Bill Summary
The "Keep Americans Safe Act" is proposed legislation aimed at regulating large capacity ammunition feeding devices, defined as any device capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition. The act prohibits the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of such devices, with specific exceptions for law enforcement personnel and certain government agencies. It allows individuals who legally possessed these devices before the act's enactment to retain them. Additionally, the act implements requirements for identification markings on newly manufactured devices and authorizes the seizure and forfeiture of illegal devices. The legislation also enables the use of federal Byrne grants to fund buy-back programs for these large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Finally, a severability clause ensures that if any part of the act is found unconstitutional, the remaining provisions will continue to be effective.
Possible Impacts
The "Keep Americans Safe Act," which seeks to regulate large capacity ammunition feeding devices, could affect people in several ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Restrictions on Ownership**: Individuals who own large capacity ammunition feeding devices (defined as magazines that can hold more than 15 rounds) would be affected by the prohibition on the possession, sale, or transfer of these devices after the enactment of the law. This could result in individuals needing to surrender or dispose of their existing devices, potentially leading to legal consequences for those who fail to comply.
2. **Impact on Law Enforcement and Security Personnel**: The legislation allows exceptions for qualified law enforcement officers and certain security personnel, permitting them to possess large capacity ammunition feeding devices for their duties. This could create a disparity in access to these devices between law enforcement and civilians, potentially affecting the perceived effectiveness and public trust in law enforcement agencies.
3. **Buy-Back Programs**: The introduction of buy-back programs funded by Byrne grants would provide financial compensation for individuals who voluntarily surrender their large capacity ammunition feeding devices. This could encourage participation from gun owners who may want to comply with the law while also receiving compensation, potentially reducing the number of such devices in circulation and impacting the overall gun culture and community attitudes towards gun ownership and regulation.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1674 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1674
To regulate large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 27, 2025
Ms. DeGette (for herself, Ms. Titus, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Cleaver, Mr.
Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Johnson of Georgia,
Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Sherman, Ms. McClellan, Mr. Mullin, Mr. McGarvey, Ms.
Norton, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Ruiz, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Torres of New York,
Mr. Pallone, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms.
Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Pingree, Mrs.
McIver, Mr. Neal, Mr. Mrvan, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Brownley,
Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Pettersen, Mr. Magaziner, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Swalwell,
Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Carson, Ms. Kelly of
Illinois, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Fields, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Velazquez, Ms.
Tlaib, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms. Chu, Mr.
Connolly, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Smith of
Washington, Mr. Peters, Mr. Casar, Ms. Morrison, Mr. Davis of Illinois,
Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Bera, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Moore of
Wisconsin, Mr. Casten, Ms. Brown, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Norcross, Ms.
Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. Matsui, Ms. McBride, Ms. Strickland, Mrs.
Watson Coleman, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Ms. Jayapal, Mr.
Figures, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Amo, Mr. Garcia of
California, Ms. Ross, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. DeLauro, Mr.
Subramanyam, Mrs. McBath, Ms. Dexter, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Tokuda, Mr.
Gomez, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Lois Frankel of
Florida, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Castor of Florida,
Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Adams, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Auchincloss, Mr.
Menendez, Ms. Plaskett, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Ms.
Scholten, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Meng, Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Soto, Ms.
Sewell, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Ansari, Mr. Deluzio, Mr. Espaillat, Mr.
Keating, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Moskowitz, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Pressley, Ms.
Schrier, and Mr. Garcia of Illinois) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To regulate large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
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 ``Keep Americans Safe Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by inserting after paragraph (30) the following:
``(31) The term `large capacity ammunition feeding device'--
``(A) means a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, helical
feeding device, or similar device, including any such device
joined or coupled with another in any manner, that has an
overall capacity of, or that can be readily restored, changed,
or converted to accept, more than 15 rounds of ammunition; and
``(B) does not include an attached tubular device designed
to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber
rimfire ammunition.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(38) The term `qualified law enforcement officer' has the meaning
given the term in section 926B.''.
SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON LARGE CAPACITY AMMUNITION FEEDING DEVICES.
(a) In General.--Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after subsection (u) the following:
``(v)(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell,
manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or
foreign commerce, a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the possession of any large
capacity ammunition feeding device otherwise lawfully possessed on or
before the date of enactment of the Keep Americans Safe Act.
``(3) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to--
``(A) the importation for, manufacture for, sale to,
transfer to, or possession by the United States or a department
or agency of the United States or a State or a department,
agency, or political subdivision of a State, or a sale or
transfer to or possession by a qualified law enforcement
officer employed by the United States or a department or agency
of the United States or a State or a department, agency, or
political subdivision of a State for purposes of law
enforcement (whether on or off-duty), or a sale or transfer to
or possession by a campus law enforcement officer for purposes
of law enforcement (whether on or off-duty);
``(B) the importation for, or sale or transfer to a
licensee under title I of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42
U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) for purposes of establishing and
maintaining an on-site physical protection system and security
organization required by Federal law, or possession by an
employee or contractor of such licensee on-site for such
purposes or off-site for purposes of licensee-authorized
training or transportation of nuclear materials;
``(C) the possession, by an individual who is retired in
good standing from service with a law enforcement agency and is
not otherwise prohibited from receiving ammunition, of a large
capacity ammunition feeding device--
``(i) sold or transferred to the individual by the
agency upon such retirement; or
``(ii) that the individual purchased, or otherwise
obtained, for official use before such retirement; or
``(D) the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or
possession of any large capacity ammunition feeding device by a
licensed manufacturer or licensed importer for the purposes of
testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General.
``(4) For purposes of paragraph (3)(A), the term `campus law
enforcement officer' means an individual who is--
``(A) employed by a private institution of higher education
that is eligible for funding under title IV of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.);
``(B) responsible for the prevention or investigation of
crime involving injury to persons or property, including
apprehension or detention of persons for such crimes;
``(C) authorized by Federal, State, or local law to carry a
firearm, execute search warrants, and make arrests; and
``(D) recognized, commissioned, or certified by a
government entity as a law enforcement officer.''.
(b) Identification Markings for Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding
Devices.--Section 923(i) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following: ``A large capacity ammunition feeding
device manufactured after the date of enactment of the Keep Americans
Safe Act shall be identified by a serial number and the date on which
the device was manufactured or made, legibly and conspicuously engraved
or cast on the device, and such other identification as the Attorney
General shall by regulations prescribe.''.
(c) Seizure and Forfeiture of Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding
Devices.--Section 924(d) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in the first sentence--
(i) by striking ``Any firearm or ammunition
involved in'' and inserting ``Any firearm or
ammunition or large capacity ammunition feeding
device involved in'';
(ii) by striking ``or (k)'' and inserting
``(k), or (v)''; and
(iii) by striking ``any firearm or
ammunition intended'' and inserting ``any
firearm or ammunition or large capacity
ammunition feeding device intended''; and
(B) in the second sentence, by inserting ``or large
capacity ammunition feeding devices'' after ``firearms
or ammunition'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``or large
capacity ammunition feeding device'' after ``firearms
or ammunition''; and
(B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``or large
capacity ammunition feeding devices'' after ``firearms
or quantities of ammunition''; and
(3) in paragraph (3)(E), by inserting ``922(v),'' after
``922(n),''.
SEC. 4. PENALTIES.
Section 924(a)(1)(B) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``or (q)'' and inserting ``(q), or (v)''.
SEC. 5. USE OF BYRNE GRANTS FOR BUY-BACK PROGRAMS FOR LARGE CAPACITY
AMMUNITION FEEDING DEVICES.
Section 501(a)(1) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10152(a)(1)) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(J) Compensation for surrendered large capacity
ammunition feeding devices, as that term is defined in
section 921 of title 18, United States Code, under buy-
back programs for large capacity ammunition feeding
devices.''.
SEC. 6. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or the
application of such provision or amendment to any person or
circumstance is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act,
the amendments made by this Act, and the application of such provision
or amendment to any person or circumstance shall not be affected
thereby.
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