A resolution designating July 2025 as "American Grown Flower and Foliage Month".
- Last Action
- 8/1/2025
Actions
- 2025-02-03Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S546)
- 2025-02-03Introduced in Senate
CRS Summary
As of 2025-02-03 (00)
Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025
This bill expands the regulation of .50 caliber rifles under federal firearms laws and authorizes new civil remedies for certain violations.
Firearms that are trafficked from the United States to Mexico are often routed to transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), including cartels. In recent years, TCOs increasingly use .50 caliber rifles in attacks on Mexican security forces.
In 2025, in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) bars a civil lawsuit by Mexico against U.S. firearms manufacturers and one U.S. firearms distributor for costs associated with gun violence in Mexico. (The PLCAA limits the civil liability of firearms manufacturers and sellers for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearms.)
This bill generally criminalizes the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of .50 caliber rifles under the Gun Control Act and subjects .50 caliber rifles to regulation (i.e., registration and licensing requirements) under the National Firearms Act.
Additionally, the bill criminalizes the sale or transfer of firearms and ammunition to foreign individuals or entities designated as significant foreign narcotics traffickers or as part of their networks and sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act).
Finally, the bill creates an exception under the PLCAA to allow civil lawsuits against firearms manufacturers or sellers that knowingly sell or transfer a firearm or ammunition to a foreign individual or entity designated and sanctioned under the Kingpin Act.
Cosponsors (16)
- Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
- Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Cory Booker (D-NJ)
- Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
- Timothy Kaine (D-VA)
- Andy Kim (D-NJ)
- Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
- Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
- John Reed (D-RI)
- Ron Wyden (D-OR)
- Adam Schiff (D-CA)
- Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Peter Welch (D-VT)
- Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
- Alex Padilla (D-CA)
- Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)
Subjects
- Civil actions and liability
- Firearms and explosives
- Licensing and registrations
- Manufacturing
- Organized crime
- Retail and wholesale trades
- Smuggling and trafficking
- Trade restrictions
Sourced from Congress.gov (public domain).
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.