Responsible Ownership of Firearms Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8631 To establish competitive grant programs to incentivize the safe and responsible storage of firearms, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 20, 2020 Mr. GOLDEN (for himself and Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To establish competitive grant programs to incentivize the safe and responsible storage of firearms, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Responsible Ownership 4 of Firearms Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 6 It is the sense of Congress that— 7 (1) since 1999, more than 15,000 law enforce- 8 ment agencies have partnered with nonprofit organi- 9 zations to distribute more than 38 million firearm 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8631.IH H8631 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8631 IH safety education kits, which include firearm locking 1 devices and informational materials, to firearm own- 2 ers in all 50 States and 5 U.S. territories; 3 (2) in addition to providing for the secure stor- 4 age of countless firearms, these actions have raised 5 awareness about safe and responsible firearm owner- 6 ship and the importance of storing firearms securely 7 when not in use, which has proven effective in pre- 8 venting unauthorized access to firearms thereby re- 9 ducing and preventing accidents, theft, and misuse, 10 including suicide; and 11 (3) Federal investment in enhancing and ex- 12 panding these efforts is critical to educating a 13 broader proportion of the public while keeping oper- 14 able firearms out of the hands of those who cannot 15 be trusted to use them responsibly. 16 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPETITIVE GRANT PRO- 17 GRAM. 18 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this program is to re- 19 duce the rates of accidental death, theft, criminal misuse, 20 and suicide through the safe and responsible storage of 21 firearms when not in use. 22 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Attorney General, 23 through the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Office 24 of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice shall 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8631.IH H8631 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8631 IH establish a competitive grant program to make funds 1 available to nonprofit organizations to purchase firearm 2 safety education kits for distribution to the public. 3 (c) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out this section, the Di- 4 rector of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall make 5 available grants to nonprofit organizations to partner with 6 local, State, or tribal law enforcement agencies to: 7 (1) purchase and distribute firearm locking de- 8 vices to firearm owners; and 9 (2) develop and distribute educational materials 10 on safe and responsible gun ownership, safe firearm 11 storage and firearm safety in general. 12 The educational materials shall not include information in- 13 tended to prevent, preclude, or dissuade the legal use, pos- 14 session, or ownership of firearms. 15 (d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 16 (1) An entity eligible to receive funding under 17 this section shall be— 18 (A) a nonprofit organization; and 19 (B) identified as having the technical and 20 logistical experience, and financial capabilities 21 needed to carry out activities under subsection 22 (c). 23 (2) The Attorney General, through the Depart- 24 ment of Justice Office of Justice Programs, shall 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8631.IH H8631 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8631 IH prioritize for receipt of a grant under this Act eligi- 1 ble entities that have a history of effectively partici- 2 pating in activities set forth in subsection (c). 3 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 4 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 5 $50,000,000, to be available until expended. 6 SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 7 Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this 8 Act, shall be construed to— 9 (1) authorize the establishment, directly or indi- 10 rectly, of a national firearms registry; or 11 (2) promote or require mandatory firearm stor- 12 age requirements. 13 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8631.IH H8631 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS