Bill Summary
The "Secure Firearm Storage and Suicide Prevention Act of 2026" amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require certain local educational agencies to provide guidance on firearm safety to students, parents, and community members. The legislation seeks to address the rising rates of firearm-related suicides and unintentional injuries among youth by promoting secure storage practices for firearms.
Key components of the legislation include:
1. **Development of Best Practices**: Within one year of enactment, the Secretary of Education is tasked with creating best practices for secure firearm storage and suicide prevention, developed with input from various federal agencies and experts in the field.
2. **Local Guidance Requirement**: Local educational agencies must create and distribute guidance on the secure storage of firearms and prevention of firearm-related incidents within one year of receiving the best practices. This guidance must be tailored to the community's needs and include mental health resources.
3. **Distribution**: The guidance must be shared with students, parents, school staff, and the community at specified times during the academic year.
4. **Neutrality**: Both the best practices and local guidance must remain neutral regarding the encouragement or discouragement of firearm ownership.
5. **Ongoing Updates**: The legislation mandates regular updates to the guidance based on feedback from stakeholders and changes in best practices.
Overall, the act aims to foster a culture of responsible firearm ownership and enhance community awareness of firearm safety, ultimately reducing the risk of firearm-related incidents among youth.
Possible Impacts
Here are three examples of how the "Secure Firearm Storage and Suicide Prevention Act of 2026" could affect people:
1. **Increased Awareness and Education**: The legislation mandates local educational agencies to distribute guidance on firearm safety and suicide prevention to students, parents, and community members. This could lead to increased awareness about the risks of unsecured firearms, particularly in homes with children and teenagers. As families receive educational materials, they may become more proactive in securing firearms, potentially reducing the incidence of unintentional injuries and suicides involving firearms.
2. **Access to Resources for Secure Storage**: The Act requires the development of best practices for secure firearm storage and provides information on how community members can acquire secure storage devices. This can help families who may not have the financial means to purchase such devices by directing them to resources that offer these devices for free or at a reduced cost. As a result, more households will likely implement safe storage practices, which can help prevent access to firearms by unauthorized users, especially minors.
3. **Collaboration with Mental Health Professionals**: By requiring local educational agencies to develop guidance in consultation with mental health professionals, the legislation promotes a collaborative approach to addressing the issue of firearm-related suicides. This could result in better mental health resources being made available to students and families, as well as increased support for individuals in crisis. Such collaboration can help create a more supportive environment where mental health issues are addressed, thereby reducing the stigma around seeking help and potentially lowering suicide rates among youth.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7591 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7591
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require
certain local educational agencies to distribute guidance to students,
parents, and other local community members regarding firearm safety,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 17, 2026
Mr. Goldman of New York (for himself, Mr. Auchincloss, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Bell, Ms. Norton, Mr. Carter of Louisiana,
Mrs. Foushee, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Pettersen, Ms. Dean of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Deluzio, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms. Crockett, Mr.
Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Craig, and Ms. Kelly of
Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require
certain local educational agencies to distribute guidance to students,
parents, and other local community members regarding firearm safety,
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 ``Secure Firearm Storage and Suicide
Prevention Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Unintentional injuries and suicides related to firearms
are significant causes death among children and teenagers.
(2) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention--
(A) the annual rate of suicide by firearm in the
United States increased approximately 11 percent from
2019 to 2022, with provisional data suggesting that
2024 may have had the highest rate of gun suicide since
at least 1968;
(B) nearly 60 percent of all gun-related deaths in
the United States are suicides;
(C) in 2021, 2022, and 2023, firearm suicides
accounted for approximately 55 percent of all suicide
deaths in the United States;
(D) in 2023, an average of 75 individuals in the
United States died by firearm suicide each day;
(E) in 2023, the third leading cause of death in
the United States for youth under the age of 18 was
suicide; and
(F) in both 2022 and 2023, firearms were the
leading mechanism of death among youth under the age of
18 in the United States.
(3) According to the Department of Health and Human
Services, 79 percent of the firearms used in the suicides of
youth under the age of 18 are the guns of family members.
(4) Suicide attempts involving firearms are almost always
deadly, with 9 out of 10 firearm suicide attempts resulting in
death.
(5) Education about the importance of proper secure storage
of firearms, including the risk of firearm-related suicide
associated with unsecured weapons, is critical to reducing
firearm-related unintentional injuries and suicides.
(6) Implementing firearm safety and education on suicide
prevention can foster a culture of responsible firearm
ownership and handling, benefitting both individuals and
communities.
(7) It can take less than 10 minutes between thinking about
suicide and acting on it. Putting barriers between individuals
and lethal means in moments of crisis can save lives.
(8) Secure storage of firearms is effective in reducing
suicide deaths.
SEC. 3. FIREARM SAFETY RESOURCES.
(a) In General.--Part A of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``Subpart 3--Firearm Safety Resources
``SEC. 4131. FIREARM SAFETY BEST PRACTICES.
``(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall develop best practices
relating to the secure storage of firearms and the prevention of
firearm-related suicide or unintentional injury in consultation with--
``(1) the Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division of
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;
``(2) the Department of Health and Human Services;
``(3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
``(4) the National Institutes of Health;
``(5) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services;
``(6) the Department of Homeland Security;
``(7) the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety Evidence-
Based Practices established under section 2220D of the Homeland
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 665k);
``(8) the Firearms-Toolmarks Unit of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation;
``(9) law enforcement agencies;
``(10) non-profit organizations that--
``(A) have experience in firearm safety and
education; and
``(B) are not affiliated with the firearm industry
or lobbyist working on behalf of the firearm industry;
``(11) educators; and
``(12) independent experts in firearm safety and education,
as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
``(b) Information Required.--The Secretary shall include as part of
the best practices described in subsection (a) the following
information:
``(1) How to securely store firearms, including how to use
secure storage devices.
``(2) How to evaluate and regularly re-evaluate firearm
safety protocols, including secure storage practices for
firearms in places were firearms are commonly kept, including
in homes and motor vehicles.
``(3) The risks associated with the improper use of
firearms or unsecure storage of firearms, including firearms
that are not lawfully possessed, and the correlation of such
factors with suicide or unintentional injury.
``(4) Strategies for preventing unintentional injuries or
suicides related to the use of firearms.
``(5) How to educate students about the proper steps such
students should take upon encountering an unsecured firearm,
including to not handle the firearm and to contact a trusted
adult.
``(6) How community members, including parents, can acquire
secure storage devices, including any resources that provide
secure storage devices for free.
``(7) A summary of Federal laws directly related to firearm
safety and secure firearm storage, including information about
the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
``(8) A survey of State laws and programs related to
firearm safety, including laws related to the secure storage of
firearms and the implementation of State crisis intervention
court proceedings and related programs or initiatives.
``(9) Firearm safety resources created by academic
institutions or organizations with experience in firearm safety
and education, as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
``(10) Any other information determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
``(c) Neutrality Requirement.--In developing the best practices
described in subsection (a), the Secretary may not include as part of
such best practices materials encouraging or discouraging the
possession or ownership of firearms.
``(d) Distribution.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary
shall--
``(1) distribute the best practices described in subsection
(a) to each local educational agency;
``(2) notify each covered local education agency of the
local firearm safety guidance requirements under section 4132;
and
``(3) provide guidance to each covered local education
agency regarding the most effective time during an academic
year to satisfy the distribution requirement under section
4132(e) in order to maximize the prevention of firearm-related
suicide or unintentional injury.
``(e) Update.--Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment
of this section, and once every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary
shall--
``(1) solicit feedback from school staff, students,
parents, and experts with experience in firearm safety and
education on the best practices described in subsection (a);
and
``(2) update the information in such best practices, as
determined appropriate by the Secretary.
``SEC. 4132. LOCAL FIREARM SAFETY GUIDANCE.
``(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the Secretary
distributes the best practices described in section 4131(a) as required
under section 4131(d)(1), each covered local educational agency shall
develop guidance relating to the secure storage of firearms and the
prevention of firearm-related suicide or unintentional injury in
consultation with--
``(1) community-based health and violence prevention
organizations;
``(2) public safety officials and emergency personnel,
including police and firefighters;
``(3) mental health professionals, including doctors and
psychologists;
``(4) educators; and
``(5) any other stakeholders determined appropriate by the
local educational agency.
``(b) Relationship to Best Practices.--In developing the guidance
described in subsection (a), each covered local educational agency
shall--
``(1) incorporate the best practices distributed to the
covered local educational agency as required under section
4131(d)(1);
``(2) modify such best practices to be relevant to the
local community, as determined appropriate by the covered local
educational agency; and
``(3) regularly update such guidance to reflect any changes
to such best practices, as determined appropriate by the
covered local educational agency.
``(c) Additional Information.--Each covered local educational
agency shall include as part of such guidance the following
information:
``(1) Mental health resources available to students,
including resources available in schools served by the covered
local educational agency and resources provided by the local
community.
``(2) Any other information determined appropriate by the
covered local educational agency.
``(d) Neutrality Requirement.--In developing the guidance described
in subsection (a), each covered local educational agency may not
include as part of such guidance materials encouraging or discouraging
the possession or ownership of firearms.
``(e) Distribution.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the
beginning of the 2027-2028 academic year, and not later than 90
days before the end of each academic year thereafter, each
covered local educational agency shall distribute the guidance
described in subsection (a) through email and physical means
(including by sending students home with such guidance as a
handout or by mail) to--
``(A) students;
``(B) parents;
``(C) school staff; and
``(D) any other members of the local community
determined appropriate by the covered local educational
agency.
``(2) Responsibility.--A covered local educational agency
may delegate responsibility for carrying out any part of the
distribution activities required under paragraph (1) to the
schools served by such covered local educational agency.
``SEC. 4133. DEFINITIONS.
``In this subpart:
``(1) Covered local educational agency.--The term `covered
local educational agency' means a local educational agency, or
consortium of such agencies, that receives an allocation under
section 4105(a).
``(2) Secure storage device.--The term `secure storage
device' means a device which is designed to prevent
unauthorized access to, or render inoperable, a firearm,
including a firearm safe, lock box, trigger lock, or cable
lock.
``(3) School staff.--The term `school staff' means--
``(A) school leaders;
``(B) specialized instructional support personnel;
``(C) teachers; and
``(D) other staff.''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section 2 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 4121 the following:
``subpart 3--firearm safety resources
``4131. Firearm safety best practices.
``4132. Local firearm safety guidance.
``4133. Definitions.''.
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