HR5622-119

What This Bill Does

The National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025 treats gun violence as a public-health and safety research priority. The findings cite more U.S. gunshot deaths over the last 50 years than all U.S. combat deaths in wars combined, a gun-violence death rate more than 11 times that of other high-income nations, more than 45,000 U.S. gun deaths in 2023, disproportionate effects on communities of color, and appropriations restrictions dating to 1996 that chilled federal research funding. The bill repeals or narrows several ATF appropriations provisos and says HHS funds, including CDC and NIH funds, may be used for gun-violence research. The President, through the OSTP Director, must implement the National Gun Violence Research Program with covered agencies to fund research, translate findings into policy interventions, expand researchers and students in the field, coordinate federal planning, support grants, joint solicitations, interdisciplinary centers, student training, and voluntary consensus gun safety technical standards. A National Science and Technology Council working group chaired by the OSTP Director must coordinate agencies and produce a strategic plan within 12 months and every five years. An advisory committee of at least 12 members must include research institutions, higher education, health care and social services providers, local government agencies, law enforcement, community-based organizations, and nonprofits. The bill authorizes $200,000 annually for program coordination, $15 million annually for NSF gun-violence research and National Center for Violence Research grants, $1 million annually for NIST voluntary gun safety technical standards, $25 million annually for HHS/NIH/CDC gun-violence research, and $3 million annually for NIJ and ATF trace-data research and researcher access protocols, all for fiscal years 2026 through 2031.

Who Benefits and How

Gun violence researchers benefit from new NSF, HHS, and NIJ grant streams and access to firearm trace data under ethical protocols. Communities affected by gun violence benefit because federal research must study causes, consequences, prevention, suicide, homicide, unintentional injury, and policy interventions. Institutions of higher education benefit from competitive grants and National Center for Violence Research awards. Gun safety standards developers benefit from a NIST program for voluntary consensus technical standards and conformity-assessment research.

Who Bears the Burden and How

OSTP staff must coordinate the National Gun Violence Research Program, interagency working group, strategic plans, and advisory committee. NSF, HHS, NIST, NIJ, and ATF staff must administer new research, standards, trace-data, and grant activities. ATF data systems staff must share Firearms Trace System and licensee records with researchers under protocols. Federal taxpayers fund the authorized research and standards programs for fiscal years 2026 through 2031.

Key Provisions

• Repeals or narrows federal appropriations restrictions that chilled gun-violence research and permits HHS gun-violence research funding.
• Creates a National Gun Violence Research Program led through OSTP and covered agencies.
• Establishes an interagency working group, five-year strategic plans, and an advisory committee of at least 12 members.
• Authorizes NSF grants and centers at $15 million annually and NIST voluntary gun safety standards work at $1 million annually.
• Authorizes HHS gun-violence research at $25 million annually and NIJ/ATF research and trace-data access at $3 million annually.