The bill reduces tax and regulatory burdens to make specified less‑than‑lethal projectile devices cheaper and easier for manufacturers, law enforcement, and purchasers to obtain, but it does so at the cost of lost federal revenue and increased public‑safety, enforcement, and diversion risks.
Manufacturers, producers, and sellers of qualifying less‑than‑lethal projectile devices face lower federal costs because the bill removes an excise tax and reduces certain NFA compliance burdens, likely lowering prices and speeding market entry.
Law enforcement agencies and private security firms can procure and deploy specified less‑than‑lethal devices without them being treated as NFA items, simplifying procurement, deployment, and use by public safety organizations.
Consumers, local governments, and public agencies may see lower prices and easier access to qualifying less‑than‑lethal devices if sellers pass on cost savings, which could reduce procurement costs for public safety programs.
Federal tax revenue will fall because the excise tax on qualifying less‑than‑lethal devices is removed, potentially increasing pressure for higher taxes elsewhere or reduced government spending.
Easier availability and lower cost of certain less‑than‑lethal projectile devices could increase civilian access and misuse, raising public safety and injury risks in communities.
Removing these items from the NFA's scope weakens transfer and control mechanisms (including background-check-related safeguards), increasing the risk of unlawful diversion and complicating criminal-justice responses.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal excise tax exemption for specified “less‑than‑lethal projectile devices” and related cartridges, and removes those devices from the special firearms definition in federal law. It sets a 500 feet‑per‑second velocity cap and other design criteria to qualify, directs the Treasury to classify devices on request within 90 days, and requires public lists and an annual report to tax committees. The tax change applies to articles sold after the law is enacted; new classification requests follow the bill’s timing rules.
Introduced June 27, 2025 by David Schweikert · Last progress June 27, 2025