Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act

Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act

Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to states, units of local government, and Indian tribes for the development, implementation, and evaluation of handgun purchaser licensing requirements. Directs the Attorney General to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible applicants whose applications are approved to assist them in implementing and improving handgun purchaser licensing programs.

Directs a state, local government, or tribe, to be eligible to receive a grant, to submit to the Attorney General an application that meets specified requirements, including a description of: (1) the law that the applicant has enacted to require a license for any purchase of a handgun, including exemptions to such law; and (2) how the applicant will use the grant to carry out or improve its program.

Requires an applicant, to be eligible for a grant, to have in effect handgun purchaser licensing laws that:

• require an applicant for a handgun license or permit to be at least 21 years old and to be a national or lawful permanent resident of the United States;
• require such an individual to apply for the license or permit at a law enforcement agency in the state in which he or she resides, to reapply for an issued license after a period not longer than five years, and to submit to a background investigation and a criminal history check;
• require such an individual to submit fingerprints and photographs in connection with the application and to provide proof that the individual is legally present and lawfully resides in the United States; and
• bar any individual who is prohibited from possessing a firearm under the federal criminal code from receiving a license or permit.

Requires a grantee to use such grant to improve its handgun purchaser licensing programs.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov