{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr3411-114/featured_fix-gun-checks-act-of-2015-1454551364.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr3411-114/featured_large_fix-gun-checks-act-of-2015-1454551364.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr3411-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-07-29","title_override":"Broadening Background Checks for Gun Sales and Transfers","summary_override":"

This bill would require a background check for every gun purchase or transfer. It also outlines steps to ensure that government agencies keep current information in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

Within one year, the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) would establish a plan with states to make records available to the NICS over a four-year period. The plan would include benchmarks, and penalties (reduced grant funding) for states that fail or refuse to meet those benchmarks. Every year by July 31, federal agencies would have to submit all records of people prohibited from purchasing firearms to the NICS.

Under current law, anyone judged or proven to be \"a mental defective” is prohibited from purchasing or owning a firearm. \"Mental defective\" covers anyone who has required services or medication for mental illness, incompetency, or \"marked subnormal intelligence\". This bill would enter anyone who fits this classification into the NICS.

Transferring guns between private citizens without a background check would be illegal, except in the following cases:

The gun is transferred to a law enforcement officer, private security professional, or member of the Armed Forces in the course of their duties;
The transfer is a gift or loan between spouses, domestic partners, parents and their children, between siblings, or between grandparents and their children;
The transfer is to the executor of an estate, or its administrator, trustee, or personal representative;
The transfer is temporary and the transferor has no reason to believe that the transferee intends to or will use the firearm in a crime, or is prevented from possessing firearms. This includes transfers while target shooting, hunting, trapping, fishing, or while in the presence of the transferor.

","official_title":"To ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale.","short_title":"Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015\n\nThis bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to revise an eligibility condition for a state to receive a grant under the NICS Act Record Improvement Program and a waiver of the grant match requirement under the National Criminal History Improvement Program.\n\nSpecifically, it directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a four-year state implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Back Check System (NICS). DOJ must reduce the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance (JAG) Program funding for a state that fails to comply with benchmarks.\n\nThe bill amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require each federal agency and department, including a federal court, to certify whether it has provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation disqualifying records of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing a firea...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable. ","impact":"People who own and would sell or transfer their weapons, people who would be prevented from possessing a weapon, state governments and law enforcement agencies, and the DOJ. ","argument_for":"Instant background checks and keeping national databases updated are common sense measures that will help ensure guns are kept out of the hands of dangerous people. ","argument_against":"These changes in law will only make it more difficult for people who are law abiding gun owners to sell or transfer their guns, and impose requirements on states that are difficult to implement. ","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr3411-114","bill_id":"hr3411-114","formal_id":"H.R. 3411","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-09-28T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/3411","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr3411ih/html/BILLS-114hr3411ih.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr3411-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/3411/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-07-29","related_bill_ids":["s2934-114"],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":239,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on the Judiciary","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU08","subcommittee":true}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr3411-114","details":"/api/bills/hr3411-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr3411-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr3411-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr3411-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":109,"slug":"hr3411-114-fix-gun-checks-act-of-2015","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":2609,"yea_vote_count":1645,"nay_vote_count":957,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["crime-and-police"],"issue_ids":["crime-and-police"],"sponsor_id":225}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"crime-and-police","name":"Crime & Police","slug":"crime-and-police","description":"Federal legislation related to the prevention of crimes(from assault to organized crime to juvenile crime), firearms and explosives, correctional facilities and terrorism. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"Crime Prevention Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/crime-and-police/black_crime-and-police-1429042040.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/crime-and-police/grey_crime-and-police-1429042040.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/crime-and-police/white_crime-and-police-1429042040.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"jrs333","vote_count":1556,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/NZa6RYm6/following","followers":"/api/users/NZa6RYm6/followers"},"about_me":"I am a conservative with an open mind to most issues. Am nearly 70 years old but I think for myself and use facts, not fluff nor spin nor half truths to make up my mind. Like being outdoors and being active. Distrust police officers and the government. Married, retired and supporting a granddaughter. Like to speed and take chances to put a little zest into life.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":"james.r.stringer","youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"jrs333","issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":3480,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":16,"following_count":0,"position_count":1037,"id":"NZa6RYm6","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"8f081c49-89d5-4785-a9e2-382a4d67bd7b","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"Look at the stats liberals. Gun control does not work. The country with the lowest crime rate requires each home own a gun and learn to use it. The highest crime rate is in a country that does not let it citizens own a gun. This is an infringement on our rights.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/8f081c49-89d5-4785-a9e2-382a4d67bd7b"},"body":"Look at the stats liberals. Gun control does not work. The country with the lowest crime rate requires each home own a gun and learn to use it. The highest crime rate is in a country that does not let it citizens own a gun. This is an infringement on our rights.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2015-10-14T04:09:49.239Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/8f081c49-89d5-4785-a9e2-382a4d67bd7b.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr3411-114","user_id":"NZa6RYm6","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Broadening Background Checks for Gun Sales and Transfers