FIREARM Act

This bill gives federally licensed gun dealers more chances to fix rule violations before losing their license. If a dealer reports their own mistake first, the government can’t use that alone to revoke or deny a renewal, unless it’s something that can’t be fixed or involves selling to someone who is not allowed to have a gun. Dealers get clear notice of what went wrong and 30 business days to correct it, with help and training from the government. Small or clerical errors are presumed not “willful,” and past mistakes can’t be used to prove willfulness by themselves. Once a violation is corrected, it generally can’t be used to punish the dealer later, unless it created a direct, serious safety risk.

If the government still moves to revoke a license, the dealer can quickly ask a federal court to review it. The revocation is paused while the court looks at the case from scratch, and the government must show the dealer willfully broke the law to uphold the revocation. The bill also applies these rules to past cases tied to the ATF’s “Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement Policy” announced in 2021. Dealers who lost or surrendered licenses under that policy can reapply if they’re otherwise eligible and show they fixed past issues.

• Who is affected: Federal firearm licensees (gun stores and other licensed sellers).
• What changes: More time and help to fix violations; limits on when self-reported errors lead to punishment; clearer, tougher standard for “willful” violations; faster court review that pauses revocations.
• When: Applies going forward and also retroactively to cases under the 2021 enforcement policy.