REFERENCE TITLE: firearm dealers;
firearm transfers; requirements |
State of
Arizona House of
Representatives Fifty-fourth
Legislature Second Regular
Session 2020 |
HB 2545 |
|
Introduced by Representatives Longdon: Blanc, Bolding, Butler, Cano, Chávez,
Epstein, Fernandez, Friese, Hernandez D, Salman, Teller, Terán, Senators
Alston, Bradley, Steele |
AN ACT
amending title
44, chapter 36, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding article 2; relating to
firearms transfers.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 44, chapter 36, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 2, to read:
ARTICLE 2. FIREARMS DEALERS
44-7861. Definitions
In this article, unless the context otherwise
requires:
1. "Firearms dealer" means
a person that is any of the following:
(a) Engaged
in the business of selling firearms at wholesale or retail.
(b) Engaged
in the business of repairing firearms or of making or fitting special barrels,
stocks or trigger mechanisms to firearms.
(c) A
pawnbroker as defined in section 44‑1621.
(d) A
holder of a federal firearms license.
2. "Firearms trafficker"
means a person that sells or resells firearms without a federal firearms
license.
3. "Immediate family
member" means a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling,
grandparent, grandchild, niece, nephew, first cousin, aunt or uncle, whether by
adoption or blood.
4. "Person":
(a) Means an
individual, corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society or
joint stock company.
(b) Does not
include a holder of a federal firearms license.
5. "Straw purchaser" means
a person that illegally obtains a firearm for another person.
6. "Trace request" means an
inquiry from a law enforcement agency about the acquisition or disposition, or
both, of a specifically identified firearm.
7. "Transfer" includes selling, assigning, pledging or leasing a firearm.
44-7862. Firearms dealers; required actions; exceptions
A. A firearms dealer that transfers
firearms to persons in this state shall take reasonable measures to prevent the
transfer of firearms to straw purchasers or firearms traffickers, including:
1. Screening for indicators of straw
purchases and firearms traffickers, including asking questions of all
prospective transferees to determine whether the prospective transferee is a
legitimate, responsible purchaser, has or will obtain sufficient training and
knowledge of the firearm and intends to provide the firearm to another person.
2. Maintaining and reviewing records
of all trace requests received from any federal, state or local law enforcement
agency to determine and avoid sales with indicators that the sales may be
supplying the criminal market, including identifying the names of transferees
that bought a firearm that is later traced to criminal conduct, and the
patterns of those sales.
3. If a name is provided on the
method of payment, ensuring that the name on the method of payment matches the
name of the prospective transferee.
4. For transfers of firearms that are
purchased over the internet or telephone or by other electronic means, ensuring
that the individual who orders and pays for the firearm is the same individual
who completes the transfer in person.
5. Prohibiting firearms dealer
personnel from directing a customer on how to answer questions on forms that
must be completed in connection with the sale.
6. Limiting purchases of firearms to
one purchase per thirty days per civilian, nonlaw enforcement customer.
B. A firearms dealer that transfers
firearms to individuals shall take reasonable measures to prevent the transfer
of firearms to individuals who are prohibited from purchasing firearms and
individuals who are too dangerous to possess firearms, including:
1. Refusing to transfer a firearm
until a background check has been completed and the transferee is cleared to
purchase the firearm.
2. Refusing to transfer firearms or
ammunition to an individual who exhibits signs of alcohol intoxication, drug
use or possession or mental instability.
3. Searching available state court
and department of public safety databases that may provide information on
whether the prospective transferee is a prohibited possessor.
4. Refusing to transfer a firearm to
an individual if the firearms dealer has information that the individual may be
a danger to self or others.
5. Refusing to sell firearms at
firearm shows unless all firearm sales at the shows are conducted only on
completion of a background check.
6. Performing background checks for
private sellers for a reasonable fee.
C. A firearms dealer that sells a
firearm over the internet or telephone or through other electronic means and
that transfers the firearm to an in-state firearms dealer for transfer to a consumer
shall take reasonable measures to prevent straw purchasers, firearms
traffickers, prohibited possessors and other dangerous individuals from
acquiring firearms, including:
1. Establishing adequate safeguards
on its website and screening processes for telephonic or other electronic sales
that are designed to identify potential straw transactions and illegal intended
uses of the firearm.
2. Refusing to transfer a firearm if
the name on the customer's account does not match the name on the method of payment.
3. Refusing to transfer a firearm if
the firearms dealer has a reasonable suspicion that the transfer may be a straw
purchase, the buyer will illegally use the firearm or the buyer exhibits signs
of substance abuse or mental instability.
4. Clearly informing the in-state
firearms dealer of the name of the individual who ordered and paid for the
firearm and identifying that individual as the only individual who may complete
the transfer.
5. Limiting purchases of firearms to
one purchase per thirty days per civilian, nonlaw enforcement customer.
D. A firearms dealer that transfers
firearms to individuals shall take reasonable measures to prevent the theft of
firearms and ammunition, including:
1. Developing and implementing a plan
to protect its inventory that includes adequate locks, exterior lighting,
surveillance cameras, alarm systems and other anti-theft measures and
practices. The plan shall also address
the safe storage of weapons and ammunition that are displayed during business
hours.
2. Electronically recording the make,
model, caliber or gauge and serial number of all firearms that are acquired not
later than one business day after the acquisition and electronically recording
the purchaser not later than one business day after the disposition. The
firearms dealer shall maintain monthly backups of these records in a secure
container. The firearms dealer must account for all firearms that
are acquired but that are not yet disposed of through a daily electronic inventory
check that is maintained at a secure location.
3. Providing immediate notification
of loss or theft of any firearms to local and federal law enforcement
authorities.
E. A firearms dealer that transfers
firearms to individuals shall adopt reasonable employment practices and
policies to ensure maximum compliance with the law, including:
1. Requiring each firearms dealer
employee to pass a preemployment background check, including a criminal history
check that is the same as the criminal history check that firearms purchasers
must complete, and contacting a prospective employee's references and prior
employers.
2. Requiring each firearms dealer
employee who transfers firearms to attend an initial training session before
transferring firearms. The initial training session shall cover the
law governing firearm transfers, how to recognize straw purchases, how to
recognize indicators that a person is attempting to purchase firearms illegally
and may be diverting those firearms for later sale or transfer, and how to
respond to those attempts. Each firearms
dealer employee shall attend a similar refresher training session on an annual
basis.
3. Requiring each firearms dealer
employee who transfers firearms to review the circumstances surrounding each
firearm at issue in each trace request that is received, including a review of
the videotape or electronic recording of the sale.
4. Firing A firearms dealer employee
who participates in a clear or obvious straw purchase in violation of the
firearms dealer's policy or law and seeking and supporting criminal
prosecution, as appropriate.
5. Annually reviewing and updating
compliance policies, procedures and training materials regarding firearms
transactions.
6. Producing a biannual report of the
firearms dealer's safety and compliance record and making it available to the
public. The report shall specifically
state the total number of firearms traced to the firearms dealer in the prior
six months, broken down by month, the number of known straw purchases either
attempted or completed within the prior six months, broken down by month, and
the number of violations cited by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives during the past one hundred eighty days.
F. A firearms dealer that transfers
firearms to individuals shall take reasonable measures to assist law
enforcement in investigating and preventing criminal access to firearms,
including:
1. Immediately notifying local, state
and federal law enforcement authorities of suspected straw purchasers, prohibited
possessors or dangerous individuals who attempt to obtain firearms.
2. Immediately notifying local, state
and federal law enforcement authorities of multiple handgun purchases by the
same customer that occur within any ninety-day period.
3. Videotaping and audio recording
all point-of-sale firearms transactions and maintaining the videotapes or
electronic recordings for at least five years.
G. A firearms dealer that transfers
firearms to individuals shall maintain a liability insurance policy with a
minimum policy limit of $1,000,000 to potentially compensate victims for damage
to property and for injury to or death of any individual as a result of a
firearms dealer's wrongful conduct in the transfer of any firearm or
ammunition.
H. This section does not apply if the
firearm transfer is either:
1. A bona fide gift between immediate
family members.
2. Necessary to prevent imminent
death or severe physical injury to the transferee and both:
(a) The
transfer lasts only as long as immediately necessary to prevent the imminent
death or severe physical injury.
(b) The transferee is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.
44-7863. Violation; civil penalty
A firearms
dealer that violates this article is subject to a civil penalty of $500 for
each violation.