United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 38 D · 2 I cosponsors

S 726 — Ethan's Law

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 25, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 40 sponsors

    1 primary, 39 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (38 D · 2 I) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Ethan's Law This bill establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels. At the federal level, the bill establishes statutory requirements for firearms on residential premises to be safely stored if a minor is likely to gain access without permission or if a resident is ineligible to possess a firearm. An individual who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties. A firearm stored in violation of the requirements is subject to seizure and forfeiture. At the state and tribal levels, the bill requires the Department of Justice to award grants to implement functionally identical requirements for the safe storage of firearms.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes requirements for the safe storage of firearms to prevent access by minors and ineligible individuals, along with penalties for non-compliance.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 922(z)

    (4) Secure gun storage by owners.-- (A) Offense.-- (i) In general.--Except as provided in clause (ii), it shall be unlawful for a person to store or keep any firearm that has moved in, or that has otherwise affected, interstate or foreign commerce on the premises of a residence under the control of the person if the person knows, or reasonably should know, that-- (I) a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm without the permission of the parent or guardian of the minor; or (II) a resident of the residence is ineligible to possess a firearm under Federal, State, or local law. (ii) Exception.--Clause (i) shall not apply to a person if the person-- (I) keeps the firearm-- (aa) secure using a secure gun storage or safety device; or (bb) in a location that a reasonable person would believe to be secure; or (II) carries the firearm on his or her person or within such close proximity thereto that the person can readily retrieve and use the firearm as if the person carried the firearm on his or her person. (B) Penalty.-- (i) In general.--Any person who violates subparagraph (A) shall be fined $500 per violation. (ii) Enhanced penalty.--If a person violates subparagraph (A) and a minor or a resident who is ineligible to possess a firearm under Federal, State, or local law obtains the firearm and causes injury or death to such minor or resident, or to any other individual, the person shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both. (iii) Forfeiture of improperly stored firearm.--Any firearm stored in violation of subparagraph (A) shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture in accordance with the procedures described in section 924(d).

    This adds requirements for firearm storage and penalties for unsafe storage conditions.

  • 34 U.S.C. 10101

    PART PP--FIREARM SAFE STORAGE PROGRAM SEC. 3061. FIREARM SAFE STORAGE PROGRAM. (a) In General.--The Assistant Attorney General shall make grants to an eligible State or Indian Tribe to assist the State or Indian Tribe in carrying out the provisions of any State or Tribal law that is functionally identical to section 922(z)(4) of title 18, United States Code.

    This establishes a grant program to support states and tribes that implement laws for safe firearm storage.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 922(z)(4)

    (D) Sense of congress relating to liability.--It is the sense of Congress that-- (i) failure to comply with subparagraph (A) constitutes negligence under any relevant statute or common law rule; and (ii) when a violation of subparagraph (A) is the but-for cause of a harm caused by the discharge of a firearm, such violation should be deemed to be the legal or proximate cause of such harm, regardless of whether such harm was also the result of an intentional tort.

    This adds a sense of Congress regarding the legal liability associated with non-compliance with firearm storage requirements.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 39 co-sponsors · 507 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (39)

Not signed on (507)

507 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 507 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 726 do?
Ethan's Law This bill establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels. At the federal level, the bill establishes statutory requirements for firearms on residential premises to be safely stored if a minor is likely to gain access without permission or if a resident is ineligible to possess a firearm. An individual who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties. A firearm stored in violation of the requirements is subject to seizure and forfeiture. At the state and tribal levels, the bill requires the Department of Justice to award grants to implement functionally identical requirements for the safe storage of firearms.
Who sponsors S 726?
S 726 is sponsored by Blumenthal, Richard (Democratic), Murphy, Christopher (Democratic), Schiff, Adam B. (Democratic), Sanders, Bernard (Independent), Padilla, Alex (Democratic), Cantwell, Maria (Democratic), Luján, Ben Ray (Democratic), Schumer, Charles E. (Democratic), Shaheen, Jeanne (Democratic), Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (Democratic), Durbin, Richard J. (Democratic), Warnock, Raphael G. (Democratic), Van Hollen, Chris (Democratic), Coons, Christopher A. (Democratic), Rosen, Jacky (Democratic), Murray, Patty (Democratic), Merkley, Jeff (Democratic), Hickenlooper, John W. (Democratic), Markey, Edward J. (Democratic), Booker, Cory A. (Democratic), Hirono, Mazie K. (Democratic), Reed, Jack (Democratic), Wyden, Ron (Democratic), Kelly, Mark (Democratic), Warren, Elizabeth (Democratic), King, Angus S., Jr. (Independent), Fetterman, John (Democratic), Duckworth, Tammy (Democratic), Bennet, Michael F. (Democratic), Kaine, Tim (Democratic), Welch, Peter (Democratic), Baldwin, Tammy (Democratic), Kim, Andy (Democratic), Gallego, Ruben (Democratic), Schatz, Brian (Democratic), Blunt Rochester, Lisa (Democratic), Alsobrooks, Angela D. (Democratic), Peters, Gary C. (Democratic), Slotkin, Elissa (Democratic), and Ossoff, Jon (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 726?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 25, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 726?
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