Findings

Congress finds as follows: (1) in 2023, gun violence claimed 46,728 lives, marking the third-highest number of gun-related deaths ever recorded in the United States in a single year. (2) Between 2018 and 2022, approximately 90 percent of the firearm violence committed in the United States for which a firearm type was specified involved a handgun. (3) During the 5-year period described in paragraph (2), 35,959 people in the United States were killed with a handgun. (4) Research by top national experts shows that— (A) the adoption of handgun purchaser licensing laws is associated with significant reductions in firearm-related homicides; and (B) the repeal of handgun purchaser licensing laws is associated with significant increases in firearm-related homicides. (5) Research on the effects of the adoption of a handgun purchaser licensing law in Connecticut in 1995 showed— (A) a 27.8-percent reduction in the rate of firearm homicide; and (B) a 32.8-percent reduction in firearm suicide rates. (6) Published research has shown that the repeal of a handgun purchaser licensing law in Missouri in 2007 was associated with— (A) a 47.3-percent increase in the rate of firearm homicide; and (B) a 23.5-percent increase in firearm suicide rates. (7) Research on the impact of the adoption of a handgun purchaser licensing law in Maryland in 2013 found— (A) that the adoption was associated with an 82-percent reduction in the Baltimore Police Department’s recovery of handguns with key indications of diversion for criminal use; and (B) that 41 percent of prohibited purchasers surveyed in Baltimore reported greater difficulty in obtaining a handgun. (8) Research on the effects of firearm purchaser licensing laws throughout 3 decades found that— (A) in urban counties between 1984 and 2015, firearm purchaser licensing laws were associated with an 11 percent reduction in firearm homicides; and (B) between 1984 and 2017, States with strong firearm purchaser licensing laws were associated with 56 percent lower rates of fatal mass shooting incidents and 67 percent fewer mass shooting victims. (9) In States that have had effective handgun purchaser licensing laws for decades, such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, the vast majority of firearms traced to crimes originated in States that do not have handgun purchaser licensing laws, which supports the need for handgun purchaser licensing laws in every State. (10) Research has shown that States with handgun purchaser licensing laws export far fewer firearms for criminal use in other States than States that lack handgun purchaser licensing laws. (11) On January 13, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear a challenge to Maryland’s handgun licensing law, allowing the ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which upheld the constitutionality of the law, to stand.