This bill aims to prevent individuals subject to a lawful court order prohibiting firearm possession during their pretrial release from purchasing or receiving firearms. It achieves this by amending the Gun Control Act of 1968 to explicitly include persons subject to such orders as a new category of individuals prohibited from acquiring firearms. The legislation defines a "pretrial release order" as any Federal, State, Tribal, or local court order governing an arrested person's release pending trial for a crime. Specifically, the bill modifies section 922(d) of title 18, United States Code, to add a new disqualifying factor for firearm sales, encompassing those under a pretrial release order that prohibits firearm possession. Conforming amendments are made across various federal statutes, including the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, to ensure these prohibitions are consistently applied within the background check system. These changes also clarify that the prohibition extends to the "knowing sale or disposition" of a firearm by a licensee, not just the receipt by the prohibited person. To facilitate the implementation of these changes, the bill authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to States and Indian Tribes. These grants are intended to support the reporting of information about "covered pretrial release orders" to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). For this purpose, the bill authorizes an appropriation of $25,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030.
This bill aims to prevent individuals subject to a lawful court order prohibiting firearm possession during their pretrial release from purchasing or receiving firearms. It achieves this by amending the Gun Control Act of 1968 to explicitly include persons subject to such orders as a new category of individuals prohibited from acquiring firearms. The legislation defines a "pretrial release order" as any Federal, State, Tribal, or local court order governing an arrested person's release pending trial for a crime. Specifically, the bill modifies section 922(d) of title 18, United States Code, to add a new disqualifying factor for firearm sales, encompassing those under a pretrial release order that prohibits firearm possession. Conforming amendments are made across various federal statutes, including the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, to ensure these prohibitions are consistently applied within the background check system. These changes also clarify that the prohibition extends to the "knowing sale or disposition" of a firearm by a licensee, not just the receipt by the prohibited person. To facilitate the implementation of these changes, the bill authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to States and Indian Tribes. These grants are intended to support the reporting of information about "covered pretrial release orders" to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). For this purpose, the bill authorizes an appropriation of $25,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030.