H.R. 3299: Protecting Our Communities Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-05-18 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-05-18 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Demings, Val Butler [D-FL-10] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
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

Protecting Our Communities Act

Plain summary

Protecting Our Communities Act This expands the types of parts, weapons, and devices that are subject to regulation under federal firearms laws. The bill also establishes a notification requirement following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial. Specifically, the bill includes as a firearm any combination of parts designed or intended to be used to convert a device into a firearm and from which a firearm may be readily assembled; adds armor-piercing, concealable weapons to the list of firearms subject to regulation under federal firearms laws; and provides statutory authority for the regulation issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to classify bump-stock devices as machine guns for the purposes of federal firearms laws. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Justice to notify state and local law enforcement authorities following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in 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

Protecting Our Communities Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in 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. Demings, Val Butler [D-FL-10] · 12 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mike Thompson (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

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).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr3299.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>

Record fed-us-cong117-hr3299 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117