HR 227 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

113th CONGRESSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

1st SessionCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

H. R. 227CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To establish a gun buyback grant program.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

January 14, 2013CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. DEUTCH (for himself, Mr. CONNOLLY, and Mr. QUIGLEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

A BILLCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To establish a gun buyback grant program.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Buyback Our Safety Act’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. GUN BUYBACK GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) In General- The Attorney General, through the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice, shall establish a gun buyback grant program under which the Assistant Attorney General may make grants to law enforcement agencies of States, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to assist in funding gun buyback programs carried out by such agencies.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Gun Buyback Program Defined- For purposes of this section, the term ‘gun buyback program’ means, with respect to a law enforcement agency of a State, unit of local government, or Indian tribal government, a program carried out by such agency under which guns are purchased or surrendered to such agency.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Applications- A law enforcement agency described in subsection (a) desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs an application for the grant, in accordance with subsection (d) and which shall be in such form and contain such information as the Assistant Attorney General may require.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Requirements- The Assistant Attorney General may make a grant under this section to a law enforcement agency described in subsection (a), with respect to a gun buyback program, only if the application submitted under subsection (c) by such agency provides assurances that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) the law enforcement agency will adequately advertise such program to the public;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) such program will be administered by law enforcement personnel;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) all guns received through such program will remain in the possession of law enforcement personnel;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) adequate safeguards will be established and followed to prevent the occurrence of fraud in such program;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) the law enforcement agency will have in place a process to test on site a gun purchased from an individual through such program before payment is provided to such individual; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) an adequate process will be in place to destroy all guns received through such program.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(e) Matching Requirement-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to paragraph (2), to be eligible for a grant under this section, a law enforcement agency must certify that the law enforcement agency will match all Federal funds provided under such grant with an equal amount of cash or in-kind goods or services from other non-Federal sources.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) WAIVER- The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs may waive, wholly or in part, the matching requirement under paragraph (1) with respect to a grant made under this section to a law enforcement agency for a gun buyback program if such program provides for obtaining only the guns identified by the National Academy of Sciences pursuant to subsection (f).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(f) National Academy of Sciences Standards- The Attorney General, through the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to develop standards for identifying, and identify, guns that are the most likely to be used in violent crimes and establish a pricing scale for purchasing guns so identified through gun buyback programs receiving grants under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(g) Reports-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) REPORTS REQUIRED BY GRANTEES- In the case of a law enforcement agency described in subsection (a) receiving a grant under this section with respect to a gun buyback program, such agency shall submit to the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) not later than 90 days after receipt of such grant and every 90 days thereafter during the period for which the program is carried out, a report including--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) the number and types of guns collected and destroyed through such program during such period; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) recommendations for improving future gun buyback programs in the jurisdiction of such agency; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) not later than 90 days after the last day of such program, a final report including the information described in each of subclauses (I) and (II) of clause (i) with respect to the duration of the program.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) REPORTS BY THE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS- Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs shall submit to Congress a report on--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) the number of gun buyback programs that received funding under this section;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) the number of guns received through each such gun buyback program;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) the total number of guns purchased through all such gun buyback programs; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) recommendations on improving the grant program under this section and gun buyback programs.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(h) Definitions- For purposes of this section:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) STATE- The term ‘State’ means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) UNIT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT- The term ‘unit of local government’ means a county, municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough, or other unit of general government below the State level.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) VIOLENT CRIME- The term ‘violent crime’ means murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of the Uniform Crime Report.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink