Designates certain firearm-related operations and staff as "excepted" so they continue to operate during a federal government shutdown. It explicitly covers FBI background-check processing (NICS and supporting work for ATF), ATF enforcement program operations, Commerce/BIS activities related to firearms (including export-license processing), and State Department/DDTC activities related to firearms (including export-license processing). These functions are treated as relating to an emergency for purposes of the statutes that govern which employees must continue working during a lapse in appropriations.