“A bill to reform restrictions on the importation of firearms and ammunition.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section revises the procedures and criteria in 18 U.S.C. 925(d) for the Attorney General to authorize importation of firearms or ammunition generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes (i.e., under what becomes new subparagraph (1)(C) after redesignation of existing paragraphs (1)-(4) as subparagraphs (A)-(D)). It defines that term to include firearms or ammunition designed and intended by the manufacturer for hunting, recreational target shooting, organized and governed competitions, or civilian rifle match competitions. It requires the Attorney General to issue a determination within 90 days of a request (with importation deemed allowed if no determination is made); provide a written basis for any denial and post it on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives website; and prohibit denial of any firearm or ammunition substantially similar to those in circulation in the United States (with "substantially similar" defined through consultations with firearms industry representatives, hunting and shooting groups, law enforcement, and others, referencing prior Attorney General processes). It further authorizes, upon request, a hearing to review a denial at a location convenient to the requester and de novo judicial review in U.S. district court within 60 days of notice of an adverse post-hearing decision, with the Attorney General bearing the burden of proof that the item is not suitable for sporting purposes (including lack of substantial similarity to U.S.-circulating items); courts must order compliance and award attorney fees upon reversal. This section also makes conforming amendments to cross-references in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2201a(b)) and adds descriptive headings to 18 U.S.C. 925(d), (e), and (f).