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H.R. 1446: Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021

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H.R. 1446: Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-03-01 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 391.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-03-01 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Clyburn, James E. [D-SC-6] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: 3 recorded votes in our records. Latest: House roll call 76 (2021): On Motion to Recommit, HR1446 (2021-03-11), Failed. See all
  4. Where it stands now: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 391. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021

Plain summary

Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (Sec. 2) This bill revises background check requirements applicable to proposed firearm transfers from a federal firearms licensee (e.g., a licensed gun dealer) to an unlicensed person. Specifically, it increases the amount of time, from 3 business days to a minimum of 10 business days, that a federal firearms licensee must wait to receive a completed background check prior to transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person. (This type of transaction is often referred to as a default proceed transaction.) If a submitted background check remains incomplete after 10 business days, then the prospective purchaser may submit a petition for a final firearms eligibility determination. If an additional 10 days elapse without a final determination, then the federal firearms licensee may transfer the firearm to the prospective purchaser. (Sec. 3) The Government Accountability Office must report on the extent to which the changes have prevented firearms transfers to prohibited persons. (Sec. 4) The Federal Bureau of Investigation must report on the number of petitions it receives for final federal firearms determinations. (Sec. 5) The Department of Justice, in consultation with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, must report on further amendments to the background check process that would likely reduce the risk of death or great bodily harm to victims of domestic violence, domestic abuse, dating partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Clyburn, James E. [D-SC-6] · 165 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Alma S. Adams (D-NC), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), André Carson (D-IN), Sean Casten (D-IL), Katherine M. Clark (D-MA), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Bradley Scott Schneider (D-IL), Adam Smith (D-WA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Haley M. Stevens (D-MI), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and 105 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Clyburn, James E. [D-SC-6] reported raising $1.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr1446 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117