Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 2015 Public Law 114–180 Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 2015 180 114–180 Statute Compilation United States House of Representatives Office of the Legislative Counsel text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. GPO Statute Compilations USLM converter, version 20210527.1 2021-10-15 Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 2015 12077 114 2016-06-22 Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 2015 [(Public Law 114–180)] [This law has not been amended] [Currency: This publication is a compilation of the text of Public Law 114-180. It was last amended by the public law listed in the As Amended Through note above and below at the bottom of each page of the pdf version and reflects current law through the date of the enactment of the public law listed at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/comps/] [Note: While this publication does not represent an official version of any Federal statute, substantial efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents. The official version of Federal law is found in the United States Statutes at Large and in the United States Code. The legal effect to be given to the Statutes at Large and the United States Code is established by statute (1 U.S.C. 112, 204).]
AN ACTTo ensure Federal law enforcement officers remain able to ensure their own safety, and the safety of their families, during a covered furlough.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. [18 U.S.C. 926B note] SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the “Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 2015”.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) Too often, Federal law enforcement officers encounter potentially violent criminals, placing officers in danger of grave physical harm. (2) In 2012 alone, 1,857 Federal law enforcement officers were assaulted, with 206 sustaining serious injuries. (3) From 2008 through 2011, an additional 8,587 Federal law enforcement officers were assaulted. (4) Federal law enforcement officers remain a target even when they are off-duty. Over the past 3 years, 27 law enforcement officers have been killed off-duty. (5) It is essential that law enforcement officers are able to defend themselves, so they can carry out their critical missions and ensure their own personal safety and the safety of their families whether on-duty or off-duty. (6) These dangers to law enforcement officers continue to exist during a covered furlough.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. In this Act— (1) the term “agency” means each authority of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States; (2) the term “covered Federal law enforcement officer” means any individual who— (A) is an employee of an agency; (B) has the authority to make arrests or apprehensions for, or prosecute, violations of Federal law; and (C) on the day before the date on which the applicable covered furlough begins, is authorized by the agency employing the individual to carry a firearm in the course of official duties; (3) the term “covered furlough” means a planned event by an agency during which employees are involuntarily furloughed due to downsizing, reduced funding, lack of work, or any budget situation including a lapse in appropriations; and (4) the term “firearm” has the meaning given that term in section 921 of title 18, United States Code.
SEC. 4. PROTECTING FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO ARE SUBJECTED TO A COVERED FURLOUGH. During a covered furlough, a covered Federal law enforcement officer shall have the same rights to carry a firearm issued by the Federal Government as if the covered furlough was not in effect, including, if authorized on the day before the date on which the covered furlough begins, the right to carry a concealed firearm, if the sole reason the covered Federal law enforcement officer was placed on leave was due to the covered furlough.