The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act
Last action · May 15, 2026: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H3541)Sponsors: Christian Menefee and 2 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
This bill mandates that firearm sellers provide safe storage notices and devices with sales, establishes federal best practices for firearm storage, and creates a grant program to help local governments distribute storage devices. It also introduces a federal tax credit for the retail sale of safe firearm storage equipment.
The bill would require licensed firearm sellers to include storage devices with all sales, authorize $10 million annually in federal grants for local storage distribution programs, and provide a 10% tax credit (up to $400) for retail sales of storage devices.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Licensed firearm manufacturers and importers
They must include specific written notices with all handguns, rifles, and shotguns sold starting in 2029.
Licensed firearm dealers
They are required to provide a safe storage device with the sale of rifles and shotguns in addition to handguns.
State and local governments
They are eligible to apply for federal grants to fund local programs that distribute safe storage devices to the public.
Key Facts
- Requires licensed firearm manufacturers and importers (serializing 250+ firearms annually) to include a 'SAFE STORAGE SAVES LIVES' notice with all handguns, rifles, and shotguns starting January 1, 2029.
- Expands existing federal requirements for firearm dealers to include a safe storage device with the sale of any rifle or shotgun, not just handguns, effective 180 days after enactment.
- Authorizes $10 million in annual appropriations for fiscal years 2027 through 2037 for a federal grant program to distribute safe storage devices.
- Requires the Attorney General to establish voluntary best practices for firearm storage in homes, vehicles, and businesses within 180 days of enactment.
Show all 9 facts
- Provides a 10% tax credit on the retail sale of safe firearm storage devices, capped at $400 per device.
- Mandates that at least 75% of grant funds be used by local governments or tribes for storage device distribution programs.
- Limits nonprofit organization participation in grant-funded distribution to no more than 25% of a grantee's total funds.
- Prohibits the collection or reporting of personally identifying information for individuals who receive storage devices through grant-funded programs.
- Requires the Attorney General to publish and annually update official safe storage best practices on a public website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this bill require me to store my firearms in a specific way?
Will I get a tax credit for buying a gun safe?
How will local governments get money to give out free gun locks or safes?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- May 15, 2026Library of CongressSponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H3541)
- Apr 30, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Apr 30, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Storage Mandates
The bill expands the existing federal requirement for including storage devices with handguns to now include rifles and shotguns.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools