S 469 108th Congress Senate

TRACE Act

Official title: A bill to amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to require ballistics testing of all firearms manufactured and all firearms in custody of Federal agencies.

Introduced: February 24, 2004 See on congress.gov

Crime and Law Enforcement AmmunitionArrestBusiness recordsCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

More subjectsShow fewer subjects

CommerceCongressCongressional reporting requirementsCriminal investigationCriminal justice informationCriminal statisticsData banksEconomics and Public FinanceElectronic government informationEmployee trainingEvidence (Law)Federal aid to law enforcementFederal-local relationsFederal-state relationsFirearmsFirearms controlForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsGovernment and businessGovernment publicityIdentification devicesIdentification of criminalsImportsIndictmentsInterstate relationsLabor and EmploymentLawLicensesManufacturing industriesProsecutionRight of privacyScience, Technology, Communications

Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Feb 27, 2003

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2926-2927)

Feb 27, 2003

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2925-2926)

Feb 27, 2003

Introduced in Senate

Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

Latest action February 27, 2003

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2926-2927)

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Technological Resource to Assist Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require a licensed manufacturer or importer of firearms to: (1) test fire manufactured or imported firearms as specified by the Attorney General; (2) prepare ballistics images of the fired bullet and cartridge casings; (3) make the records available to the Attorney General for entry into an electronic database; and (4) store the fired bullet and cartridge casings.

Directs the Attorney General to assist firearm manufacturers and importers in complying with these requirements by: (1) acquiring, installing, and upgrading ballistics equipment and bullet and cartridge casing recovery equipment; (2) hiring or designating sufficient personnel to develop and maintain a ballistics database; (3) providing education about the role of ballistics; and (4) providing for the coordination among law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and the firearm industry to curb firearm-related crime and illegal firearm trafficking.

Requires the Attorney General to: (1) establish an electronic database through which State and local law enforcement agencies can promptly access ballistics records that shall not include any identifying information regarding dealers, collectors, or purchasers of firearms; (2) require training for all ballistics examiners; (3) conduct mandatory ballistics testing of all firearms obtained or in the possession of the Department of Justice; and (4) report to Congress on the implementation of this Act.

Prohibits the use of ballistics information of individual guns for prosecutorial purposes unless officials have a reasonable belief that a crime has been committed and that ballistics information would assist in the investigation.

Bill text 1 version