To authorize for a grant program for handgun licensing programs, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Handgun Permit to Purchase Act authorizes federal grants to help states, local governments, and Indian tribes create and improve handgun licensing programs. The bill aims to reduce gun violence by incentivizing jurisdictions to adopt permit-to-purchase requirements for handguns, backed by research showing such laws significantly reduce firearm homicides and suicides.
Who Benefits and How
States, local governments, and Indian tribes that have enacted handgun licensing laws benefit by receiving federal grant funding to develop, implement, and evaluate their programs. Communities in these jurisdictions may benefit from reduced gun violence - the bill cites research showing Connecticut's licensing law led to a 27.8% reduction in firearm homicides and Maryland's law reduced indicators of illegal handgun diversion by 82%.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Individuals seeking to purchase handguns in jurisdictions with qualifying licensing programs must meet new requirements: be at least 21 years old, apply at a local law enforcement agency, submit fingerprints and photographs, pass a background check, and reapply for their license every 5 years or less. The Department of Justice bears administrative responsibility for managing the competitive grant program within 90 days of appropriations.
Key Provisions
- Creates a new federal grant program under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act for handgun purchaser licensing
- Establishes minimum requirements for qualifying state/local licensing laws: 21-year age minimum, in-person application at law enforcement agency, background checks, fingerprinting, and renewal every 5 years
- Prohibits license issuance to individuals barred from possessing firearms under federal law (18 U.S.C. 922(g))
- Authorizes "such sums as may be necessary" for appropriations
- Applies to states, local governments, and Indian tribes
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill aims to reduce gun violence by authorizing grants for handgun licensing programs, focusing on background checks, age restrictions, and reapplication requirements.
Key Policy Areas
Public_safety, Criminal_justice
Primary Purpose
The bill aims to reduce gun violence by authorizing grants for handgun licensing programs, focusing on background checks, age restrictions, and reapplication requirements.
Policy Domains
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Van Hollen (for himself, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Blumenthal) …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
States and local governments, States, units of local government, and Indian tribes
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General of the United States
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The term 'handgun' is defined as per section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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