I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4177 

To establish a Gun Safety Board, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 9, 2019 

Mr. DESAULNIER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To establish a Gun Safety Board, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gun Safety Board and 

5 Research Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. GUN SAFETY BOARD. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 

8 Human Services shall, not later than 1 year after the date 

9 of enactment of this Act, establish a board to be known 

10 as the Gun Safety Board. 

11 (b) DUTIES.—The Gun Safety Board shall— 


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1 (1) not later than 2 years after the date of en2 actment of this Act, establish a program that pro3 vides grants that recipients shall use to— 

4 (A) conduct original research about fire5 arm violence reduction (including research 

6 about topics identified for additional research 

7 by the Gun Safety Board under paragraph 

8 (2)(B)); and 

9 (B) to educate members of the public 

10 about— 

11 (i) causes and effects of firearm vio12 lence; and 

13 (ii) ways to reduce the risk of harm 

14 from firearm violence; 

15 (2) conduct original research about firearm vio16 lence reduction; and 

17 (3) on an ongoing basis, publish in the Federal 

18 Register and on a public website of the Department 

19 of Health and Human Services the following: 

20 (A) Policy recommendations for potential 

21 Federal, State, and local action based on avail22 able scientific research about firearm violence 

23 reduction. 

24 (B) A list of subject areas related to fire25 arm violence reduction that the Gun Safety 


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1 Board finds would benefit from additional sci2 entific research. 

3 (C) The Firearm Safety Board’s findings 

4 about the efficacy of existing State and Federal 

5 laws intended to reduce firearm violence, and 

6 the expected efficacy of proposed State and 

7 Federal legislation intended to reduce firearm 

8 violence, in reducing any of the following: 

9 (i) Gun assaults. 

10 (ii) Gun robberies. 

11 (iii) Threats with a gun. 

12 (iv) Shootings. 

13 (v) Mass shootings. 

14 (vi) Deaths caused by firearms. 

15 (vii) Injuries caused by firearms. 

16 (viii) Health care-related expenditures 

17 (including lost days of work and other indi18 rect expenditures) for victims of firearm19 caused injuries. 

20 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

21 (1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Gun 

22 Safety Board shall be composed of 17 members ap23 pointed by the Secretary of Health and Human 

24 Services. 


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1 (2) COMPOSITION.—The members shall in2 clude— 

3 (A) at least 1 member with expertise in 

4 law enforcement; 

5 (B) at least 1 member with expertise in 

6 public health; 

7 (C) at least 1 member with expertise in 

8 firearm violence reduction research; 

9 (D) at least 1 member with expertise in 

10 medicine; 

11 (E) at least 1 member with a background 

12 in firearm manufacturing, firearm sales, profes13 sional firearm use, or recreational firearm use; 

14 (F) at least 1 member representing victims 

15 of firearm violence; 

16 (G) at least 1 member representing non17 profit organizations that advocate for firearm 

18 violence reduction; and 

19 (H) at least 1 member from each of the 

20 following: 

21 (i) The National Institutes of Health. 

22 (ii) The Centers for Disease Control 

23 and Prevention. 

24 (iii) The United States Consumer 

25 Product Safety Commission. 


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1 (iv) The Federal Bureau of Investiga2 tion. 

3 (v) The Department of Health and 

4 Human Services. 

5 (vi) The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 

6 Firearms and Explosives within the De7 partment of Justice. 

8 (vii) The Office of Juvenile Justice 

9 and Delinquency Prevention within the De10 partment of Justice. 

11 (viii) The Bureau of Justice Assist12 ance within the Department of Justice. 

13 (ix) The Office for Victims of Crime 

14 within the Department of Justice. 

15 (x) The Office on Violence Against 

16 Women within the Department of Justice. 

17 (xi) The National Institute of Justice 

18 within the Department of Justice. 

19 (d) TERMS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para21 graph (2), each member shall be appointed for a 

22 term of 4 years. 

23 (2) TERMS OF INITIAL APPOINTEES.—As des24 ignated by the Secretary of Health and Human 


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1 Services at the time of appointment, of the members 

2 first appointed— 

3 (A) three shall be appointed for a term of 

4 4 years; 

5 (B) two shall be appointed for a term of 3 

6 years; 

7 (C) two shall be appointed for a term of 2 

8 years; and 

9 (D) two shall be appointed for a term of 

10 1 year. 

11 (3) VACANCIES.—Any member appointed to fill 

12 a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the 

13 term for which the member’s predecessor was ap14 pointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of 

15 that term. A vacancy shall be filled in the manner 

16 in which the original appointment was made. 

17 (e) BASIC PAY.—Members shall be paid at a rate set 

18 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that is 

19 consistent with title 5, United States Code. 

20 (f) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member shall receive 

21 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 

22 in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter 

23 I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code. 


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1 (g) CHAIR.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

2 Services shall designate one member to serve as chair of 

3 the Firearm Safety Board. 

4 (h) VICE CHAIR.—The members of the Gun Safety 

5 Board shall elect one member to serve as vice chair of the 

6 Firearm Safety Board. 

7 (i) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet at least once 

8 each month at the call of the chair. 

9 (j) STAFF.—The chair may appoint and, consistent 

10 with title 5, United States Code, fix the pay of additional 

11 personnel as the chair considers appropriate. 

12 (k) FIREARM.—For the purposes of this Act, the 

13 term ‘‘firearm’’ shall have the meaning given the term in 

14 section 921 of title 18, United States Code. 

15 (l) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

16 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 

17 $25,000,000 for each fiscal year beginning after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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