[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 123 (Thursday, July 17, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4466-S4467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2919. Mr. KING (for himself and Mr. Sheehy) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO
FURNISH TO CERTAIN VETERANS ITEMS USED FOR
SECURE STORAGE OF FIREARMS.
(a) Program.--
(1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 17 of title 38,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
``Sec. 1720M. Program to furnish to eligible individuals
items intended to be used for the secure storage of
firearms
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a program
to provide to an eligible individual, upon the request of the
eligible individual--
``(1) a covered item or a redeemable voucher to aid in the
distribution of a covered item; and
``(2) information relating to the benefits of, and options
for, secure firearm storage.
``(b) Distribution of Covered Items.--In carrying out the
program under subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized to
work with organizations that have experience, expertise, and
business knowledge regarding secure firearm storage and
secure firearm storage devices.
``(c) Public Education Campaign.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall design and carry out
a public education campaign to inform eligible individuals of
the
[[Page S4467]]
availability of covered items under the program under
subsection (a).
``(2) Partnership.--In carrying out the public education
campaign required under paragraph (1), the Secretary may
partner with organizations that have experience with respect
to secure firearm storage devices.
``(3) Assurance about lawful ownership of firearms.--The
Secretary shall include in the public education campaign
required under paragraph (1) material that assures eligible
individuals that their participation in the program under
subsection (a) does not impact lawful ownership of firearms.
``(d) Reports to Congress.--Not later than October 1, 2025,
and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report that includes--
``(1) a description of the program under subsection (a) in
a manner consistent with applicable law;
``(2) during the period covered by the report, the number
of covered items distributed by the Veterans Health
Administration and the number of covered items redeemed
outside of the Veterans Health Administration under the
program;
``(3) an assessment of efforts made to increase outreach
and distribution of covered items under the program to
eligible individuals who are not enrolled in the system of
annual patient enrollment of the Department established and
operated under section 1705 of this title;
``(4) an assessment of any obstacles to increasing outreach
to eligible individuals who are enrolled in such system and
those who are not enrolled in such system; and
``(5) an identification of additional steps that will be
taken during the one-year period after the submission of the
report to improve the processes through which eligible
individuals receive a covered item under the program.
``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
``(A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee
on Appropriations of the Senate; and
``(B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
``(2) The term `covered item' means a lockbox that--
``(A) is used for the secure storage of a firearm and
ammunition;
``(B) is designed, intended, and marketed to prevent
unauthorized access to a firearm or ammunition;
``(C) may be unlocked only by means of a key, combination,
or other similar means;
``(D) is in compliance with the standard of the American
Society for Testing and Materials F2456-20, or any successor
standard;
``(E) is manufactured in the United States; and
``(F) is not eligible or intended for commercial or
individual resale.
``(3) The term `eligible individual' means--
``(A) a veteran; or
``(B) an individual described in section 1720I(b) of this
title.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 1720L the following new item:
``1720M. Program to furnish to eligible individuals items intended to
be used for the secure storage of firearms.''.
(b) Education and Training.--The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall--
(1) in consultation with representatives of organizations
and agencies that are subject to a memorandum of
understanding with the Secretary on preventing veteran
suicide and other such entities as the Secretary determines
appropriate--
(A) develop an informational video on secure storage of
firearms as a suicide prevention strategy; and
(B) publish such informational video on an internet website
of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
(2) publish information to inform individuals who
participate in the program under section 1720M of title 38,
United States Code (as added by subsection (a)(1)) that any
lockbox furnished pursuant to such program is not eligible or
intended for commercial or individual resale.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act or the
amendments made by this Act may be construed--
(1) to collect personally identifiable information of an
individual who participates in the program under section
1720M of title 38, United States Code (as added by subsection
(a)(1)) for the purposes of tracking firearm ownership;
(2) to require any such individual to register a firearm
with the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any other
Federal, State, Tribal, or local unit of government;
(3) to require mandatory firearm storage for any such
individual;
(4) to prohibit any such individual from purchasing,
owning, or possessing a firearm under section 922 of title
18, United States Code;
(5) to discourage the lawful ownership of firearms; or
(6) to create or maintain a list of individuals
participating in such program.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to the appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2036 to
carry out this section and the amendments made by this
section.
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