308 and S. 32 ) following the January 8, 2011, Tucson, AZ, shooting, in which 6 people were killed and 14 wounded, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was grievously wounded. Similarly, the Aurora, CO, shootings led some Members to call for greater regulation of interstate, Internet-based ammunition transfers ( S. 3458 / H.R. Since March 2011, much of the gun control debate in the 112 th Congress has swirled around allegations that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) mishandled a Phoenix, AZ-based gun trafficking investigation known as "Operation Fast and Furious." The OIG testified to the report's findings that high-ranking, supervisory officials within ATF headquarters and the Phoenix Field Division, as well as the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona and Main Justice (DOJ headquarters), were responsible for misguided strategies and tactics, errors in judgment, and management failures related to Operation Fast and Furious. On June 28, 2012, the House passed a resolution ( H.Res. On April 19, 2012, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported a bill ( S. 2323 ) that would fund ATF for FY2013 at $1.153 billion. On April 17, 2012, the House passed the Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 ( H.R. 4089 ), a bill that would require agencies that manage federal public lands to facilitate access to and use of those lands for the purposes of recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting with certain exceptions set out in statute. On November 16, 2011, the House passed a bill ( H.R. 822 ) that would establish a greater degree of reciprocity between states that issue concealed carry permits for handguns to civilians than currently exists under state law. On October 11, 2011, the House passed a Veterans' Benefits Act ( H.R. This bill includes a provision that would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs from determining a beneficiary to be mentally incompetent for the purposes of gun control, unless such a determination were made by a judge, magistrate, or other judicial authority based upon a finding that the beneficiary posed a danger to himself or others. Issues in the 112th Congress

In the wake of the Aurora, CO, theater and Oak Creek, WI, Sikh temple mass-casualty shootings, several Members of Congress called for reconsideration of the 1994-2004 ban on semiautomatic assault weapons and the large capacity ammunition feeding devices. (For a related bill, see also H.R. Armed Forces Members and Privately Held Firearms Off-Base

On May 18, 2012, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 ( H.R. On May 10, 2012, during House consideration of the FY2013 CJS Appropriations bill ( H.R. On June 11, 2012, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued a press release announcing that it would meet to consider a staff briefing paper and draft resolution (described above) holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his failure to produce subpoenaed documents related to Operation Fast and Furious. Other Salient Gun Control Legislative Issues

Other salient firearms-related issues that continue to receive attention include (1) screening firearms background check applicants against terrorist watch lists; (2) combating gun trafficking and straw purchases; (3) reforming the regulation of federally licensed gun dealers; (4) requiring background checks for private firearms transfers at gun shows; (5) more-strictly regulating certain firearms previously defined in statute as "semiautomatic assault weapons"; and (6) banning or requiring the registration of certain long-range .50 caliber rifles, which are commonly referred to as "sniper" rifles. On August 12, the Senate passed H.R. Similar language was included in the House-passed CJS appropriations bill ( H.R.
Congress has debated the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition, with strong advocates arguing for and against greater gun control. During the 112th Congress, several mass-casualty shootings punctuated public discourse on gun control. In a January 8, 2011, Tucson, AZ, shooting, 6 people were killed and 14 wounded, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was grievously wounded. In a July 20, 2012, Aurora, CO, theater shooting, 12 people were killed and 58 wounded. In an August 5, 2012, Milwaukee, WI, Sikh temple shooting, 6 people were killed and three wounded. Several Members of Congress called for reconsideration of an expired ban on high capacity ammunition feeding devices (H.R. 308 and S. 32), strengthening provisions designed to encourage states to make firearms-related disqualifying records more accessible to federal authorities (S. 436/H.R.1781), and tightening regulation of interstate ammunition transfers (S. 3458/H.R. 6241).
As a matter of oversight, the 112th Congress also considered the implications of Operation Fast and Furious and allegations that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) mishandled that Phoenix, AZ-based gun trafficking investigation. On June 28, 2012, the House passed a resolution (H.Res. 711) and cited Attorney General Eric Holder with contempt for his failure to produce additional, subpoenaed documents related to that operation to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The DOJ Office of the Inspector General issued findings that high-ranking officials within ATF, the Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office, and the DOJ Criminal Division were responsible for misguided strategies and tactics, errors in judgment, and management failures related to this operation.
On May 18, 2012, the House passed the FY2013 Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310), which would amend a limitation on the Secretary of Defense's authority to regulate firearms privately held by members of the Armed Forces off-base. On May 10, 2012, the House passed a Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill (H.R. 5326) that would fund ATF for FY2013, and on April 19, 2012, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported a similar bill (S. 2323). On April 17, 2012, the House passed the Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R. 4089), a bill that would require agencies that manage federal public lands to facilitate access to and use of those lands for the purposes of recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting. The Senate could consider a related bill (S. 3525). Related language was included in a House-reported Interior Appropriations bill (H.R. 6091). On November 16, 2011, the House passed a bill (H.R. 822) that would establish a greater degree of reciprocity between states that issue concealed carry handgun permits. On October 11, 2011, the House passed a Veterans' Benefits Act (H.R. 2349) that would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs from determining a beneficiary to be mentally incompetent for the purposes of gun control, unless such a determination is made by a judicial authority.
This report also includes discussion of other salient and recurring gun control issues that have generated past or current congressional interest. Those issues include (1) screening firearms background check applicants against terrorist watch lists, (2) combating gun trafficking and straw purchases, (3) reforming the regulation of federally licensed gun dealers, (4) requiring background checks for private firearms transfers at gun shows, (5) more-strictly regulating certain firearms previously defined in statute as "semiautomatic assault weapons," and (6) banning or requiring the registration of certain long-range .50 caliber rifles, which are commonly referred to as "sniper" rifles. To set these and other emerging issues in context, this report provides basic firearms-related statistics, an overview of federal firearms law, and a summary of legislative action in the 111th and 112th Congresses.