Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8608

Federal Law Enforcement and Public Protection Act

Federal Law Enforcement: Safe Storage of Service Weapons

Apr 30·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees on April 29, 2026. It must be reviewed by these committees before it can move forward, but no further action has occurred since it was introduced. Most bills do not receive a committee vote, so this proposal is not showing signs of active movement.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

Gun-related legislation often faces strong opposition in a divided Congress. While this focuses on officer accountability, similar bills usually struggle to move past the committee stage.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 10481 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 10481 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill requires federal law enforcement agencies to create strict rules for how officers lock and store their service guns when they are not using them. Agencies would have to provide the necessary equipment like gun safes, smart locks, or trigger locks to their officers at no cost to the individual.
Officers would be banned from leaving their service weapons in their personal or patrol cars except in very specific situations, such as when they are at a courthouse. If an officer breaks these storage rules, they could face official punishment or disciplinary action from their agency.
If a service weapon is lost or stolen, the agency must report it to local police, the ATF, and the FBI. This is meant to help the government track missing weapons and help local police find them before they are used in a crime.
The bill also requires agencies to train anyone who helps them with law enforcement tasks on how to store guns safely. Officers would also receive written information about the safety risks of keeping a gun in their home, especially if it is easy for others to reach.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 30, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Apr 30, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Federal Law Enforcement and Public Protection Act

Bill NumberHR 8608

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.