United States 116th Congress Status: Passed House Bipartisan · 227 D · 6 R cosponsors

HR 8 — Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019

Last action — Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 29.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

11 added · 1 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendments reflect changes in the legislative process for bill HR 8, specifically noting its placement on the Senate calendar. The added lines indicate that the bill was received and read multiple times in the Senate, while the removed line signifies its status as engrossed in the House. This change matters as it updates the bill's progression within the legislative pipeline.

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8 Engrossed in House (EH)] <DOC> 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
8 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)] <DOC> Calendar No.
29 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
8 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To require a background check for every firearm sale.
8 _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 28, 2019 Received;
read the first time March 4, 2019 Read the second time and placed on the calendar _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To require a background check for every firearm sale.
Clerk.
CHERYL L.
116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
JOHNSON, Clerk.
Calendar No.
29 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
_______________________________________________________________________ March 4, 2019 Read the second time and placed on the calendar
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How this bill changes current law

5 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill amends the law to require background checks for every firearm sale and transfers between unlicensed individuals.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 922

    None → (t)(1)(A) It shall be unlawful for any person who is not a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer to transfer a firearm to any other person who is not so licensed, unless a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer has first taken possession of the firearm for the purpose of complying with subsection (s).

    Establishes a requirement for licensed dealers to take possession of firearms before transfers to unlicensed individuals.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 922

    None → (B) Upon taking possession of a firearm under subparagraph (A), a licensee shall comply with all requirements of this chapter as if the licensee were transferring the firearm from the inventory of the licensee to the unlicensed transferee.

    Ensures that all firearm transfer laws apply once a licensed dealer takes possession of a firearm intended for transfer.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 922

    None → (C) If a transfer of a firearm described in subparagraph (A) will not be completed for any reason after a licensee takes possession of the firearm... the return of the firearm to the transferor by the licensee shall not constitute the transfer of a firearm for purposes of this chapter.

    Clarifies that returning a firearm to the original owner does not count as a transfer in certain circumstances.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 922

    None → (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to--

    Outlines exceptions for certain types of firearm transfers, including those involving law enforcement and family members.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 922

    None → (4) It shall be unlawful for a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer to transfer possession of, or title to, a firearm to another person who is not so licensed unless the importer, manufacturer, or dealer has provided such other person with a notice of the prohibition under paragraph (1)...

    Requires licensed dealers to inform unlicensed individuals about the prohibition on firearm transfer, ensuring they acknowledge the restriction.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  4. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  5. Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 15.

  6. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 116-11.

  7. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 116-11.

  8. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 3.

  9. Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 145 Reported to House. Provides for one hour of debate on each measure. Only those amendments printed in the report shall be in order and the previous question shall be considered ordered without intervening motions except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

  10. Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 145. (consideration: CR H2242-2263)

  11. Provides for one hour of debate on each measure. Only those amendments printed in the report shall be in order and the previous question shall be considered ordered without intervening motions except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

  12. House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 145 and Rule XVIII.

  13. The Speaker designated the Honorable Earl Blumenauer to act as Chairman of the Committee.

  14. GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 8.

  15. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 145, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Lesko amendment No. 1.

  16. POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Lesko amendment No. 1, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Ms. Lesko demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings until later in the legislative day.

  17. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 145, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Dean amendment No. 2.

  18. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 145, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Horn (OK) amendment No. 3.

  19. POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Horn amendment No. 3, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Nadler demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings until later in the legislative day.

  20. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 145, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Van Drew amendment No. 4.

  21. The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 8.

  22. The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

  23. The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. (text: CR H2254)

  24. Mr. Collins (GA) moved to recommit with instructions to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR H2260)

  25. DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Collins (GA) motion to recommit with instructions pending a reservation of a point of order. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment to insert new text on regulations in the case of a background check conducted by the national instant criminal background check system, in response to a contact from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, that the system notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if the individual is in violation of subsection (g)(5). Subsequently, the reservation was withdrawn.

  26. The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.

  27. On motion to recommit with instructions Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 209 (Roll no. 98).

  28. Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 240 - 190 (Roll no. 99).

  29. On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 240 - 190 (Roll no. 99).

  30. Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

  31. Received in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.

  32. Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 29.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 232 co-sponsors · 314 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (232)

Not signed on (314)

314 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 314 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 8 do?
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.
Who sponsors HR 8?
HR 8 is sponsored by King, Peter T. (Republican), Nadler, Jerrold (Democratic), Fitzpatrick, Brian K. (Republican), Jackson Lee, Sheila (Democratic), Mast, Brian J. (Republican), Kelly, Robin L. (Democratic), Upton, Fred (Republican), McBath, Lucy (Democratic), Smith, Christopher H. (Republican), Peters, Scott H. (Democratic), Swalwell, Eric (Democratic), Bonamici, Suzanne (Democratic), Trahan, Lori (Democratic), Keating, William R. (Democratic), Clark, Katherine M. (Democratic), Deutch, Theodore E. (Democratic), Cisneros, Gilbert Ray (Democratic), Quigley, Mike (Democratic), Dean, Madeleine (Democratic), Levin, Mike (Democratic), Mucarsel-Powell, Debbie (Democratic), Pressley, Ayanna (Democratic), Kirkpatrick, Ann (Democratic), Hastings, Alcee L. (Democratic), Carbajal, Salud O. (Democratic), O'Halleran, Tom (Democratic), Johnson, Eddie Bernice (Democratic), Haaland, Debra A. (Democratic), Rouda, Harley (Democratic), Shalala, Donna E. (Democratic), Wasserman Schultz, Debbie (Democratic), Maloney, Sean Patrick (Democratic), Frankel, Lois (Democratic), Soto, Darren (Democratic), Omar, Ilhan (Democratic), Wexton, Jennifer (Democratic), Tlaib, Rashida (Democratic), Panetta, Jimmy (Democratic), Crow, Jason (Democratic), Malinowski, Tom (Democratic), Davis, Susan A. (Democratic), Cárdenas, Tony (Democratic), Lynch, Stephen F. (Democratic), DeSaulnier, Mark (Democratic), Smith, Adam (Democratic), Suozzi, Thomas R. (Democratic), Garcia, Sylvia R. (Democratic), Schneider, Bradley Scott (Democratic), Horsford, Steven (Democratic), Courtney, Joe (Democratic), Boyle, Brendan F. (Democratic), Khanna, Ro (Democratic), Sherrill, Mikie (Democratic), Schrier, Kim (Democratic), Stanton, Greg (Democratic), Gallego, Ruben (Democratic), Cummings, Elijah E. (Democratic), Velázquez, Nydia M. (Democratic), Morelle, Joseph D. (Democratic), Beyer, Donald S. (Democratic), Espaillat, Adriano (Democratic), Rice, Kathleen M. (Democratic), Maloney, Carolyn B. (Democratic), Titus, Dina (Democratic), Larson, John B. (Democratic), Phillips, Dean (Democratic), Bustos, Cheri (Democratic), Perlmutter, Ed (Democratic), Lee, Barbara (Democratic), Neguse, Joe (Democratic), Yarmuth, John A. (Democratic), Gottheimer, Josh (Democratic), Serrano, Jose E. (Democratic), Schakowsky, Janice D. (Democratic), Pascrell, Bill (Democratic), Pallone, Frank (Democratic), Roybal-Allard, Lucille (Democratic), Engel, Eliot L. (Democratic), McNerney, Jerry (Democratic), Norcross, Donald (Democratic), Doyle, Michael F. (Democratic), Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" (Democratic), Himes, James A. (Democratic), Scanlon, Mary Gay (Democratic), Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch (Democratic), Kildee, Daniel T. (Democratic), Higgins, Brian (Democratic), Sires, Albio (Democratic), Wild, Susan (Democratic), Brownley, Julia (Democratic), Moore, Gwen (Democratic), Connolly, Gerald E. (Democratic), Lowey, Nita M. (Democratic), Houlahan, Chrissy (Democratic), Lawrence, Brenda L. (Democratic), Hill, Katie (Democratic), Blumenauer, Earl (Democratic), Dingell, Debbie (Democratic), Takano, Mark (Democratic), Moulton, Seth (Democratic), Watson Coleman, Bonnie (Democratic), Veasey, Marc A. (Democratic), Pocan, Mark (Democratic), Pingree, Chellie (Democratic), Meng, Grace (Democratic), Cicilline, David N. (Democratic), Sarbanes, John P. (Democratic), Rush, Bobby L. (Democratic), Levin, Andy (Democratic), Lewis, John (Democratic), Brown, Anthony G. (Democratic), Cohen, Steve (Democratic), DeLauro, Rosa L. (Democratic), Norton, Eleanor Holmes (Democratic), Vargas, Juan (Democratic), Welch, Peter (Democratic), Cooper, Jim (Democratic), McCollum, Betty (Democratic), García, Jesús G. "Chuy" (Democratic), Vela, Filemon (Democratic), Lipinski, Daniel (Democratic), Evans, Dwight (Democratic), Ryan, Tim (Democratic), Huffman, Jared (Democratic), Lieu, Ted (Democratic), Napolitano, Grace F. (Democratic), Adams, Alma S. (Democratic), Richmond, Cedric L. (Democratic), DelBene, Suzan K. (Democratic), Correa, J. Luis (Democratic), Rose, Max (Democratic), Murphy, Stephanie N. (Democratic), Pappas, Chris (Democratic), Gabbard, Tulsi (Democratic), Tonko, Paul (Democratic), Trone, David J. (Democratic), Porter, Katie (Democratic), Langevin, James R. (Democratic), Speier, Jackie (Democratic), Crist, Charlie (Democratic), McEachin, A. Donald (Democratic), Sánchez, Linda T. (Democratic), Lawson, Al, Jr. (Democratic), Larsen, Rick (Democratic), Wilson, Frederica S. (Democratic), Kilmer, Derek (Democratic), Matsui, Doris O. (Democratic), DeGette, Diana (Democratic), Raskin, Jamie (Democratic), Hoyer, Steny H. (Democratic), Scott, David (Democratic), Eshoo, Anna G. (Democratic), Lofgren, Zoe (Democratic), Hayes, Jahana (Democratic), Stevens, Haley M. (Democratic), Casten, Sean (Democratic), Garamendi, John (Democratic), Kuster, Ann M. (Democratic), Luján, Ben Ray (Democratic), Clarke, Yvette D. (Democratic), Castor, Kathy (Democratic), Kim, Andy (Democratic), Price, David E. (Democratic), Escobar, Veronica (Democratic), Visclosky, Peter J. (Democratic), Sherman, Brad (Democratic), Kennedy, Joseph P., III (Democratic), Schiff, Adam B. (Democratic), Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" (Democratic), Sewell, Terri A. (Democratic), Lowenthal, Alan S. (Democratic), Grijalva, Raúl M. (Democratic), Beatty, Joyce (Democratic), McGovern, James P. (Democratic), Luria, Elaine G. (Democratic), Carson, André (Democratic), Waters, Maxine (Democratic), Payne, Donald M. (Democratic), Allred, Colin Z. (Democratic), Foster, Bill (Democratic), Aguilar, Pete (Democratic), Chu, Judy (Democratic), Bera, Ami (Democratic), Van Drew, Jefferson (Republican), Plaskett, Stacey E. (Democratic), Demings, Val Butler (Democratic), Harder, Josh (Democratic), Fudge, Marcia L. (Democratic), Lee, Susie (Democratic), DeFazio, Peter A. (Democratic), Davis, Danny K. (Democratic), Spanberger, Abigail Davis (Democratic), Cartwright, Matt (Democratic), Lamb, Conor (Democratic), Jeffries, Hakeem S. (Democratic), Krishnamoorthi, Raja (Democratic), Torres, Norma J. (Democratic), Butterfield, G. K. (Democratic), Craig, Angie (Democratic), Neal, Richard E. (Democratic), Heck, Denny (Democratic), Blunt Rochester, Lisa (Democratic), Underwood, Lauren (Democratic), San Nicolas, Michael F. Q. (Democratic), Costa, Jim (Democratic), Barragán, Nanette Diaz (Democratic), Clyburn, James E. (Democratic), Cox, TJ (Democratic), Doggett, Lloyd (Democratic), Green, Al (Democratic), Meeks, Gregory W. (Democratic), Clay, Wm. Lacy (Democratic), Cleaver, Emanuel (Democratic), Gomez, Jimmy (Democratic), Jayapal, Pramila (Democratic), Kaptur, Marcy (Democratic), Ruiz, Raul (Democratic), Castro, Joaquin (Democratic), Loebsack, David (Democratic), Delgado, Antonio (Democratic), Case, Ed (Democratic), Thompson, Bennie G. (Democratic), Bass, Karen (Democratic), Davids, Sharice (Democratic), Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria (Democratic), Axne, Cynthia (Democratic), Fletcher, Lizzie (Democratic), Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho (Democratic), Slotkin, Elissa (Democratic), Finkenauer, Abby (Democratic), Schrader, Kurt (Democratic), Cunningham, Joe (Democratic), and Thompson, Mike (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 8?
This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 8?
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