Federal officers get discount on surplus weapons; taxpayers cover the gap.
H.R. 2255 — Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act · Filed by Russell Fry (R-SC) · Introduced Mar 21, 2025 · Passed chamber
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill allows federal law enforcement officers (including retired ones) to buy firearms their agencies have retired and declared surplus, at salvage value, within six months of retirement and if the officer is in good standing. The government establishes the program within one year; officers benefit by acquiring weapons at below-market cost; agencies benefit by converting surplus inventory to revenue instead of disposal.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a one-time purchase program for a specific occupational group (federal law enforcement officers) to acquire surplus government property at salvage value. It is not a broad public policy, a regulatory change, or a market intervention — it is a targeted employee perk.
What the text implies
- The six-month purchase window creates urgency and may incentivize officers to buy weapons they would not otherwise purchase, increasing personal firearm ownership among federal law enforcement.
- Salvage-value pricing may be substantially below market rate, creating a de facto subsidy to officers funded by taxpayers (the foregone revenue represents a public cost).
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Federal law enforcement officers; Federal agencies (via monetization of surplus inventory)