S. 1108Senate117th Congress (2021-2023)In Committee

Keep Americans Safe Act

Introduced April 14, 2021

AI-Generated Summary

Updated February 8, 2026 at 1:32 AM UTC

The Keep Americans Safe Act creates a federal ban on large‑capacity ammunition feeding devices—magazines, drums, belts, or similar devices that hold more than 10 rounds—while allowing certain law‑enforcement and other limited exemptions. It also requires serial‑number markings, expands seizure rules, and authorizes funding for buy‑back programs.

Key Provisions

  • Defines “large capacity ammunition feeding device” as any magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, helical feeder or similar that can hold or be converted to hold more than 10 rounds, excluding .22‑caliber tubular devices.
  • Makes it illegal to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess such devices, except for devices already owned before the law takes effect.
  • Provides exemptions for possession by federal, state, or local law‑enforcement officers (including campus police), qualified nuclear‑facility licensees, retired law‑enforcement personnel with prior official devices, and for testing authorized by the Attorney General.
  • Requires all newly manufactured large capacity devices to have a serial number and the date of manufacture engraved or cast on them, as prescribed by the Attorney General.
  • Expands existing seizure and forfeiture statutes to include large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
  • Allows Byrne grant funds to be used for buy‑back programs that compensate owners who surrender large capacity devices.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

April 14, 2021

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

April 14, 2021

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

April 14, 2021

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S. 1108 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat
Benjamin L. Cardin
Sen. Benjamin L. CardinD-MD · May 26, 2022

Madam President, another mass shooting, another elementary school; 19 children, ages 7 through 10, gunned down; two adults killed. They were in our schools--an elementary school, a place that parents…

Dan Sullivan
Sen. Dan SullivanR-AK · May 26, 2022

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

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Introduced in SenateIssued April 14, 2021

II

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1108

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 14, 2021

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Reed, Ms. Warren, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. King, Mr. Booker, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Carper, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Coons, Ms. Smith, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Casey, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Hirono, and Mr. Van Hollen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To regulate large capacity ammunition feeding devices.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Keep Americans Safe Act.

2.

Definitions

Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after paragraph (29) the following:

(30)

The term large capacity ammunition feeding device

(A)

means a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, helical feeding device, or similar device, including any such device joined or coupled with another in any manner, that has an overall capacity of, or that can be readily restored, changed, or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition; and

(B)

does not include an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.

(31)

The term qualified law enforcement officer has the meaning given the term in section 926B.

.

3.

Restrictions on large capacity ammunition feeding devices

(a)

In general

Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after subsection (u) the following:

(v)
(1)

It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

(2)

Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the possession of any large capacity ammunition feeding device otherwise lawfully possessed on or before the date of enactment of the Keep Americans Safe Act.

(3)

Paragraph (1) shall not apply to—

(A)

the importation for, manufacture for, sale to, transfer to, or possession by the United States or a department or agency of the United States or a State or a department, agency, or political subdivision of a State, or a sale or transfer to or possession by a qualified law enforcement officer employed by the United States or a department or agency of the United States or a State or a department, agency, or political subdivision of a State for purposes of law enforcement (whether on or off-duty), or a sale or transfer to or possession by a campus law enforcement officer for purposes of law enforcement (whether on or off-duty);

(B)

the importation for, or sale or transfer to a licensee under title I of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) for purposes of establishing and maintaining an on-site physical protection system and security organization required by Federal law, or possession by an employee or contractor of such licensee on-site for such purposes or off-site for purposes of licensee-authorized training or transportation of nuclear materials;

(C)

the possession, by an individual who is retired in good standing from service with a law enforcement agency and is not otherwise prohibited from receiving ammunition, of a large capacity ammunition feeding device—

(i)

sold or transferred to the individual by the agency upon such retirement; or

(ii)

that the individual purchased, or otherwise obtained, for official use before such retirement; or

(D)

the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of any large capacity ammunition feeding device by a licensed manufacturer or licensed importer for the purposes of testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General.

(4)

For purposes of paragraph (3)(A), the term campus law enforcement officer means an individual who is—

(A)

employed by a private institution of higher education that is eligible for funding under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.);

(B)

responsible for the prevention or investigation of crime involving injury to persons or property, including apprehension or detention of persons for such crimes;

(C)

authorized by Federal, State, or local law to carry a firearm, execute search warrants, and make arrests; and

(D)

recognized, commissioned, or certified by a government entity as a law enforcement officer.

.

(b)

Identification markings for large capacity ammunition feeding devices

Section 923(i) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: A large capacity ammunition feeding device manufactured after the date of enactment of the Keep Americans Safe Act shall be identified by a serial number and the date on which the device was manufactured or made, legibly and conspicuously engraved or cast on the device, and such other identification as the Attorney General shall by regulations prescribe..

(c)

Seizure and forfeiture of large capacity ammunition feeding devices

Section 924(d) of title 18, United States Code, is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (1)—

(A)

in the first sentence—

(i)

by striking Any firearm or ammunition involved in and inserting Any firearm or ammunition or large capacity ammunition feeding device involved in;

(ii)

by striking or (k) and inserting (k), or (v); and

(iii)

by striking any firearm or ammunition intended and inserting any firearm or ammunition or large capacity ammunition feeding device intended; and

(B)

in the second and third sentences, by inserting or large capacity ammunition feeding device after firearms or ammunition each place the term appears;

(2)

in paragraph (2)—

(A)

in subparagraph (A), by inserting or large capacity ammunition feeding device after firearms or ammunition; and

(B)

in subparagraph (C), by inserting or large capacity ammunition feeding devices after firearms or quantities of ammunition; and

(3)

in paragraph (3)(E), by inserting 922(v), after 922(n),.

4.

Penalties

Section 924(a)(1)(B) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking or (q) and inserting (q), or (v).

5.

Use of Byrne grants for buy-back programs for large capacity ammunition feeding devices

Section 501(a)(1) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10152(a)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(I)

Compensation for surrendered large capacity ammunition feeding devices, as that term is defined in section 921 of title 18, United States Code, under buy-back programs for large capacity ammunition feeding devices.

.

6.

Severability

If any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or the application of such provision or amendment to any person or circumstance is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, the amendments made by this Act, and the application of such provision or amendment to any person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby.