Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004
Public Law 108-277 · H.R. 218 · 108th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Jul 22, 2004 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA-50)
Cosponsors (297): Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Rep. Jim Gibbons,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize a qualified law enforcement officer carrying photographic governmental agency identification to carry a concealed firearm, notwithstanding any State or local law. Declares that this provision shall not be construed to supersede or limit the laws of any State that: (1) permit private persons or entities to prohibit or restrict the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on any State or local government property, installation, building, base, or park.
Defines "qualified law enforcement officer" as: (1) a current governmental agency law enforcement officer who is authorized to carry a firearm, who is not the subject of disciplinary action, who meets agency standards which require the employee to regularly qualify in the use of a firearm, and who is not under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or substance; and (2) a retired law enforcement officer who retired in good standing from public agency service, who was regularly employed as a law enforcement officer for at least 15 years, who has a nonforfeitable right to agency retirement benefits, who has met the State's standards for training and qualification for active law enforcement officers to carry firearms during the most recent 12-month period, and who is not under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or substance.
Excludes from the definition of "firearm" any machine-gun, firearm silencer, and destructive device.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 253Identical billRelated bill
Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.
- Jul 22, 2004Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-277.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 16, 2004FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 9, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 7, 2004FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jun 25, 2004CalendarCalendar · Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 599.
- Jun 24, 2004CalendarCalendar · Received in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
- Jun 23, 2004FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 218.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Sensenbrenner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jun 22, 2004CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 326.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 108-560.
- Jun 16, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 9.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jun 15, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Mar 6, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Jan 7, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.