S-3254 : Still Just a Bill

Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020

This bill makes various changes to the federal framework governing the sale, transfer, and possession of firearms and ammunition. Among other things, the bill does the following:

• generally requires individuals to obtain a license to purchase, acquire, or possess a firearm or ammunition;
• raises the minimum age—from 18 years to 21 years—to purchase firearms and ammunition;
• establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties;
• requires law enforcement agencies to be notified following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial;
• creates a statutory process for a family or household member to petition a court for an extreme risk protection order to remove firearms from an individual who poses a risk of committing violence;
• restricts the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices;
• restricts the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, or receipt of ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers);
• makes trafficking in firearms a stand-alone criminal offense;
• requires federally licensed gun dealers to submit and annually certify compliance with a security plan to detect and deter firearm theft;
• removes limitations on the civil liability of gun manufacturers;
• allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue safety standards for firearms and firearm components;
• establishes a community violence intervention grant program; and
• promotes research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.