,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #iga  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #e1        
#bjai,ms4 ,clark of ,massachusetts      
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on the      
,judiciary  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title  
#ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 to prohibit 
the possession of a firearm by1 or the  
disposition of a firearm to1 a person   
who has been convicted of a misdemeanor 
crime of animal cruelty4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,animal ,violence ,exposes ,real ,threat
 of ,future ,gun ,violence ,act of #bjai
 or the ,,avert ,future ,gun ,violence  
,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,prohibition on the 
possession of a firearm by1 or the      
disposition of a firearm to1 a person   
who has been convicted of a misdemeanor 
crime of animal cruelty  7a7 ,definition
 ,section #iba7;a7 of title #ah1 ,united
 ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at 
the end the following3  7#ce7  7,a7 ,the
 term misdemeanor crime of animal       

cruelty means an offense that-- 7i7 is a
 misdemeanor under ,federal1 ,state1 or 
tribal law2 and  7ii7 has1 as an        
element1 knowingly causing unnecessary  
or unjustifiable physical pain or       
suffering to an animal by an act1       
omission1 or neglect4  7,b7  7i7 ,a     
person shall not be considered to have  
been convicted of such an offense for   
purposes of this chapter1 unless--  7,i7
 the person was represented by counsel  
in the case1 or knowingly and           
intelligently waived the right to       
counsel in the case2 and  7,,ii7 in the 
case of a prosecution for an offense    
described in this paragraph for which a 
person was entitled to a jury trial in  
the jurisdiction in which the case was  
tried1 either--  7aa7 the case was tried
 by a jury2 or  7bb7 the person         
knowingly and intelligently waived the  
right to have the case tried by a jury1 
by guilty plea or otherwise4  7ii7 ,a   
person shall not be considered to have  
been convicted of such an offense for   

purposes of this chapter if the         
conviction has been expunged or set     
aside1 or is an offense for which the   
person has been pardoned or has had     
civil rights restored 7if the law of the
 applicable jurisdiction provides for   
the loss of civil right under such an   
offense71 unless the pardon1            
expungement1 or restoration of civil    
rights expressly provides that the      
person may not ship1 transport1 possess1
 or receive firearms4  4  7b7           
,prohibitions ,section #ibb of such     
title is amended-- 7#a7 in the #ast     
sentence of subsection 7d7--  7,a7 in   
paragraph 7#h77;,b77ii71 by striking or 
at the end2  7,b7 in paragraph 7#i71 by 
striking the period and inserting 2 or2 
and  7,c7 by adding at the end the      
following3  7#aj7 has been convicted in 
any court of a misdemeanor crime of     
animal cruelty4  2 and  7#b7 in         
subsection 7g7-- 7,a7 in paragraph      
7#h77;,c77ii71 by striking or at the    
end2  7,b7 in paragraph 7#i71 by        

striking the comma and inserting 2 or2  
and  7,c7 by adding at the end the      
following3  7#aj7 who has been convicted
 in any court of a misdemeanor crime of 
animal cruelty1  4