Ethan's Law

Key Points

• The bill makes it illegal for gun owners to leave firearms unsecured in a home where a minor could access them or where someone lives who is legally barred from having a gun. Owners are exempt if they keep the gun in a secure storage device, a location a reasonable person would consider secure, or carry it on their person.
• Violations carry a $500 fine per incident. If an unsecured gun is obtained by a minor or prohibited person and causes injury or death, the gun owner faces up to 5 years in prison and a fine. Improperly stored firearms can also be seized and forfeited.
• The bill creates a Firearm Safe Storage Program that provides federal grants to states and Indian Tribes that pass their own safe storage laws matching the federal standard. States with such laws also get priority consideration for other federal justice grants through fiscal year 2029.
• Congress cites findings that about 4.6 million children live in homes with unsecured guns, and that over 75% of firearms used in youth suicide attempts and unintentional injuries were stored at the home of the victim, a relative, or a friend.
• The bill includes a "sense of Congress" provision stating that failure to safely store a firearm should be considered negligence under law, and that unsafe storage should be treated as the legal cause of harm from a discharged gun, even if someone else intentionally pulled the trigger.