National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025
Latest action: 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. (2025-09-30)
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What this bill does
This bill creates a coordinated federal research program to study the nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of gun violence, including injuries, suicides, and deaths involving firearms. It removes long-standing appropriations restrictions on how the ATF can use firearms tracing data and clarifies that the Department of Health and Human Services may fund gun violence research. It authorizes competitive research grants across several federal agencies and sets up working groups and an advisory committee to coordinate the effort.
Who it affects
It would most directly affect federal agencies (ATF, CDC, NIH, NSF, NIST, and the National Institute of Justice), universities and nonprofit researchers who would receive grants, and researchers seeking access to firearms trace data.
Key points
- Repeals or narrows several appropriations-law provisions that limited the ATF's use of firearms tracing data, and directs the agency to share trace data with researchers under new ethical protocols.
- States that HHS, including the CDC and NIH, may use its funds to conduct or support gun violence research.
- Establishes the National Gun Violence Research Program, coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, with an interagency working group and an advisory committee.
- Authorizes competitive research grants through the NSF, HHS, and the National Institute of Justice, and a voluntary gun safety standards program at NIST (which cannot create mandatory standards).
- Authorizes funding across agencies totaling roughly $44 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
Plain-English summary generated by AI from the official record. Neutral by design; verify against the official text linked above.
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If you support this
Supporting this bill means funding and coordinating federally backed gun violence research and giving researchers access to firearms trace data that is currently restricted.
If you oppose this
Opposing this bill means keeping the current restrictions on ATF trace data and not creating this new federal gun violence research program and its grant funding.
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