Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2017
This bill authorizes the National Institute of Justice to make grants to states or local governments, nonprofit or for-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education to develop technology for personalized handguns (i.e., technology that enables only an authorized user to fire a handgun).
The bill prohibits, subject to exceptions: (1) the manufacture of a handgun inside the United States that is not a personalized handgun, and (2) the distribution in commerce of a handgun that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun. It authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission and states to enforce violations, which are treated as violations under the Consumer Product Safety Act.
A manufacturer must, at an owner's request, retrofit a U.S.-manufactured handgun that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may use amounts from the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund to reimburse a manufacturer for the costs of retrofitting.
Finally, the bill amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to modify the definition of "qualified product." Current law limits civil actions against a licensed manufacturer, dealer, or seller of a qualified product for injuries resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of the product. This bill specifies that a newly manufactured handgun is not a qualified product unless is it a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun.