Sponsors (4)
The bill directs modest federal funding to help small businesses develop firearm-safety technologies that could reduce accidental shootings, but it carries risks of limited taxpayer return, exclusion of larger-scale developers, administrative burden on grantees, and potential political or legal conflict over federal involvement in gun-related technology.
Small businesses that build firearm-safety technologies will be able to receive federal grant funding to develop prototypes and commercialize products, accelerating R&D that private markets may underfund.
Consumers—especially parents and families—could gain access to safer firearms and experience fewer accidental or unauthorized shootings if funded safety technologies reach the market.
Taxpayers are funding $10 million in grants that may not produce commercially viable products or measurable public-safety benefits, meaning public money could be spent with little return.
Federal definition and promotion of particular 'gun safety' technologies could trigger political and legal disputes over firearm regulation and usage rights, affecting owners, law enforcement, and families.
Limiting grant eligibility to small businesses (under 500 employees) may exclude larger firms that could scale safety technologies faster, potentially slowing widespread deployment.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a NIJ-run pilot grant program (3–5 grants) authorizing $10M for FY2026 to help small businesses commercialize gun safety technologies and require milestone reports.
Introduced August 8, 2025 by Mark James Desaulnier · Last progress August 8, 2025
Authorizes a pilot grant program to help small businesses develop and commercialize gun safety technologies that reduce accidental or unauthorized firearm use. The Attorney General, through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Director, must award 3–5 grants to qualified small businesses and oversee milestone reporting for prototype development, reliability testing, trial production planning, and commercialization preparation. The law defines covered "gun safety technology" to include smart or user‑authorized firearms, personalized or childproof systems, and safes/locking devices using personalized tech, and it authorizes $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to support the program.