HR 126 · 112th Congress 2011–2013, ended

Fairness in Firearm Testing Act

Introduced Jan 5, 2011 Originated House Sponsor Phil Gingrey R-GA

Latest action · Jan 24, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedJan 5, 2011
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Fairness in Firearm Testing Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to make a video recording of the entire process of its examination and testing of an item for the purpose of determining whether the item is a firearm (and if so, the type of firearm) or ammunition. Bars ATF from editing or erasing any such recording.

Directs ATF to make available a digital video disc that contains a copy of the recording: (1) at the request of a person who claims an ownership interest in such item; and (2) to a defendant in a criminal proceeding involving such item. Provides that an item which ATF has determined is a firearm or ammunition shall not be admissible as evidence unless: (1) ATF has complied with the requirements of this Act to make its digital video disc available; or (2) such compliance has been waived in writing by the person against whom the item is offered as evidence.

Cosponsors 23

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 5, 2011 to Feb 6, 2012; 18 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-IN	Dan Burton	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TN	David P. Roe	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-AK	Don Young	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-MN	John Kline	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TX	John R. Carter	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TX	K. Michael Conaway	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TX	Kenny Marchant	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TX	Louie Gohmert	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-GA	Lynn A. Westmoreland	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TN	Marsha Blackburn	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-MN	Michele Bachmann	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-AL	Mike Rogers	Original	Jan 5, 2011
D-AR	Mike Ross	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TX	Ron Paul	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-MD	Roscoe G. Bartlett	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-TX	Sam Johnson	Original	Jan 5, 2011
D-GA	Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-AZ	Trent Franks	Original	Jan 5, 2011
R-VA	J. Randy Forbes		Jan 12, 2011
R-LA	John Fleming		Jan 12, 2011
R-MI	Thaddeus G. McCotter		Jan 12, 2011
R-LA	Rodney Alexander		Jan 18, 2011
R-MN	Chip Cravaack		Feb 6, 2012

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Jan 5, 2011
	Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee	Referred Jan 24, 2011
	Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee	Referred Jan 24, 2011
House	Ways and Means Committee	Referred Jan 5, 2011

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jan 24, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Jan 5, 2011Introduced in House
Jan 5, 2011Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution that states that Congress shall have Power ``To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States . . .''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H45.

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To require the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to make video recordings of the examination and testing of firearms and ammunition, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced: Fairness in Firearm Testing Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jan 5, 2011Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.