I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6639 

To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to require adequate 

supervision before a juvenile can possess a firearm, to require the safe 

storage of firearms, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 8, 2022 

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan (for himself, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Ms. BASS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CASTEN, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. LIEU, Ms. MANNING, Mrs. 

MCBATH, and Mr. NEGUSE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 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 

A BILL 

To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to 

require adequate supervision before a juvenile can possess a firearm, to require the safe storage of firearms, 

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 ‘‘Protect Children 

5 Through Safe Gun Ownership Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON WRITTEN CONSENT TO PERMIT A 

2 JUVENILE TO POSSESS A HANDGUN. 

3 Section 922(x) of title 18, United States Code, is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(7) It shall be unlawful for any parent or guardian 

6 to provide written consent under paragraph (3) unless the 

7 parent or guardian has actual knowledge that the posses8 sion or use of the handgun by the juvenile will be in the 

9 presence and under the active supervision of the transferor 

10 or another adult who is not prohibited by Federal, State, 

11 or local law from possessing a firearm.’’. 

12 SEC. 3. SECURE GUN STORAGE OR SAFETY DEVICE. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 922(z) of title 18, United 

14 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(4) SECURE GUN STORAGE BY OWNERS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) OFFENSE.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlaw19 ful for a person to keep, leave, or store any 

20 unsecured firearm that has moved in, or 

21 that has otherwise affected, interstate or 

22 foreign commerce, unless the person car23 ries the firearm on his or her person or 

24 within such close proximity thereto that 

25 the person can readily retrieve and use the 


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1 firearm as if the person carried the firearm 

2 on his or her person. 

3 ‘‘(ii) UNSECURED FIREARM.—In 

4 clause (i), the term ‘unsecured firearm’ 

5 means a firearm that is not secured by a 

6 secure gun storage or safety device. 

7 ‘‘(B) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An individual who 

9 is injured as a result of a violation of sub10 paragraph (A) (or, in the case of an indi11 vidual who has died as a result of such a 

12 violation, a member of the family of, or the 

13 estate of, the individual) may bring a civil 

14 action against the violator or any other 

15 person who, when the violation occurred, 

16 was in control of any premises on which 

17 the violation occurred if the violator or the 

18 person in control of the premises knew or 

19 should have known that there was an unse20 cured firearm on the premises, in a court 

21 of competent jurisdiction, for compensatory 

22 and punitive damages, injunctive and de23 claratory relief, and such other relief as 

24 the court deems appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABIL2 ITY.—In an action described in clause (i), 

3 the liability of all defendants shall be joint 

4 and several. 

5 ‘‘(iii) RULE OF INTERPRETATION.— 

6 For purposes of any determination of li7 ability covered by any contract of insur8 ance entered into after the date of the en9 actment of this subparagraph, a violation 

10 of subparagraph (A) shall not solely be 

11 considered an intentional action. 

12 ‘‘(iv) NO EFFECT ON STATE LAW.— 

13 This subparagraph shall not be interpreted 

14 to preempt, supplant, or displace any claim 

15 brought under State statutory law or com16 mon law.’’. 

17 (b) PENALTIES.—Section 924 of such title is amend18 ed by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(q) With respect to a violation of section 922(z), the 

20 Attorney General shall, after notice and opportunity for 

21 a hearing— 

22 ‘‘(1)(A) in the case of a 1st violation, subject 

23 the person to a civil money penalty of not more than 

24 $1,000; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) in the case of a 2nd or subsequent viola2 tion, subject the person to a civil money penalty of 

3 not more than $5,000; and 

4 ‘‘(2) in the case of any violation, notify the per5 son of the prohibitions set forth in section 

6 922(d)(10).’’. 

7 (c) PROHIBITION.—Section 922(d) of such title is 

8 amended in the 1st sentence— 

9 (1) in paragraph (8)(B)(ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

10 the end; 

11 (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and 

12 inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(10) has been assessed a civil money penalty 

15 for a violation of subsection (z)(4) within the pre16 ceding 5 years.’’. 

17 (d) REGULATIONS.—Within 6 months after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 

19 promulgate such rules as are necessary to ensure that— 

20 (1) the national instant criminal background 

21 check system established under section 103 of the 

22 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act denies the 

23 transfer of a firearm to a person who has been as24 sessed a civil money penalty for a violation of section 

25 922(z)(4) of title 18, United States Code, in the 5- 


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1 year period ending with the date of the proposed 

2 transfer; and 

3 (2) each person licensed under chapter 44 of 

4 such title provides notice of the penalties for vio5 lating such section 922(z)(4) to any person not li6 censed under such chapter who seeks to acquire a 

7 firearm from the licensee. 

8 SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SAFE STORAGE EDUCATION. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts made available 

10 to carry out this Act, the Secretary of Education shall 

11 award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible local edu12 cational agencies to provide parents with educational ma13 terials on gun safety and the importance and necessity of 

14 secure gun storage. 

15 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

16 under this section, an eligible local educational agency 

17 shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 

18 in such manner, and containing such information as the 

19 Secretary may require. 

20 (c) AUTHORIZED USES OF FUNDS.—In addition to 

21 using a grant received under this section for the purposes 

22 described in subsection (a), an eligible local educational 

23 agency may use such grant to— 


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1 (1) provide educational materials on gun safety 

2 for parents, including best practices on how to keep 

3 guns secure from children; 

4 (2) conduct information sessions on gun safety 

5 that are publicly accessible; or 

6 (3) hire or assign an individual to monitor the 

7 activities carried out under the grant. 

8 (d) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 180 days before the 

9 first grant is awarded under this section, the Secretary 

10 shall issue guidance on best practices on— 

11 (1) keeping children secure from guns; and 

12 (2) the provision, by local educational agencies, 

13 of age-appropriate education on gun safety for par14 ents. 

15 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) ELIGIBLE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.— 

17 The term ‘‘eligible local educational agency’’ means 

18 a local educational agency that is located in a State 

19 with a secure gun storage law similar to paragraph 

20 (4) of section 922(z) of title 18, United States Code, 

21 as added by section 3. 

22 (2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘local edu23 cational agency’’ and ‘‘parent’’ have the meanings 

24 given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary 


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1 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

2 7801). 

3 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary of Education. 

5 SEC. 5. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION. 

6 Within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 

7 Act, and annually thereafter, the Attorney General shall 

8 submit a written report to the Congress on the implemen9 tation of this Act and the amendments made by this Act, 

10 including a disaggregation of the application of the 

11 amendments to individuals by sex, race, age, ethnicity, na12 tional origin, and English language proficiency. 

Æ 


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