Licensed firearms dealers would face tougher oversight under this bill. ATF could inspect each dealer up to three times a year (instead of one), and criminal penalties for recordkeeping violations would rise from one year to five years in prison, with up to ten years if the violation is tied to gun trafficking. The Attorney General could suspend or revoke a dealer's license or charge civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, and could deny new license applications on public-safety grounds. ATF would be authorized to hire at least 80 additional inspectors and to require physical inventory audits from dealers tied to 10 or more crime guns or to an unlawful transfer.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
- Recordkeeping prison terms — Raised from 1 year to 5 years, up to 10 if tied to trafficking
- Liability standard — Word "willfully" removed from dealer compliance violations
Transparency & Accountability
- ATF compliance inspections — Allowed up to 3 times per year per dealer, up from once
- Biennial reports to Congress — Required on dealer compliance and enforcement actions
Congressional Summary
Prevent Illegal Gun Sales ActThis bill broadens the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to administer federal laws governing the licensing, inspection, and enforcement of federally licensed dealers, importers, and manufacturers of firearms (federal firearms licensees, or FFLs). The bill also increases criminal penalties for FFLs and licensed collectors who commit certain recordkeeping violations.With respect to licensing, the bill allows the ATF to deny an application for a federal firearms license if it would endanger public safety or if the applicant is unlikely to comply with the law.Additionally, the bill enhances the ATF's inspection authority, including by increasing the maximum number of annual compliance inspections to three (currently, one) and by authorizing an additional 80 personnel to conduct inspections.The bill also expands the ATF's enforcement authority, including by allowing it to suspend the license of or impose a civil penalty on an FFL who violates federal firearms laws or regulations and by allowing it to require an FFL to conduct physical inventories if the FFL unlawfully transfers a firearm or if 10 or more firearms used in a crime are traced back to the FFL.Finally, the bill increases the maximum prison term to five years (currently, one year) for an FFL or licensed collector who knowingly makes a false statement or representation in required firearms records.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-06-24
- Date Added
- 2026-05-20
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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