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S4929FEDERALFederal Billfiled
High Impact

Lethal Means Safe Storage for Veteran Suicide Prevention Act

Record date · August 1, 2024

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

This bill requires Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care providers to undergo annual training on suicide prevention and . It also establishes a grant program to provide free gun lock boxes and safes to veterans and mandates public education campaigns on safe storage.

Why it matters

The bill mandates new annual training requirements for all VA and community care health providers and authorizes $2 million annually through 2030 for the distribution of free firearm storage devices to veterans.

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.

Directly affected

Veterans

Veterans may receive free gun lock boxes or safes and will be the target audience for new public education campaigns.

Directly affected

Veterans Health Administration health care providers

Providers are required to complete annual training on lethal means safety and suicide prevention.

Directly affected

Veterans Community Care Program providers

These providers must complete annual training as a condition of serving in the program.

Directly affected

Veterans service organizations

These organizations are eligible to receive grants and are tasked with coordinating public education campaigns with the VA.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the VA track my firearm ownership if I get a free lock box?
No. The bill explicitly prohibits grant recipients from collecting personal information or inquiring about gun ownership, and it does not require veterans to register firearms with the VA.
Who is eligible to receive a free gun lock box or safe?
Veterans who provide proof of status, such as a Department of Defense Form 214, are eligible to receive these items from entities awarded grants under the program.
Does this bill make firearm storage mandatory for veterans?
No. The bill includes a stating that nothing in the act shall be construed to require mandatory firearm storage for participating veterans.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Mandatory Training Expansion

The bill shifts lethal means safety training from a potential elective or internal policy to a mandatory annual requirement for both internal VA staff and external community care providers.

Veterans Health AdministrationVeterans Community Care Program

Connected Entities

Lethal Means Safe Storage for Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, Veterans Community Care Program, section 1712A(h) and 15 more
bill numberLethal Means Safe Storage for Veteran Suicide Prevention Act“short title of the Act”Map →
OrganizationVeterans Community Care Program“healthcare providers under this program require training”Map →
othersection 1712A(h)“section of title 38 defining Vet Centers”Map →
dateAugust 1, 2024“date the bill was introduced”Map →
PersonKing“introduced the bill”Map →
OrganizationASTM International“sets standards for gun lock boxes and safes”Map →
date2030“end fiscal year for appropriations”Map →
date2025“start fiscal year for appropriations”Map →
othersection 922(g)“section of title 18 related to prohibited persons”Map →
dollar amount$2,000,000“total amount of grants awarded under the grant program”Map →
dollar amount$100,000“maximum amount an individual grant can be”Map →
otherDepartment of Defense Form 214“method for confirming veteran status”Map →
othertitle 5, United States Code“referenced for community care program and veterans service organizations”Map →
othersection 5902“section of title 38 defining veterans service organizations”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Veterans Affairs“responsible for updating policy and carrying out programs”Map →
othersection 1703“section of title 38 related to Veterans Community Care Program”Map →
OrganizationVeterans Health Administration“healthcare providers within this administration require training”Map →
bill numberS. 4929“bill number”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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