National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025

Bill Number: H.R. 5622
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-09-30: 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.
Last Updated: 2026-04-06T16:25:46Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025 aims to establish a coordinated federal research program to study the nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of gun-related violence, suicide, unintentional injuries, and deaths. It seeks to address underfunding in this area by repealing long-standing restrictions on federal research and data access, ultimately improving public health and safety through better-informed policies without advocating for or against gun control.

Key Provisions

Findings Section: Highlights statistics on gun violence, including over 45,000 deaths in 2023, disproportionate impacts on communities of color, and how past funding restrictions since 1996 have limited research compared to other public health issues.
Repeal of Research Restrictions (Section 4):
Amends prior appropriations laws (known as the Tiahrt Amendment) to limit or remove prohibitions on sharing gun trace data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), allowing data use only for specific past fiscal years rather than ongoing.
Permits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), to use funds for gun violence research.
National Gun Violence Research Program (Section 5):
Establishes a program led by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in collaboration with "covered agencies" (NSF, NIST, CDC, NIH, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and others as determined).
Program goals include funding research, translating findings into policies, training researchers, and improving federal coordination.
Activities: Grant awards for individual and team projects, joint funding solicitations, interdisciplinary research centers, education/training programs, and promotion of voluntary gun safety standards.
Creates an Interagency Working Group (chaired by OSTP Director) to oversee planning, set priorities, and develop a strategic plan (updated every 5 years).
Establishes an Advisory Committee (at least 12 members from research, education, health, law enforcement, and community groups) to evaluate program effectiveness and suggest revisions.
Authorizes $200,000 annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2031 for program administration.
Specific Agency Roles (Section 6):
National Science Foundation (NSF): Funds multidisciplinary research on gun violence causes/effects, policy impacts (e.g., on self-defense, hunting, industry), and researcher training; establishes a National Center for Violence Research. Authorizes $15 million annually (2026–2031).
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): Promotes voluntary (non-mandatory) consensus standards for gun safety through outreach, research, and reference materials. Authorizes $1 million annually (2026–2031).
HHS: Awards grants for research on gun violence prevention. Authorizes $25 million annually (2026–2031).
Department of Justice (DOJ): NIJ conducts/sponsors research; develops ethical protocols for researcher access to ATF gun trace data and licensee records; begins data sharing within one year. Authorizes $3 million annually (2026–2031).

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Repeal of Funding and Data Barriers: Ends the "chilling effect" from the Dickey Amendment (1996, restricting CDC/NIH gun research) and Tiahrt Amendment (2003 onward, limiting ATF trace data sharing), which had severely underfunded gun violence studies relative to other causes of death like heart disease or car accidents.
New Research Infrastructure: Introduces a dedicated national program, interagency coordination, and advisory mechanisms not previously mandated, shifting gun violence from a restricted topic to a prioritized public health issue.
Data Access Expansion: Requires ATF to share trace data (tracking gun origins) and licensee records with researchers under ethical protocols, previously prohibited to protect privacy and industry concerns.
Voluntary Standards Focus: Adds a new role for NIST in developing non-binding gun safety standards, without granting regulatory authority.

Potential Impacts

Government Agencies: Increases workload and funding for OSTP, NSF, NIST, HHS, and DOJ to coordinate research, award grants, and share data, potentially leading to more efficient interagency collaboration but requiring new administrative structures.
Citizens: Could reduce gun-related injuries and deaths (over 45,000 annually) by informing evidence-based prevention strategies, benefiting disproportionately affected communities of color; may also support safer gun use for self-defense, hunting, and recreation through research on policy effects.
International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though improved U.S. data on gun violence (where rates are 11 times higher than other high-income nations) could enhance global public health discussions or comparisons without affecting foreign policy.

Main Stakeholders

Federal Agencies: OSTP, NSF, NIST, CDC, NIH, NIJ, ATF, and DOJ, which gain funding and responsibilities for research and data management.
Researchers and Educators: Universities, nonprofit organizations, and interdisciplinary teams receiving grants and training opportunities to study gun violence.
Communities and Health Providers: Communities of color, victims of gun violence, healthcare/social service providers, and local governments benefiting from prevention strategies.
Law Enforcement and Industry: Police agencies using research for crime prevention; gun manufacturers and sellers potentially affected by studies on trafficking/policy impacts and voluntary safety standards.
Nonprofit and Advocacy Groups: Community-based organizations and nonprofits involved in advisory roles or research partnerships.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: Emphasizes that research is neutral and not advocacy for gun control, potentially shielding it from Second Amendment challenges by framing gun violence as a public health issue (similar to disease research). Data-sharing protocols must balance privacy laws with research access, avoiding unauthorized surveillance.
Constitutional: No direct infringement on gun rights, as the bill avoids mandatory regulations and focuses on voluntary standards and studies; however, expanded ATF data use could raise privacy concerns under the Fourth Amendment if not properly limited.
Political: Addresses a decades-long partisan divide on gun research funding, potentially enabling bipartisan policy development (e.g., on suicide prevention or trafficking) while inviting debate over research influencing regulations; the bill's findings underscore disparities, which may amplify calls for equity in public health funding.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4]

Cosponsors (13)

Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8], Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10], Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1], Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-14], Rep. Fletcher, Lizzie [D-TX-7], Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10], Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]

Recent Actions

2025-09-30: 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: 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: 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: Introduced in House
2025-09-30: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025 — issued 2025-09-30 — PDF (14 pages)