Federal government stops buying guns from dealers tied to crime.

What it does

This bill requires the Attorney General to publish an annual list of federally licensed firearms dealers whose guns are frequently recovered at crime scenes within 3 years of sale (25+ guns per year for at least 2 of the past 3 years). Federal agencies are then prohibited from buying firearms or contracting with dealers on that list, unless the Defense or Homeland Security Secretary obtains a national-security waiver from the Attorney General.

Why we flagged it

The bill uses federal contracting authority as a lever to discourage firearms dealers with documented crime-gun traces. It is a targeted public-safety measure, not a blanket ban—it applies only to dealers meeting a specific, measurable threshold and includes a national-security waiver. The mechanism is straightforward: transparency + purchasing leverage.

What the text implies

• The 25-gun-per-year threshold is data-driven but may exclude dealers with lower volumes but equally problematic patterns; the bill does not address whether the threshold is calibrated to actual crime-gun risk.
• Waiver authority granted to Defense and Homeland Security creates a potential loophole: if those agencies routinely request waivers for cost or supply-chain reasons, the restriction's practical effect may be limited.
• The bill does not address whether dealers can challenge their listing or require a due-process mechanism for removal; a dealer listed for 3 years faces a 3-year procurement ban even if the pattern changes.
• Federal agencies' purchasing volume from these dealers is unknown; if federal procurement is a small fraction of a dealer's business, the economic pressure may be minimal and the public-safety benefit limited.

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

Who it affects

The bill targets a documented public-safety problem—dealers whose guns are disproportionately recovered at crime scenes—and uses federal purchasing power to discourage that pattern. Citizens benefit from reduced government support for dealers linked to crime-gun trafficking, and the transparency requirement (public list) enables accountability. The waiver mechanism preserves national-security flexibility without gutting the core restriction.

Named in the bill

Attorney General, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), National Tracing Center, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security, Federal agencies, Licensed firearms dealers, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, House Committee on the Judiciary

Where it stands

8 cosponsors: 8 Democrats.

• Jun 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jun 26, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S3564)”

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

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Sep 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $100,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 70 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 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Alex Padilla, the sponsor, reported $176,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence — $80,000 on 2 filings
• National Council of Jewish Women — $20,000 on 2 filings
• Dance/usa — $0 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.