	Developments in the 113th Congress

In the 113 th Congress, Members of Congress introduced a wide range of longstanding gun control proposals. Some of these proposals gained renewed energy following the December 2012 Newtown, CT, tragedy, and several other "mass shooting" incidents in that year. Some, but not all, of these provisions were included in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( P.L. Those proposals would have (1) required background checks for intrastate firearms transfers between unlicensed persons at gun shows and nearly any other venue, otherwise known as the "universal background checks" proposal; (2) increased penalties for gun trafficking; and (3) reinstated and strengthened an expired federal ban on detachable ammunition magazines of over 10-round capacity and certain "military style" firearms commonly described as "semiautomatic assault weapons," which are designed to accept such magazines. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Action

In alignment with the President's plan, in the Spring 2013, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary approved the following four gun control-related bills:
Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 ( S. 54 ), on March 7, 2013, to establish standalone straw purchasing and gun trafficking prohibitions and increase related penalties; Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 ( S. 374 ), on March 11, to require background checks for private firearms transfers, and encourage states to provide the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with greater access to records on prohibited persons for background check purposes; and to authorize additional appropriations of $100 million annually (FY2014-FY2018) for funding grants to states to improve access to firearms-related prohibiting records—especially for persons adjudicated "mentally defective" and persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence; School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 ( S. 146 ), on March 11, to authorize annual appropriations of up to $40 million for the next 10 years for the Secure Our Schools grant program under the Department of Justice (DOJ) Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS); and Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 ( S. 150 ), on March 14, to ban permanently the further production or importation of certain semiautomatic firearms, as well as high-capacity magazines. Senate Floor Action

From April 16-18, 2013, the Senate considered the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 ( S. 649 ). As introduced, this bill included the language of S. 54 , S. 374 , and S. 146 , but it did not include S. 150 . In total, the Senate voted on nine amendments that addressed a wide array of gun control issues. By unanimous consent, the Senate agreed that adoption of these amendments would require a 60-vote threshold. All but two of these amendments were defeated. House and Senate Veterans' Committees Action

While the House did not considered any of the wider gun control proposals, such as universal background checks, debated in the Senate, on May 8, 2013, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved a bill, the Veterans 2 nd Amendment Protection Act ( H.R. The House Committee reported this bill ( H.R. Extension of the 1988 Undetectable Firearms Act

The House and Senate passed a 10-year extension of the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 ( H.R. 3626 ). 113-57 ). Hunting, Fishing, Recreational Shooting, and Firearms Carry on "Public Lands"

The gun rights community supported legislation intended to promote hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on public lands. §4161(a)), respectively. On July 9, 2014, the House Committee on Appropriations approved an FY2015 Interior Appropriations bill ( H.R. 4923 ) that included provisions that were similar, but not identical, to those originally included in H.R. 3590 and S. 2363 . On July 10, 2014, the House Committee approved an FY2015 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill ( H.R. 4923 ) that included a provision that would have prohibited the Army Corps of Engineers from implementing or enforcing regulations to prevent private persons from otherwise legally carrying firearms on Corps-managed property. The House passed H.R. 113-235 ). Both of these amendments would have also addressed veterans' firearms eligibility and mental incompetency, as would have an amendment offered by Senator Burr. 725 ) that would have also amended P.L. 602 )—that included similar provisions. The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved a nearly identical bill on September 4, 2013 ( S. 572 ). §924(a)(1)(A).
The December 2012 Newtown, CT, tragedy, along with other mass shootings in Aurora, CO, and Tucson, AZ, restarted the national gun control debate in the 113th Congress. The Senate considered a range of legislative proposals, including several that President Barack Obama supported as part of his national gun violence reduction plan. The most salient of these proposals would have (1) required background checks for intrastate firearms transfers between unlicensed persons at gun shows and nearly any other venue, otherwise known as the "universal background checks" proposal; (2) increased penalties for gun trafficking; and (3) reinstated and strengthened an expired federal ban on detachable ammunition magazines of over 10-round capacity and certain "military style" firearms commonly described as "semiautomatic assault weapons," which are designed to accept such magazines.
On March 21, 2013, Senator Harry Reid introduced the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 (S. 649). As introduced, this bill included the language of several bills previously reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary: (1) the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 (S. 54), (2) the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 (S. 374), and (3) the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 (S. 146). However, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (S. 150) was not included in S. 649. From April 17-18, 2013, the Senate considered S. 649 and nine amendments that addressed a wide array of gun control issues, ranging from restricting assault weapons to mandating interstate recognition (reciprocity) of state handgun concealed carry laws. By unanimous consent, the Senate agreed that adoption of these amendments would require a 60-vote threshold. All but two of these amendments were rejected. A final vote was not taken on S. 649.
Although Members of the House of Representatives introduced similar proposals, none were approved by Committee, nor considered on the House floor. On May 8, 2013, however, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved a bill, the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (H.R. 602), that would have addressed veterans, mental incompetency, and firearms eligibility. This bill would have narrowed the grounds by which beneficiaries of veterans' disability compensation or pensions are determined to be ineligible to receive, possess, ship, or transfer a firearm or ammunition because a fiduciary had been appointed on their behalf. The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved a nearly identical bill (S. 572) on September 4, 2013. In addition, in December 2013, Congress approved a 10-year extension of the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 (H.R. 3626; P.L. 113-57).
The House passed and the Senate considered bills (H.R. 3590 and S. 2363) intended to promote hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting in February and July 2014, respectively. Both bills arguably included several gun control-related provisions. The House Committee on Appropriations approved an FY2015 Interior appropriations measure (H.R. 4923) on July 9, 2014, that included provisions which were similar, but not identical, to those included in H.R. 3590 and S. 2363. The House passed an FY2015 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill (H.R. 4923) on July 10, 2014, that included a provision that would have addressed civilian carry of firearms on public properties managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, the House amended and passed an FY2015 District of Columbia appropriations bill (H.R. 5016) on July 16, 2014, with a provision that would have prohibited the use of any funding provided under that bill from being used to enforce certain District gun control statutes. Some, but not all, of these provisions were included in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235). This report reflects the final update for the 113th Congress.