Congress·In Committee·S. 3875

Senate Bill Would Require FTC to Investigate, Regulate Firearms Advertising Practices

Responsible Firearms Marketing Act

about 1 month ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Congress Proposes New FTC Regulations on Gun Marketing to Minors

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate how guns are advertised and sold. The agency would look for "unfair or deceptive" practices, which are tactics that trick or mislead customers into buying products.
The investigation would focus on ads that might be designed to appeal to children under 18. It would also look for marketing that encourages people to use guns for illegal activities or focuses on the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons.
After finishing a two-year study, the FTC would be required to create new federal rules. These rules would officially ban gun manufacturers and dealers from using misleading or dangerous marketing tactics in their advertisements.
If gun companies or sellers break these new rules, the FTC could punish them with fines or other legal actions. This is intended to hold the gun industry to the same advertising standards as other businesses that sell products to the public.

Gun PolicyTechnology Digital

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 12, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Feb 12, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Related News

2 articles

The Hill·over 2 years ago

Democrats introduce bill to crack down on gun marketing to children

The Responsible Firearms Marketing Act would direct the Federal Trade Commission to study how the gun industry markets its products, specifically looking at ads that target minors or promote illegal acts. After the study, the FTC would be required to create rules banning deceptive tactics.

NBC News·over 2 years ago

New bill aims to stop gun companies from marketing to children

This legislation would mandate an FTC investigation into gun companies' marketing strategies. It specifically targets advertisements that appeal to minors or promote the use of military-style weapons, leading to new federal bans on deceptive ads.

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