Functional Firearms Definitions Act
We hereby amend Title 18 of the United States Code § 921 by adding the following definitions, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of existing gun laws. This measure is intended to provide law enforcement with the best possible tools to combat gun-related crime and limit the ability of violent offenders, drug cartels, and Domestic Terrorist to legally obtain high-powered weaponry.
Section 1: FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
Findings:
The existing definitions of certain classes of firearms in Title 18, United States Code, do not adequately address the functional characteristics of specific weapons.
Enhanced clarity in firearm definitions will assist law enforcement in preventing access to high-powered or automatic weapons by violent offenders, drug cartels, and domestic terrorists.
Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to revise 18 U.S.C. § 921 to define certain classes of firearms according to their functional characteristics, thereby closing loopholes and improving enforcement of existing laws.
Section 2: REPLACEMENT OF DEFINITIONS IN SECTION 921.
In General Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking any conflicting definitions of assault rifle, bolt-action rifle, machine gun, sub-machine gun, shotgun, or handgun, and inserting the following:
a) Assault Rifle: The term ‘assault rifle’ means a class of selective-fire firearms chambered for intermediate cartridges, characterized by their ability to alternate between semi-automatic and fully automatic firing modes.
b) Bolt-Action Rifle: The term ‘bolt-action rifle’ means a rifle that requires the manual operation of a bolt handle to load, chamber, and extract cartridges.
c) Machine Gun: The term ‘machine gun’ means a fully automatic firearm that is capable of sustained rapid fire.
d) Sub-Machine Gun: The term ‘sub-machine gun’ means a type of automatic firearm specifically designed to rapidly discharge pistol-caliber cartridges.
e) Shotgun: The term ‘shotgun’ means a firearm typically featuring a smooth bore, designed to fire shells containing multiple small pellets (shot) or a single projectile (slug).
f) Handgun: The term ‘handgun’ means a firearm crafted to be easily gripped and utilized single-handedly and is distinguished by its compact nature. Such term includes:
g) Revolver: A handgun featuring a rotating cylinder containing multiple chambers, each holding a single cartridge. When the trigger is pulled, the cylinder rotates, aligning a new cartridge with the barrel.
h) Pistol: A compact handgun with a single chamber directly connected to the barrel, wherein energy from the fired cartridge cycles the action, ejecting the spent casing and chambering the next round from a detachable magazine.
Clerical Amendments: The table of sections for chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to conform with the changes made by this section.
