Sponsors (13)
The bill expands carry exemptions and streamlines certification for current and retired officers—improving legal clarity and on-site armed response—but increases the presence of firearms and raises safety, enforcement, and liability concerns for schools, federal facilities, and property owners.
Current and retired law-enforcement officers can carry concealed firearms in school zones and many Level I/II federal public-access facilities without violating federal prohibitions, reducing their risk of criminal penalties and enabling faster armed response to active threats.
State and local certified instructors and agencies can certify retired officers under broader, localized standards, simplifying testing and reducing administrative burden for officers and governments.
Allowing qualified officers to retain firearms in federal public-access buildings may deter violent crime and improve safety for visitors, staff, and taxpayers by providing on-site, trained armed responders.
Students, teachers, and parents will face increased exposure to firearms in and near schools because more individuals (including retired officers) can carry in school zones, raising the chance of accidental or intentional firearm incidents.
Visitors, staff, and federal employees will face greater risk from more firearms inside low- and moderate-security federal public-access buildings, increasing the likelihood of accidental discharges or misuse.
Schools, facility owners/operators, and local governments will face more complex security-management, enforcement, and liability burdens to distinguish exempt officers from prohibited individuals and to manage multiple armed persons on site.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Expands concealed-carry exemptions for qualified current and retired law enforcement officers, relaxes retired-officer qualification options, and allows carry in certain federal public-access facilities and school zones.
Introduced February 20, 2025 by John Neely Kennedy · Last progress February 20, 2025
Allows qualified current and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms in places currently banned by the Gun-Free School Zones Act and in certain public-access federal facilities. It broadens the types of firearms-qualification proof retired officers may use, clarifies where state or federal property rules still apply (such as public transportation and property open to the public), and adds definitions tied to federal facility security levels.