The bill strengthens security and enforcement for licensed firearm businesses to reduce theft and improve public safety, but it imposes new costs, regulatory burdens, surveillance risks, and tighter limits on legal challenges for those businesses.
Licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers must secure all firearm inventory when their premises are closed (hardened-rod locks or locked safe/vault), reducing theft and diversion risk.
Licensed businesses must keep paper inventory and transaction records on-premises in locked fireproof safes or vaults within 90 days, making it harder for criminals to remove or destroy evidence.
The Attorney General can require additional security measures (alarms, cameras, site hardening, electronic-records protections), giving regulators flexibility to respond to emerging theft threats and improving overall weapons security.
Small licensed businesses must pay for upgraded security (hardened locks, safes, cameras, vaults), increasing upfront and ongoing compliance costs.
Businesses face mandatory license suspension after a second violation and mandatory revocation after a third, creating a substantial risk to livelihoods and local firearm supply continuity.
Requiring pre-approved compliance plans for license applications and additional AG oversight may increase regulatory burden and cause delays for applicants and renewals.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires federally licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers to store inventory and paper records on-site with specific hardened locks, safes, or vaults and imposes escalating penalties for violations.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Richard Joseph Durbin · Last progress February 6, 2025
Requires federally licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers to keep every firearm in their business inventory on licensed premises and to secure inventory with specified hardened locks or locked safes/cabinets/vaults when the premises are closed. It also requires that paper records be stored on site in a locked fireproof safe or vault within 90 days, authorizes the Attorney General to issue further security rules, and creates escalating civil penalties and mandatory license suspension/revocation for repeated violations. Applicants for federal firearm licenses must describe how they will comply and obtain an Attorney General determination that the plan would comply.