies for one of the specified exceptions without acquiring DOJ approval.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5507 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5507

  To amend title 18, United States Code, to require an alien lawfully 
 admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa to obtain the 
      approval of the Attorney General before receiving a firearm.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2019

 Mr. Crist (for himself, Mr. Rutherford, and Mrs. Demings) introduced 
    the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 18, United States Code, to require an alien lawfully 
 admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa to obtain the 
      approval of the Attorney General before receiving a firearm.

    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 ``Foreign National Firearms Background 
Check Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT THAT ALIEN LAWFULLY ADMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES 
              UNDER A NONIMMIGRANT VISA OBTAIN THE APPROVAL OF THE 
              ATTORNEY GENERAL BEFORE RECEIVING A FIREARM.

    (a) In General.--Section 922(y) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking ``, (g)(5)(B),'';
                    (B) by inserting ``to the transfer or other 
                disposition of a firearm'' before ``to any alien''; and
                    (C) by striking ``if that'' and inserting ``if the 
                transferor has received a copy of the waiver issued to 
                the alien under paragraph (3), or has confirmed with 
                the Attorney General that the''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)(B)(i), by inserting ``except in the 
        case of an alien described in a subparagraph of paragraph 
        (2),'' before ``demonstrate''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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