18 U.S.C. § 923
Licensing
United States · Title 18 — CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 18 U.S.C. § 923, Licensing, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/449017
- Permanent ID
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Full text
No person shall engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms, or importing or manufacturing ammunition, until he has filed an application with and received a license to do so from the Attorney General. The application shall be in such form and contain only that information necessary to determine eligibility for licensing as the Attorney General shall by regulation prescribe and shall include a photograph and fingerprints of the applicant. Each applicant shall pay a fee for obtaining such a license, a separate fee being required for each place in which the applicant is to do business, as follows:
If the applicant is a manufacturer—
If the applicant is an importer—
If the applicant is a dealer—
Any application submitted under subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be approved if—
the applicant certifies that—
Each licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, and licensed dealer shall maintain such records of importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms at his place of business for such period, and in such form, as the Attorney General may by regulations prescribe. Such importers, manufacturers, and dealers shall not be required to submit to the Attorney General reports and information with respect to such records and the contents thereof, except as expressly required by this section. The Attorney General, when he has reasonable cause to believe a violation of this chapter has occurred and that evidence thereof may be found on such premises, may, upon demonstrating such cause before a Federal magistrate judge and securing from such magistrate judge a warrant authorizing entry, enter during business hours the premises (including places of storage) of any licensed firearms importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, licensed collector, or any licensed importer or manufacturer of ammunition, for the purpose of inspecting or examining—
The Attorney General may inspect or examine the inventory and records of a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer without such reasonable cause or warrant—
for ensuring compliance with the record keeping requirements of this chapter—
The Attorney General may inspect the inventory and records of a licensed collector without such reasonable cause or warrant—
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone. The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.
- Firearms Owners' Protection ActHouse: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A bill to amend title 18, United States Code.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 1985House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Crime Control Act of 1990House: 313–1Senate: no recorded tally
- Judicial Improvements Act of 1990House: 386–18Senate: no recorded tally
- Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
- Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
- Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997
- Economic Espionage Act of 1996House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999
- Homeland Security Act of 2002