Federal Firearm Licensee Act

Key Points

• This plan would require gun stores to significantly upgrade their physical security. Dealers would be required to use locked metal cabinets, fireproof safes, alarm systems, and video cameras. They would also have to install physical barriers, like concrete posts, to prevent thieves from crashing vehicles into stores to steal weapons.
• Gun dealers would be required to switch from paper records to electronic ones to help law enforcement track weapons used in crimes more quickly. Dealers would also have to perform a full inventory check every three months and immediately report any lost or stolen firearms to the government.
• The bill creates new rules for websites and apps that help people buy and sell guns. These online marketplaces would need a federal license and would have to ensure that all sales are finished in person at a licensed gun store. Additionally, all gun store employees would have to pass a background check before they can handle firearms.
• The government would hire 650 new investigators to step up oversight of the industry. High-risk gun dealers would be inspected every year, while all other dealers would be inspected at least once every five years. Dealers who repeatedly break the rules would face much higher fines or the permanent loss of their business license.
• Licensing fees for gun dealers would double to help pay for these new safety measures. The bill also changes a rule that currently requires the government to destroy background check records within 24 hours; instead, the government would keep those records for 90 days to help catch people who are trying to illegally buy multiple weapons.