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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 14, 2025
Preventing Illegal Weapons Trafficking Act of 2025
This bill requires the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and the Treasury to develop and implement a strategy to prevent or intercept the importation or trafficking of machinegun conversion devices. The term machinegun conversion device means parts or combinations of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun.
The bill also specifies that proceeds derived from the illegal trafficking of a machinegun are subject to seizure and forfeiture.
People & committees
Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] · D–IL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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: Oct 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-14 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.
This bill would require federal officials to develop and carry out a strategy to stop the importation or trafficking of devices designed to turn weapons into machineguns. It would coordinate federal, state, and local enforcement, add proceeds from illegal machinegun trafficking to a forfeiture provision concerning property the government can take, and require reporting on conversion devices used in crimes. These are proposed changes.
the term machinegun conversion device means any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun.
the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of the Treasury shall develop and implement a strategy to prevent or intercept the importation or trafficking of machinegun conversion devices.
the coordination between State and local law enforcement agencies and Federal law enforcement agencies
4. Forfeiture of proceeds from machine gun violations Section 5872 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by inserting , and any proceeds derived from the illegal trafficking of a machine gun, after provisions of this chapter;
The Attorney General shall include information about machinegun conversion devices in the annual firearms trafficking report
The bill would use the existing tax-code definition of machinegun. Its definition of a conversion device covers a single part designed and intended solely and exclusively to convert a weapon into a machinegun, or a combination of parts designed and intended for that use.
In this Act— (1) the term machinegun has the meaning given the term machine gun in section 5845 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and (2) the term machinegun conversion device means any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun.
Within 120 days after enactment, the Attorney General and the heads of Homeland Security and Treasury would have to develop and implement the prevention and interception strategy.
Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of the Treasury shall develop and implement a strategy to prevent or intercept the importation or trafficking of machinegun conversion devices.
The strategy would have to include plans to improve federal detection, interception, and seizure of conversion devices, and coordination with state and local agencies when devices are seized at ports of entry.
The strategy described in paragraph (1) shall include plans to optimize— (A) the capacity of Federal law enforcement agencies to detect, intercept, and seize machinegun conversion devices; (B) the coordination between State and local law enforcement agencies and Federal law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, when machinegun conversion devices are seized at ports of entry;
The strategy would address federal collaboration with state and local agencies to identify and trace devices used in crimes, including whether their source is domestic or foreign. It would also address federal training to help those agencies recognize conversion devices.
(C) efforts by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to collaborate with State and local law enforcement agencies to identify and trace machinegun conversion devices used in crimes, including identifying the source of the device, whether from a foreign country or the United States; (D) training programs provided by Federal law enforcement agencies to aid State and local law enforcement agencies in identifying machinegun conversion devices;
The strategy would include plans to improve investigation and data collection on the origins of recovered devices, with the stated aim of identifying patterns and vulnerabilities. It would also cover federal capacity to detect, intercept, and seize devices made in the United States, including through 3D printing.
(E) the investigation and collection of data regarding the origins of machinegun conversion devices that are seized at ports of entry or recovered by law enforcement agencies in the United States in order to identify patterns and detect vulnerabilities; and (F) the capacity of Federal law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations, to detect, intercept, and seize domestically produced machinegun conversion devices, including machinegun conversion devices produced using 3D printing technology.
The same three officials would have to report on the strategy, with relevant statistics, within 120 days after enactment. Reports would go to the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees and the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. Progress updates would be required at least once every two years.
Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a report on the strategy developed and implemented under subsection (a), which shall include relevant statistical information, to— (A) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; (C) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and (D) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives.
Not less frequently than once every 2 years, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to the congressional committees described in paragraph (1) an update to the report submitted under that paragraph that describes progress made on the implementation of the strategy developed under subsection (a).
The bill would add proceeds derived from illegal machinegun trafficking to the existing tax-code forfeiture provision. For this purpose, illegal trafficking would include making, manufacturing, importing, exporting, or transferring a machinegun in violation of that chapter or its regulations. The supplied text does not reproduce the existing forfeiture provision's full rules.
4. Forfeiture of proceeds from machine gun violations Section 5872 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by inserting , and any proceeds derived from the illegal trafficking of a machine gun, after provisions of this chapter; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (c) Illegal trafficking of a machine gun For purposes of subsection (a), the term illegal trafficking of a machine gun means the making, manufacture, importation, exportation, or transfer of a machine gun in violation of the provisions of this chapter or any regulations prescribed under this chapter.
The Attorney General would have to add conversion-device information to the annual firearms trafficking report identified in the bill as announced on April 7, 2021. Required information would include the number of crimes involving these devices and whether devices recovered from those crimes were manufactured domestically or abroad.
The Attorney General shall include information about machinegun conversion devices in the annual firearms trafficking report announced by the President on April 7, 2021, including— (1) the number of crimes in which machinegun conversion devices are used; and (2) whether the machinegun conversion devices recovered from crimes described in paragraph (1) are manufactured in the United States or a foreign country.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated October 6, 2026, records introduction in the House on March 14, 2025, and referrals that day to Ways and Means, Judiciary, Homeland Security, and the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. This snapshot does not establish whether the bill subsequently advanced or became law.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-06T16:25:47Z.
2025-03-14: Introduced in House
2025-03-14: Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
2025-03-14: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-14. 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 provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of riders 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 particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of targeted benefits in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI