HR4252-119

What This Bill Does

The Extreme Risk Protection Order Expansion Act builds a national framework around extreme risk protection orders. It authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to states, Indian Tribes, local governments, and other eligible entities in jurisdictions with compliant ERPO laws. Grant money can support law enforcement and court capacity, personnel, training, technical assistance, data collection, protocols, forms, firearm removal and storage, public awareness, and community-based education, with 25 to 70 percent of awards dedicated to law-enforcement training. Required training must address bias, domestic-violence safety planning, mental illness and crisis de-escalation, and referrals to health care, mental health, substance-abuse, legal, employment, housing, case-management, veterans, and disability services. The bill also creates federal firearm-sale and possession prohibitions for people subject to qualifying court orders issued after notice and hearing with a finding of danger to self or others; authorizes ERPO records in national crime information databases; updates NICS references; requires state and Tribal ERPOs to receive full faith and credit; recognizes Tribal civil jurisdiction to issue and enforce ERPOs in Indian country; includes severability; and takes effect 180 days after enactment.

Who Benefits and How

States with compliant ERPO laws benefit because they can receive grants for courts, law enforcement, training, data systems, protocols, and firearm storage. Indian Tribes benefit from grant eligibility, national database access, full faith and credit, and recognized Tribal civil jurisdiction over ERPOs. Families seeking crisis firearm removal benefit because ERPO systems can be better funded, trained, and publicized. Domestic violence survivors benefit because required training covers safety planning when ERPOs overlap with domestic violence.

Who Bears the Burden and How

People subject to qualifying ERPO court orders lose firearm purchase, possession, receipt, custody, and control rights while the order applies. Federal firearms licensees must deny transfers to people covered by qualifying ERPO prohibitions. State court systems must provide notice, hearing, records, and due-process procedures for orders used in federal prohibitions. The Attorney General must administer grants and national identification-record changes.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes ERPO grants for eligible states, Indian Tribes, local governments, and other entities with compliant laws.
• Requires 25 to 70 percent of grant funds to support law-enforcement training on safe, impartial, effective, and equitable ERPO administration.
• Creates federal firearm prohibitions for people under qualifying ERPO court orders and adds ERPO records to national crime information databases.
• Requires full faith and credit for state and Tribal ERPOs, recognizes Tribal civil jurisdiction, preserves severability, and delays effectiveness for 180 days.