118 HR 4965 IH: Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act
U.S. House of Representatives
2023-07-27
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I
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4965
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2023
Ms. Jackson Lee (for herself, Mr. Schneider, Ms. Adams, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Bera, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Brown, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Cárdenas, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Casar, Mr. Casten, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Escobar, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Foushee, Mr. Frost, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Keating, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Landsman, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Manning, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. McBath, Ms. McClellan, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Mfume, Mr. Mrvan, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mr. Phillips, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Plaskett, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Ruppersberger, Ms. Sánchez, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Soto, Ms. Stansbury, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Wild, Ms. Williams of Georgia, and Mr. Thompson of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To create and disseminate best practices regarding safe firearm storage, to create a grant program for the distribution of safe storage devices, and for other purposes.
1.

Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act”.
2.

Best practices for safe firearm storage
(a)

Establishment
(1)

In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish voluntary best practices relating to safe firearm storage solely for the purpose of public education.
(2)

Public notice; hearing
The Attorney General shall give not less than 90 days public notice, and shall afford interested parties opportunity for hearing, before establishing the best practices.
(b)

Requirements
In establishing the best practices under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall outline the best practices for preventing firearm loss, theft, and other unauthorized access for the following locations:
(1)
Businesses.
(2)
Vehicles.
(3)
Private homes.
(4)
Off-site storage facilities.
(5)
Any other place about which the Attorney General deems appropriate to provide such guidance.
(c)

Publication
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall publish, in print and on a public website, the best practices established under subsection (a), and shall review and update the best practices not less often than annually.
3.

Promotion of safe firearm storage
(a)

In general
Section 923 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(m)
Beginning January 1, 2025, a licensed manufacturer or licensed importer that serializes not fewer than 250 firearms annually pursuant to subsection (i) shall provide with each manufactured or imported handgun, rifle, or shotgun a clear and conspicuous written notice that—
(1)
is attached or adhered to, or appears on or within any packaging of, the handgun, rifle, or shotgun; and
(2)
states “SAFE STORAGE SAVES LIVES” followed by the address of the public website established by the Attorney General pursuant to section 2 of the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act.”.
4.

Safe storage devices for all firearm sales
(a)

In general
Section 922(z) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking “handgun” each place it appears and inserting “handgun, rifle, or shotgun”.
(b)

Effective date
The amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
5.

Safe firearm storage grant program
(a)

In general
The Attorney General may award grants to States and Indian Tribes for the development, implementation, and evaluation of Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Programs.
(b)

Application requirements
Each applicant for a grant under this section shall—
(1)
submit to the Attorney General an application at such time, in such a manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may require; and
(2)
to the extent practicable, identify State, local, Tribal, and private funds available to supplement the funds received under this section.
(c)

Reporting requirements
(1)

Grantee report
(A)

In general
A recipient of a grant under this section shall submit to the Attorney General an annual report that includes the following information:
(i)
The amount distributed to each Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Program in the jurisdiction of the grant recipient.
(ii)
The number of safe firearm storage devices distributed by each such Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Program.
(B)

Prohibition
A recipient of a grant under this section shall not include in a report under subparagraph (A) any personally identifying information of a recipient of a safe firearms storage device pursuant to a Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Program funded under this section.
(2)

Attorney general report
Beginning 13 months after the date grants are first awarded under this section, and annually thereafter, the Attorney General shall submit to the Congress a report that includes the following:
(A)
A list of grant recipients during the preceding year, including the funds awarded, cumulatively and disaggregated by grantee.
(B)
The information submitted pursuant to paragraph (1).
(d)

Limitations on authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2034, to remain available until expended.
(e)

Use of funds
A grantee to which funds are awarded under this section—
(1)
shall use not less than 75 percent of the funds to create or to provide resources for Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Programs in the jurisdiction of the grantee; and
(2)
may make available to nonprofit organizations not more than 25 percent of the funds to partner with units of local government to purchase and distribute safe firearm storage devices.
(f)

Definitions
In this section:
(1)

Safe firearm storage device
The term safe firearm storage device means a device that—
(A)
is designed and marketed for the principal purpose of denying unauthorized access to, or rendering inoperable, a firearm or ammunition;
(B)
is secured by a combination lock, key lock, or lock based on biometric information; and
(C)
once locked, is incapable of being opened without the combination, key, or biometric information, respectively.
(2)

Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Program
The term Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Program means a program—
(A)
carried out by a unit of local government or an Indian tribe; and
(B)
solely for the purpose of acquiring and distributing safe firearm storage devices to the public.