Police can now use federal crime grants to give away gun safes
H.R. 7446 — Community Firearm Safety Act of 2026 · Filed by Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) · Introduced Feb 9, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows police departments and other law enforcement agencies receiving federal Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne grants) to use that money to give away gun safes to the public at no cost. Currently, those grants can fund various public safety programs, but gun safe distribution was not explicitly listed as an allowed use. The bill adds gun safe giveaways to the list of permitted grant uses.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward authorization for law enforcement to use existing federal crime-prevention grants on firearm storage devices — a harm-reduction public health intervention. It does not create new funding, new agencies, or new mandates; it simply adds one more permissible use to an existing grant program.
What the text implies
- Gun safe giveaway programs may reduce suicide rates among households with firearms, as secure storage is a known suicide-prevention intervention; however, the bill does not mandate such programs or track outcomes.
- The bill does not specify whether gun safes must meet any security standard or certification, leaving implementation details to individual law enforcement agencies.
- Byrne grants are discretionary — agencies are not required to fund gun safe programs, so uptake and geographic coverage will vary widely depending on local priorities and political will.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill expands a permissible use of existing federal crime-prevention funding to include a public safety measure (firearm storage) that reduces risks of accidental injury, suicide, and unauthorized access — harms that disproportionately affect households with children and vulnerable individuals. No existing benefit is withdrawn; the bill only adds a new option for how law enforcement may spend grants they already receive.
Who stands to gain
- gun safe manufacturers
- firearm storage device suppliers
Named in the bill
Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, law enforcement agencies, 42 U.S.C. § 3751
Where it stands
- Feb 9, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 9, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (521 characters) on Aug 17, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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