Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 923 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 923

To prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession
             of .50 caliber rifles, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 2025

Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Frost, Mrs. Ramirez,
 Ms. Norton, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Casar, Ms.
  Brownley, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Magaziner, Mr.
Auchincloss, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Carbajal, and Mr. Vargas) introduced the
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary,
and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession
             of .50 caliber rifles, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON RIFLES CAPABLE OF FIRING .50 CALIBER AMMUNITION.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is
amended--
            (1) in section 922, by adding at the end the following:
    ``(aa) Rifles Capable of Firing .50 Caliber Ammunition.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), it
        shall be unlawful for any person to import, sell, manufacture,
        transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign
        commerce, a rifle capable of firing .50 caliber ammunition.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--
                    ``(A) Government use.--Paragraph (1) shall not
                apply to the importation for, manufacture for, sale to,
                transfer to, or possession by the United States, a
                department or agency of the United States, a State, or
                a department, agency, or political subdivision of a
                State, of a rifle capable of firing .50 caliber
                ammunition.
                    ``(B) Grandfathered rifles.--Paragraph (1) shall
                not apply to the sale, transfer, or possession of any
                rifle otherwise lawfully possessed on or before the
                date of enactment of the Stop Arming Cartels Act of
                2025.''; and
            (2) in section 924(a)(1)(B), by striking ``or (q)'' and
        inserting ``(q), or (aa)''.
    (b) Inclusion of Certain Rifles as Firearms Under National Firearms
Act.--
            (1) In general.--Section 5845(a) of the Internal Revenue
        Code of 1986 is amended by striking ``and (8) a destructive
        device'' and inserting ``(8) a destructive device; and (9) a
        rifle which is capable of firing .50 caliber ammunition and is
        lawfully possessed on or before the date of enactment of the
        Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025''.
            (2) Effective date.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the
                amendments made by this subsection shall take effect on
                the date which is 12 months after the date of enactment
                of this Act.
                    (B) Registration.--
                            (i) In general.--Notwithstanding
                        subparagraph (A) or any other provision of law,
                        any person possessing a rifle which is capable
                        of firing .50 caliber ammunition which is not
                        registered to such person in the National
                        Firearms Registration and Transfer Record shall
                        register each such rifle so possessed with the
                        Secretary in such form and manner as the
                        Secretary may require within the 12-month
                        period immediately following the date of
                        enactment of this Act. No fee or tax shall be
                        imposed with respect to any registration
                        required under this subparagraph.
                            (ii) Inclusion in registry.--Any
                        registration described in clause (i) shall
                        become a part of the National Firearms
                        Registration and Transfer Record. No
                        information or evidence required to be
                        submitted or retained by a natural person to
                        register a firearm under this subparagraph
                        shall be used, directly or indirectly, as
                        evidence against such person in any criminal
                        proceeding with respect to a prior or
                        concurrent violation of law.
                    (C) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            (i) National firearms registration and
                        transfer record.--The term ``National Firearms
                        Registration and Transfer Record'' means the
                        registry established pursuant to section 5841
                        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
                            (ii) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' has
                        the same meaning given such term under section
                        7701(a)(11)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of
                        1986.

SEC. 3. EXCEPTION TO COVERAGE UNDER PROTECTION OF LAWFUL COMMERCE IN
              ARMS ACT.

    Section 4(5)(A) of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
(15 U.S.C. 7903(5)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (v), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (vi), by striking the period at the end and
        inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(vii) an action brought against a
                        manufacturer or seller that knowingly sells or
                        transfers a qualified product, or attempts or
                        conspires to do so, knowing or having
                        reasonable cause to believe that the
                        transaction is prohibited under section 805(c)
                        of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation
                        Act (21 U.S.C. 1904(c)).''.

SEC. 4. FEDERAL FIREARM PROHIBITOR FOR SIGNIFICANT FOREIGN NARCOTICS
              TRAFFICKERS AND CERTAIN OTHER FOREIGN PERSONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 922(d) of title 18, United States Code, is
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (10), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (11) as paragraph (12);
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (10) the following:
            ``(11) is--
                    ``(A) a significant foreign narcotics trafficker
                publicly identified by the President in a report under
                subsection (b) or (h)(1) of section 804 of the Foreign
                Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1903); or
                    ``(B) a foreign person designated by the Secretary
                of the Treasury under section 805(b) of the Foreign
                Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1904(b));
                or''; and
            (4) in paragraph (12), as so redesignated, by striking
        ``(10)'' and inserting ``(11)''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments Relating to NICS.--Section 103 of the
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (34 U.S.C. 40901) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(2)(D), by inserting ``or that
        transfer of a firearm or ammunition to the individual would
        violate subsection (d)(11) of such section 922'' after
        ``section 922 of title 18, United States Code,'';
            (2) in subsection (e)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``or to whom
                transfer of a firearm would violate subsection (d)(11)
                of such section 922,'' after ``section 922 of title 18,
                United States Code or State law,'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``or that
                transfer of a firearm or ammunition to the person would
                violate subsection (d)(11) of such section 922,'' after
                ``section 922 of title 18, United States Code,'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (F)(iii)(I), by striking ``(g)
                or (n)'' and inserting ``(d)(11), (g), or (n)''; and
                    (D) in subparagraph (G)(i), by striking ``(g) or
                (n)'' and inserting ``(d)(11), (g), or (n)'';
            (3) in subsection (g), by inserting ``or that transfer of a
        firearm to a prospective transferee would violate subsection
        (d)(11) of such section 922,'' after ``section 922 of title 18,
        United States Code or State law,''; and
            (4) in subsection (i)(2)--
                    (A) by striking ``persons,'' and inserting
                ``persons who are''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period at the end the
                following: ``, or to whom transfer of a firearm would
                violate subsection (d)(11) of such section 922''.

SEC. 5. ADDING RIFLES TO MULTIPLE FIREARM SALES REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    Section 923(g)(3)(A) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``pistols, or revolvers, or any combination of pistols and
revolvers'' and inserting ``pistols, revolvers, or rifles, or any
combination of pistols, revolvers, and rifles''.
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