Congress opens door to non-lethal weapons, hands review power to AG

What it does

This bill creates a federal exemption for less-than-lethal projectile devices (like rubber bullets, bean bags, or paintball guns) from federal firearms regulations. It defines these devices as weapons that cannot fire ammunition faster than 500 feet per second, are not designed to cause death or serious injury, and cannot accept standard firearm ammunition magazines. The Attorney General gets 90 days to rule on whether a device qualifies for the exemption when asked.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is to carve out less-lethal weapons from federal firearms restrictions, framed as modernizing law to encourage non-lethal alternatives. The stated purpose (de-escalation) aligns with the mechanism (exemption), making this a straightforward regulatory relief bill rather than a hidden rider or misdirection.

What the text implies

• The 90-day Attorney General review process creates a bottleneck and potential for inconsistent rulings across administrations, depending on how strictly the definition is interpreted.
• The bill does not address state and local firearms laws, which may still restrict less-lethal devices even if federally exempt, creating a patchwork of compliance obligations.
• Exemption from federal registration/licensing may reduce law-enforcement visibility into less-lethal weapon distribution and use, complicating threat assessment.
• The 500 feet-per-second velocity threshold is a technical standard that may be difficult for consumers to verify independently, creating reliance on manufacturer claims and Attorney General determinations.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill expands access to non-lethal self-defense tools by exempting compliant less-lethal devices from federal firearms regulations, potentially lowering barriers to de-escalation options. However, the benefit depends entirely on the Attorney General's good-faith application of the definition and the 90-day review process, which introduces implementation uncertainty.

Who stands to gain

• less-lethal weapon manufacturers (e.g., Taser/Axon, paintball equipment makers, rubber projectile pr
• retailers of non-lethal self-defense products

Named in the bill

Attorney General, 18 USC § 921(a), less-than-lethal projectile device, Federal firearms regulations

Where it stands

13 cosponsors: 12 Republicans, 1 Democrats.

• Apr 3, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Apr 3, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

7 lobbying clients named this bill on 8 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $443,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 4 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 86% of bills with at least one filing.

Bill Hagerty, the sponsor, reported $1,618,141 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $7,500 of that came from 2 PACs tied to these lobbying clients.

• Axon Enterprise, Inc. — $120,000 on 2 filings
• Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund — $110,000 on 1 filing
• Axon Enterprise, Inc — $50,000 on 1 filing
• Axon Enterprise, Inc. — $50,000 on 1 filing
• Axon Enterprises — $50,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.