Sponsors (14)
The bill substantially expands and coordinates federal gun-violence research and data-sharing to improve public-health interventions and safety, but it raises privacy, political, and cost concerns and may face administrative and adoption limits that constrain its impact.
Researchers, public-health agencies, and universities receive sustained federal funding (authorized $44M/year FY2026–2031) to study gun violence, enabling long-term, coordinated research programs.
Improved and ethically governed access to ATF Firearms Trace System and other data gives researchers and law enforcement better evidence on trafficking and patterns of firearm violence.
New research and data are likely to generate evidence that policymakers can use to design interventions that reduce gun injuries, suicides, and deaths, improving community health and safety.
Sharing dealer records and ATF trace data with researchers raises privacy and civil-liberties risks for gun owners if protocols or protections are inadequate.
Federal funding and expanded research on firearms are politically contentious and may provoke legal challenges, partisan pushback, or delays that hinder implementation.
The program increases federal spending (authorized $44M/year) and administrative costs, which will be borne by taxpayers and could draw criticism for diverting funds from other priorities.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Valerie Foushee · Last progress September 30, 2025
Creates a federally coordinated national program to expand and fund research on gun violence, remove prior restrictions on federal agencies conducting or supporting such research, and require federal agencies to share data and develop standards and training. It authorizes dedicated annual funding (FY2026–FY2031) for OSTP coordination, NSF research centers and grants, NIH/CDC research, NIST standards work, and DOJ research and data-sharing activities, and it directs timelines for interagency planning, advisory input, and researcher access to ATF trace and dealer records under agreed protocols.