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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9253 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9253
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
August 2, 2024
Mrs. Foushee (for herself, Mr. Frost, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Tonko, Mr.
Sherman, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Norton, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Johnson of Georgia,
Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Goldman of New
York, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Titus, Mr. Jackson of North Carolina, Mr.
Thanedar, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Ross, Ms. Adams, and Mr.
Horsford) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on
Science, Space, and Technology, and Energy and Commerce, 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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Gun Violence Research
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) 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.
(2) The rate of gun violence deaths in the United States is
more than 11 times that of other high-income nations.
(3) Guns accounted for 79 percent of homicides and 55
percent of suicides in 2022, totaling over 48,000 deaths in the
United States.
(4) Gun violence disproportionately affects communities of
color. In 2021, Black Americans were 13.7 times as likely as
White Americans to be killed by gun violence while Hispanic and
Latino Americans were 2.4 times as likely to be killed.
(5) 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.
(6) 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.
(7) 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:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(2) Institution of higher education.--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).
(3) Program.--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.--
(1) The matter under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in
title II of division B of the Consolidated and Further
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public
Law 112-55; 125 Stat. 609-610) is amended by striking the 6th
proviso.
(2) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in
title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2010 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111-117; 123 Stat. 3128-
3129) is amended by striking ``beginning in fiscal year 2010
and thereafter'' and inserting ``in fiscal year 2010''.
(3) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in
title II of division B of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009
(18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111-8; 123 Stat. 574-576) is
amended by striking ``beginning in fiscal year 2009 and
thereafter'' and inserting ``in fiscal year 2009''.
(4) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in
title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2008 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 110-161; 121 Stat. 1903-
1904) is amended by striking ``beginning in fiscal year 2008
and thereafter'' and inserting ``in fiscal year 2008''.
(5) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in
title I of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public
Law 109-108; 119 Stat. 2295-2296) is amended by striking ``with
respect to any fiscal year''.
(6) The 6th proviso under the heading in title I of
division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (18
U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 108-447; 118 Stat. 2859-2860) is
amended by striking ``with respect to any fiscal year''.
(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 ``National
Gun Violence Research Program''), through activities carried out in
collaboration with covered agencies that--
(1) support gun violence research;
(2) accelerate the translation of gun violence research
into effective policy interventions to reduce the incidence of
injury and death related to guns;
(3) expand the number of researchers and students in the
field of gun violence research; and
(4) 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), shall--
(1) award grants to individual investigators and
interdisciplinary teams of investigators for projects related
to gun violence research;
(2) support projects funded under joint solicitations by a
collaboration of no fewer than two covered agencies;
(3) establish interdisciplinary research centers that are
organized to investigate basic research questions and inform
policy decisions relating to gun violence;
(4) provide for the education and training of undergraduate
students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars in gun
violence research; and
(5) 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--
(A) the National Science Foundation;
(B) the National Institute of Standards and
Technology;
(C) the National Institutes of Health;
(D) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
(E) the National Institute of Justice; and
(F) any other Federal agency (including an agency,
department, or service thereof) that the Director
considers appropriate.
(3) Duties.--The Working Group shall--
(A) oversee the planning, management, and
coordination of the Program;
(B) provide for coordination among covered agencies
of Federal gun violence research and other activities
undertaken pursuant to the Program;
(C) establish and periodically update goals and
priorities for the Program; and
(D) 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 of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall
establish or maintain an advisory committee on gun violence
research.
(2) Composition.--The advisory committee established or
maintained under paragraph (1) shall be composed of not less
than 12 members, including representatives of research
institutions, institutions of higher education, health care and
social services providers, local government agencies, law
enforcement, community-based organizations, and relevant
nonprofit organizations who are qualified to provide advice on
the Program.
(3) Duties.--The advisory committee established or
maintained under paragraph (1) shall assess--
(A) the management, coordination, implementation,
and activities of the Program;
(B) the balance of activities and funding across
the Program;
(C) whether the Program priorities and goals
developed by the working group established under
subsection (c)(3) are helping to improve public health
and safety; and
(D) the need to revise the Program.
(e) Covered Agency Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered
agency'' means--
(1) the National Science Foundation;
(2) the National Institute for Standards and Technology;
(3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
(4) the National Institutes of Health;
(5) the National Institute of Justice; and
(6) such other Federal agency as determined appropriate by
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Director to carry out this section $200,000 for
each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030.
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)--
(A) to support multidisciplinary research to better
understand the nature, causes, and consequences of gun
violence, including violence, suicide, unintended
injury, and death involving guns;
(B) 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
(C) 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 (to be known as ``National Center for
Violence Research'').
(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $15,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030.
(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 effort shall include--
(A) 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;
(B) the conduct of research to support efforts to
develop and improve such standards and conformity
assessment; and
(C) 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 Act shall
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 2025 through 2030.
(c) Department of Health and Human Services.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services, acting through the Director of the National
Institutes of Health, the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and other scientific agencies within
the Department of Health and Human Services, shall award grants
on a competitive basis to conduct or support research into the
nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of gun violence.
(2) Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated
to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out this
subsection $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through
2030.
(d) Department of Justice.--
(1) Research.--The Attorney General, acting through the
Director of the National Institute of Justice, shall conduct or
sponsor research into the nature, causes, consequences, and
prevention of gun violence.
(2) Trace data.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in
collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, shall develop consensus protocols for
granting researchers access to gun trace data that
abide by standard principles for ethical research.
(B) Data sharing.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General,
acting through the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, shall commence
sharing with researchers according to the protocols
developed under subparagraph (A), the contents of the
Firearms Trace System database and information required
to be kept by licensees pursuant to section 923(g) of
title 18, United States Code, or required to be
reported pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (7) of such
section 923(g).
(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $3,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Energy and Commerce, 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.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Energy and Commerce, 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.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Energy and Commerce, 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.
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