H.R. 923 — Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025

This section prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession—in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce—of rifles capable of firing .50 caliber ammunition, except for government entities or rifles lawfully possessed on or before enactment of the Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025. It further classifies such grandfathered rifles as firearms under the National Firearms Act (i.e., adding them to the list of regulated items such as machine guns and destructive devices), requiring owners to register them with the Secretary of the Treasury (or delegate) within 12 months of enactment without fee or tax. (Thus, registered rifles become subject to NFA transfer procedures, including approval and $200 tax stamps; registration information cannot be used against the owner in criminal proceedings for prior violations.)

This section adds a new exception to the civil liability immunity provided by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA)—which generally bars lawsuits against manufacturers or sellers of firearms or ammunition for the criminal or unlawful misuse of their products by others—for actions against a manufacturer or seller that knowingly sells or transfers a qualified product (i.e., a firearm, ammunition, or component part shipped in interstate or foreign commerce), or attempts or conspires to do so, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe the transaction is prohibited under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1904(c)) (i.e., to specially designated narcotics traffickers). (Thus, such lawsuits may proceed despite PLCAA protections.)

This section amends 18 U.S.C. §922(d) to add as a new prohibited purchaser category (d)(11) (A) a significant foreign narcotics trafficker publicly identified by the President in a report under specified provisions of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act or (B) a foreign person designated by the Secretary of the Treasury under that Act (thus prohibiting licensed dealers, importers, manufacturers, or collectors from selling or otherwise disposing of any firearm or ammunition to such persons). (As background, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act authorizes sanctions against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their associates.) It further amends specified provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to incorporate this new §922(d)(11) prohibitor into National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) criteria, including for denying transfers, permit approvals, and pawn redemptions.

This section adds rifles to federal firearms licensee reporting requirements for multiple sales of pistols or revolvers. (As background, under current law, licensed dealers must report to ATF any transfer of two or more pistols or revolvers, or any combination thereof, to the same unlicensed person at one time or within any five successive business days; this change requires the same reporting for two or more pistols, revolvers, rifles, or any combination thereof.)