This bill, called the FIREARM Act, would change how federal authorities handle firearm licensing violations by giving gun dealers and licensees a chance to fix problems they report themselves. Under current law, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives can revoke licenses for violations, but this bill would prevent enforcement actions based on violations that a licensee voluntarily reports before inspection, and would require the agency to help the licensee correct such violations instead. For violations discovered by the agency, licensees would receive detailed written notice of the problem and have 30 business days to fix it before the agency can take enforcement action, with no enforcement possible if the violation is corrected in time. The bill also allows licensees to go directly to federal district court to challenge a license revocation rather than only using the current administrative hearing process, and it narrows the definition of willful violations to exclude minor or clerical errors. The legislation would primarily affect firearm dealers and other licensed firearms businesses by providing them with more opportunities to resolve regulatory issues without losing their licenses.
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