Law Enforcement Protection and Privacy Act of 2025
- house
- senate
- president
Last progress February 27, 2025 (9 months ago)
Introduced on February 27, 2025 by Clay Higgins
Sponsors (21)
House Votes
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Senate Votes
Presidential Signature
AI Summary
This bill aims to keep certain gun trace data and gun dealer records private. It adds a new exemption to the Freedom of Information Act so the public cannot get information from the ATF’s Firearms Trace System or specific records that licensed gun dealers must keep or report ().
It also punishes government agencies that illegally share this protected information. State, local, tribal, or foreign agencies can be fined $10,000 for a first offense (or if more than 3 years have passed since the last one) and $25,000 for other offenses. Fines apply to each piece of information disclosed, and repeat offenders can lose access to this data for a year. The Attorney General can go to court to collect these fines (). Licensed gun dealers can also sue any government agency—including federal—for unlawful disclosure and can seek the greater of triple their damages or $25,000 per piece of information, plus possible punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and costs. Sovereign immunity is not a defense to these suits ().
- Who is affected: ATF and other government agencies; federally licensed gun dealers; the public requesting records ().
- What changes: New FOIA exemption for firearm trace data and certain dealer records; fines for unlawful disclosures; right for dealers to sue and recover damages (; ).
- Penalties: $10,000 for a first/older violation; $25,000 for other violations; fines counted per piece of information; 1-year loss of access for repeat offenders; court enforcement by the Attorney General ().
- Legal rights: Dealers can sue government agencies, with possible triple damages or $25,000 per piece, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees; sovereign immunity does not block these suits ().
- When: Applies to disclosures made after the bill becomes law ().