S. 3544 · 119th Congress
Federal Firearm Licensing Act
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D
BookerSponsor7 cosponsors · 7 D
7 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill generally requires an individual to obtain a license before purchasing, receiving, or possessing a firearm. The bill also requires background checks for firearms transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals).
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Dec 17, 2025
Federal Firearm Licensing Act
This bill generally requires an individual to obtain a license before purchasing, receiving, or possessing a firearm. The bill also requires background checks for firearms transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals).
Specifically, this bill requires individuals who purchase, receive, or possess a firearm to have a valid federal firearm purchasing license (or a state firearm purchasing license with substantially similar requirements). The bill requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to establish a federal system for issuing firearm purchasing licenses and sets forth requirements for the system, including eligibility requirements for a license (e.g., training in firearms safety and background investigation and criminal history check), standards for denying or revoking a license, and requirements for reporting transactions.
The bill makes it unlawful to (1) purchase, receive, or possess a firearm without a valid firearm purchaser license; or (2) sell or transfer a firearm to an individual who does not have a valid firearm purchaser license or fail to report such a sale or transfer to law enforcement.
Additionally, the bill prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a federal firearms licensee (e.g., gun dealer) first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Federal Firearm Licensing Act
Latest action (Dec 17, 2025): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Dec 17, 2025
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.