A gun control bill that would create a national firearm registry, require licensing and psychological evaluations, government training and insurance was quietly introduced by a Democrat lawmaker in the House of Representatives last month.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee introduced the bill, dubbed “Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act,” on Jan. 4, 2021. The legislation’s name honors a Pakistani exchange student who died during a school shooting in Texas in 2018.
Under the proposed bill, gun owners would be required to purchase $800 insurance that protects the person “against liability for losses and damages resulting from the use of any firearm by the person” for one year.
The bill also prohibits ammunition .50 caliber or greater, with law enforcement and certain security personnel excluded, and would set a minimum gun ownership age to 21-years-old.
Jurisdiction over licensing would fall to the U.S. attorney general through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The bill would also force gun owners to finish a government training course, have a clean record and list their firearms on a federal government registry. Law enforcement at all levels would have access to the gun registry, in addition to the U.S. military.
Individuals who knowingly violate the terms within the bill could face fines between $30,000 and $150,000, as well as five to 25 years in prison.
Even displaying an antique firearm in a person’s private home would necessitate a federal gun license, in addition to another license under the legislation.
“Military-style weapons,” defined as a wide variety of semiautomatic rifles, pistols and certain shotguns, would also require a separate license.
Individuals who have been hospitalized as a result of mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse, homicidal or suicidal thoughts or a brain disease would be deemed ineligible for a gun license.
The psychological evaluation would include other members in a household, current and former spouses, relatives and associates.
“…the evaluation is conducted by a licensed psychologist approved by the Attorney General; as deemed necessary by the licensed psychologist involved, the evaluation included a psychological evaluation of other members of the household in which the individual resides; and as part of the psychological evaluation, the licensed psychologist interviewed any spouse of the individual, any former spouse of the individual, and at least 2 other persons who are a member of the family of, or an associate of, the individual to further determine the state of the mental, emotional, and relational stability of the individual in relation to firearms,” the bill states.
