PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 21, 2025
Gun Trafficker Detection Act
This bill requires individual gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement.
Specifically, the bill requires gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) or local law enforcement within 48 hours of discovery. A gun owner who fails to report a lost or stolen firearm is subject to a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for the first violation; a civil penalty of up to $5,000 and a one-year prohibition on receiving a firearm for the second violation; and a civil penalty of up to $5,000 and a five-year prohibition on receiving a firearm for the third or subsequent violation. Further, a gun owner who receives a firearm while subject to a one-year or five-year prohibition on such receipt is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to one year, or both.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Additionally, the bill prohibits making false statements or misrepresentations with respect to the information required in a report of a lost or stolen firearm. A violation is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
The bill directs the ATF to create a web-based portal where individuals can report lost or stolen firearms. It also requires states to use at least 5% of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program to collect and manage data about lost or stolen firearms reported to local law enforcement.
People & committees
Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] · D–IL
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Feb 3, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-21 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Gun Trafficker Detection Act would require firearm owners who are not federally licensed and whose firearms meet the bill’s interstate or foreign commerce condition to report lost or stolen firearms within 48 hours of discovering, or reasonably being expected to discover, the loss. Violations would carry civil fines, and repeated penalties would temporarily bar receiving firearms. The bill would also create an online reporting portal and require changes to firearm background checks.
This Act may be cited as the Gun Trafficker Detection Act.
Within 48 hours after a person not licensed under this chapter who owns a firearm that has been shipped or transported in, or has been possessed in or affecting, interstate or foreign commerce, discovers or reasonably should have discovered the theft or loss of the firearm, the person shall report the theft or loss to the Attorney General.
in the case of a first violation, subject the person to a civil money penalty of not more than $1,000
It shall be unlawful for a person who has been twice assessed a civil money penalty under section 924(q) to receive a firearm during the 1-year period that begins with the date of the most recent such assessment.
the Attorney General shall create a web-based electronic portal, which members of the public may use to report the theft or loss of a firearm
the national instant criminal background check system takes account of section 922(bb) of title 18, United States Code, in performing the functions of the system
The proposed reporting duty would cover owners not licensed under the referenced federal firearms chapter when their firearm has been shipped or transported in, or possessed in or affecting, interstate or foreign commerce—commerce between states or with other countries. They would have to report to the Attorney General within 48 hours after discovering, or reasonably being expected to discover, the theft or loss.
Within 48 hours after a person not licensed under this chapter who owns a firearm that has been shipped or transported in, or has been possessed in or affecting, interstate or foreign commerce, discovers or reasonably should have discovered the theft or loss of the firearm, the person shall report the theft or loss to the Attorney General.
Owners who report to the Attorney General without using the designated online portal would also have to report the theft or loss to local law enforcement.
If the report to the Attorney General is not submitted through a web portal created by the Attorney General for such purpose, the person shall report the theft or loss to local law enforcement authorities.
Within 72 hours after receiving a portal report, the Attorney General would have to give the reporting person’s name and address to the chief law enforcement officer where the theft or loss occurred.
Within 72 hours after the Attorney General receives a report through the web portal pursuant to paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall notify the chief law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction in which the theft or loss occurred of the name and address of the reporting person.
The Attorney General would have to create the public reporting portal within 180 days after enactment. The portal would have to warn users about existing statutory penalties for knowingly making false statements or representations in a report.
Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall create a web-based electronic portal, which members of the public may use to report the theft or loss of a firearm to the Attorney General pursuant to section 922(aa) of title 18, United States Code, that includes a notice to users of the penalties under section 924(a)(1) of such title for knowingly making a false statement or representation in such a report.
For grants subject to the amended application requirements, applicants would have to promise to use at least 5 percent of each fiscal year’s award to study and implement effective management and collection of lost or stolen firearm report data. This spending requirement would not apply if the applicant had ensured, and the Attorney General had certified, that laws and procedures were in place to forward every such report to the National Crime Information Center.
Section 502(a) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10153(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
An assurance that, for each fiscal year covered by an application, the applicant will use not less than 5 percent of the total amount of the grant award for the fiscal year to study and implement effective management and collection of data relating to lost or stolen firearms reported to a law enforcement agency of the applicant under section 922(aa) of title 18, United States Code, unless the applicant has ensured, and the Attorney General has certified, that the applicant has in effect such laws and procedures as are necessary to ensure that each such report is forwarded to the National Crime Information Center.
After notice and an opportunity for a hearing, the Attorney General would have to impose a civil fine for a reporting violation: up to $1,000 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for a second or later violation. For every violation, the Attorney General would also have to notify the person about the restrictions on receiving firearms.
With respect to a violation of section 922(aa), the Attorney General shall, after notice and opportunity for a hearing— (1) (A) in the case of a first violation, subject the person to a civil money penalty of not more than $1,000; or (B) in the case of a second or subsequent violation, subject the person to a civil money penalty of not more than $5,000; and (2) in the case of any violation, notify the person of the prohibitions set forth in section 922(bb).
A person assessed a reporting-related civil fine twice would be prohibited from receiving a firearm for one year after the latest assessment. A person assessed such a fine three times would face a five-year prohibition after the latest assessment. These triggers are civil penalty assessments; they do not require criminal convictions in the quoted operative language.
It shall be unlawful for a person who has been twice assessed a civil money penalty under section 924(q) to receive a firearm during the 1-year period that begins with the date of the most recent such assessment.
It shall be unlawful for a person who has been thrice assessed a civil money penalty under section 924(q) to receive a firearm during the 5-year period that begins with the date of the most recent such assessment.
The bill would add the new firearm-receipt prohibition to the violations referenced in the existing penalty provision at section 924(a)(5). The supplied text does not reproduce that provision’s penalties.
Section 924(a)(5) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking or (t) and inserting (t), or (bb).
The bill would expressly add lost or stolen firearm reports to the existing false-statement penalty provision. The supplied amendment does not reproduce the full existing provision or its penalty amounts.
Prohibition on false reporting Section 924(a)(1)(A) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking chapter or and inserting chapter, in reporting a lost or stolen firearm pursuant to section 922(aa), or.
Within six months after enactment, the Attorney General would have to issue rules making the national instant criminal background check system account for the new firearm-receipt restrictions. The rules would also have to require federally licensed firearm providers to notify unlicensed people acquiring firearms from them about penalties for violating the reporting requirement.
Within 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall promulgate such rules as are necessary to ensure that— (A) the national instant criminal background check system takes account of section 922(bb) of title 18, United States Code, in performing the functions of the system; and (B) all persons licensed under chapter 44 of such title provide notice of the penalties for violations of section 922(aa) of such title to any person not so licensed who acquires a firearm from the licensee.
Related amendments would add references to the new firearm-receipt prohibition, section 922(bb), throughout specified provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and federal firearms law. These are cross-reference changes; the underlying provisions are not reproduced in the bundle.
The following provisions of section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (34 U.S.C. 40901) are each amended by striking (g) or (n) and inserting (g), (n), or (bb)
The following provisions of title 18, United States Code, are each amended by striking (g) or (n) and inserting (g), (n), or (bb)
Paragraphs (2), (4), and (5) of section 922(t) of title 18, United States Code, are each amended by striking (g), or (n) and inserting (g), (n), or (bb).
The Act and its amendments would take effect 90 days after enactment. This effective date would come before the 180-day portal deadline and the six-month rulemaking deadline.
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall create a web-based electronic portal
Within 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall promulgate such rules
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated February 3, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on February 21, 2025. This snapshot does not establish any later legislative action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-02-03T23:12:18Z. 2025-02-21: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-02-21: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-21. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark disclosures and accompanying materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit warranting a finding was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Feb 3, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI