National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025 · Introduced in House (2025-09-30) · Congress.wiki

H.R. 5622

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

To provide for a coordinated national research program to examine the nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of violence and unintended injury and death relating to gun ownership, use, and trafficking, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · September 30, 2025 · Sponsor: Mrs. Foushee

H.R. 5622

SEC. 1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025.

SEC. 2. Findings

Congress makes the following findings:
- In the last 50 years, more individuals in the United States have died from gunshots than in all wars in which the United States was a combatant, combined.
- The rate of gun violence deaths in the United States is more than 11 times that of other high-income nations.
- Guns accounted for 79 percent of homicides and 55 percent of suicides in 2023, totaling over 45,000 deaths in the United States.
- Gun violence disproportionately affects communities of color. In 2022, Black Americans were 12 times as likely as White Americans to be killed by gun violence while Hispanic and Latino Americans were twice as likely to be killed.
- Provisions in appropriations Acts dating back to 1996 have had a chilling effect on Federal funding for research on gun violence across the Federal Government and, as a result, research on gun violence is significantly underfunded relative to other leading causes of death.
- Research examining the nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of gun-related violence, suicide, and unintentional injury and death does not constitute advocacy in support of, or opposition to, gun control policies or regulations.
- More research and high-quality data relating to gun violence are needed to inform the development of effective strategies to reduce the incidence of gun-related injury and death.

SEC. 3. Definitions

In this Act:
- The term Director means the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
- The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (). 20 U.S.C. 1001
- The term Program means the National Gun Violence Research Program established under section 5.

SEC. 4. Research and data restrictions repeal

(a) Gun trace data
- The matter under the heading in title II of division B of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 ( note; ; 125 Stat. 609–610) is amended by striking the 6th proviso. 18 U.S.C. 923; Public Law 112–55
- The 6th proviso under the heading in title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 ( note; ; 123 Stat. 3128–3129) is amended by striking Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expensesand inserting beginning in fiscal year 2010 and thereafter. 18 U.S.C. 923; Public Law 111–117
- The 6th proviso under the heading in title II of division B of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 ( note; ; 123 Stat. 574–576) is amended by striking Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expensesand inserting beginning in fiscal year 2009 and thereafter. 18 U.S.C. 923; Public Law 111–8
- The 6th proviso under the heading in title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 ( note; ; 121 Stat. 1903–1904) is amended by striking Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expensesand inserting beginning in fiscal year 2008 and thereafter. 18 U.S.C. 923; Public Law 110–161
- The 6th proviso under the heading in title I of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 ( note; ; 119 Stat. 2295–2296) is amended by striking . 18 U.S.C. 923; Public Law 109–108
- The 6th proviso under the heading in title I of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 ( note; ; 118 Stat. 2859–2860) is amended by striking . 18 U.S.C. 923; Public Law 108–447
(b) Department of Health and Human Services
- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds made available to the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, may be used to conduct or support research with respect to gun violence.

SEC. 5. Research program

(a) Establishment
- The President, acting through the Director, shall develop and implement a program to improve public health and safety through research on gun violence, to be known as the , through activities carried out in collaboration with covered agencies that— National Gun Violence Research Program
  - support gun violence research;
  - accelerate the translation of gun violence research into effective policy interventions to reduce the incidence of injury and death related to guns;
  - expand the number of researchers and students in the field of gun violence research; and
  - improve interagency planning and coordination of Federal Government activities relating to gun violence research.
(b) Program activities
- A covered agency, in carrying out activities described in subsection (a) under the Program, shall—
  - award grants to individual investigators and interdisciplinary teams of investigators for projects related to gun violence research;
  - support projects funded under joint solicitations by a collaboration of not fewer than two covered agencies;
  - establish interdisciplinary research centers that are organized to investigate basic research questions and inform policy decisions relating to gun violence;
  - provide for the education and training of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars in gun violence research; and
  - promote the development of voluntary consensus gun safety technical standards.
(c) Interagency working group
- (1) In general
  - Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the National Science and Technology Council, shall establish or maintain an interagency working group on gun violence research.
- (2) Composition
  - The working group established or maintained under paragraph (1) shall be chaired by the Director and include representatives from each covered agency.
- (3) Duties
  - The Working Group shall—
    - oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the Program;
    - provide for coordination among covered agencies of Federal gun violence research and other activities undertaken pursuant to the Program;
    - establish and periodically update goals and priorities for the Program; and
    - develop, not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and update every 5 years, a strategic plan to guide the activities of the Program to meet the goals and priorities established under subparagraph (C).
(d) Advisory committee
- (1) In general
  - Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Director, shall establish or maintain an advisory committee on gun violence research.

SEC. 6. Agency activities

(a) National Science Foundation
- (1) Research
  - The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions)—
    - to support multidisciplinary research to better understand the nature, causes, and consequences of gun violence, including violence, suicide, unintended injury, and death involving guns;
    - to examine the effects of gun policy interventions on—
      - (i) rates of suicide, homicide, and unintended injury and death;
      - (ii) individuals’ ability to use guns for self-defense, hunting, and recreation; and
      - (iii) the gun industry; and
    - to educate and train researchers in the field of violence, including gun violence, research.
- (2) National Center for Violence Research
  - The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award grants on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions) to establish one or more centers to conduct multidisciplinary research and education activities in support of the goals and priorities of the Program. Such grants shall be known as . National Center for Violence Research Grants
- (3) Authorization of appropriations
  - There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
(b) National Institute of Standards and Technology
- (1) Voluntary consensus standards
  - The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall establish a program to promote the development of voluntary consensus gun safety technical standards. Such program shall include—
    - outreach, coordination, and technical support to relevant industry and nonindustry stakeholders and standards development organizations to assist such entities in the development of voluntary consensus gun safety technical standards;
    - the conduct of research to support efforts to develop and improve such standards and conformity assessment; and
    - the development of such standard reference material as the Director determines is necessary to further the development of such standards.
- (2) Prohibition on regulation
  - Nothing in this subsection may be construed as conferring upon the Secretary of Commerce any authority to establish or enforce mandatory gun safety standards.
- (3) Authorization of appropriations
  - There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
(c) Department of Health and Human Services