I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7591 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require 
certain local educational agencies to distribute guidance to students, 
parents, and other local community members regarding firearm safety, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 17, 2026 
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York (for himself, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mr. JOHNSON 
of Georgia, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. BELL, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARTER of 
Louisiana, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. PETTERSEN, 
Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Mr. DELUZIO, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. 
CROCKETT, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. CRAIG, 
and Ms. KELLY of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to require certain local educational agencies to 
distribute guidance to students, parents, and other local 
community members regarding firearm safety, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Secure Firearm Stor-
age and Suicide Prevention Act of 2026’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Unintentional injuries and suicides related 
to firearms are significant causes death among chil-
dren and teenagers. 
(2) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention— 
(A) the annual rate of suicide by firearm 
in the United States increased approximately 
11 percent from 2019 to 2022, with provisional 
data suggesting that 2024 may have had the 
highest rate of gun suicide since at least 1968; 
(B) nearly 60 percent of all gun-related 
deaths in the United States are suicides; 
(C) in 2021, 2022, and 2023, firearm sui-
cides accounted for approximately 55 percent of 
all suicide deaths in the United States; 
(D) in 2023, an average of 75 individuals 
in the United States died by firearm suicide 
each day; 
(E) in 2023, the third leading cause of 
death in the United States for youth under the 
age of 18 was suicide; and 
(F) in both 2022 and 2023, firearms were 
the leading mechanism of death among youth 
under the age of 18 in the United States. 
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(3) According to the Department of Health and 
Human Services, 79 percent of the firearms used in 
the suicides of youth under the age of 18 are the 
guns of family members. 
(4) Suicide attempts involving firearms are al-
most always deadly, with 9 out of 10 firearm suicide 
attempts resulting in death. 
(5) Education about the importance of proper 
secure storage of firearms, including the risk of fire-
arm-related suicide associated with unsecured weap-
ons, is critical to reducing firearm-related uninten-
tional injuries and suicides. 
(6) Implementing firearm safety and education 
on suicide prevention can foster a culture of respon-
sible firearm ownership and handling, benefitting 
both individuals and communities. 
(7) It can take less than 10 minutes between 
thinking about suicide and acting on it. Putting bar-
riers between individuals and lethal means in mo-
ments of crisis can save lives. 
(8) Secure storage of firearms is effective in re-
ducing suicide deaths. 
SEC. 3. FIREARM SAFETY RESOURCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title IV of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
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7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘Subpart 3—Firearm Safety Resources 
‘‘SEC. 4131. FIREARM SAFETY BEST PRACTICES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall de-
velop best practices relating to the secure storage of fire-
arms and the prevention of firearm-related suicide or un-
intentional injury in consultation with— 
‘‘(1) the Firearms and Ammunition Technology 
Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire-
arms and Explosives; 
‘‘(2) the Department of Health and Human 
Services; 
‘‘(3) the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention; 
‘‘(4) the National Institutes of Health; 
‘‘(5) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration of the Department of 
Health and Human Services; 
‘‘(6) the Department of Homeland Security; 
‘‘(7) the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safe-
ty Evidence-Based Practices established under sec-
tion 2220D of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 665k); 
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‘‘(8) the Firearms-Toolmarks Unit of the Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation; 
‘‘(9) law enforcement agencies; 
‘‘(10) non-profit organizations that— 
‘‘(A) have experience in firearm safety and 
education; and 
‘‘(B) are not affiliated with the firearm in-
dustry or lobbyist working on behalf of the fire-
arm industry; 
‘‘(11) educators; and 
‘‘(12) independent experts in firearm safety and 
education, as determined appropriate by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(b) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall 
include as part of the best practices described in sub-
section (a) the following information: 
‘‘(1) How to securely store firearms, including 
how to use secure storage devices. 
‘‘(2) How to evaluate and regularly re-evaluate 
firearm safety protocols, including secure storage 
practices for firearms in places were firearms are 
commonly kept, including in homes and motor vehi-
cles. 
‘‘(3) The risks associated with the improper use 
of firearms or unsecure storage of firearms, includ-
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ing firearms that are not lawfully possessed, and the 
correlation of such factors with suicide or uninten-
tional injury. 
‘‘(4) Strategies for preventing unintentional in-
juries or suicides related to the use of firearms. 
‘‘(5) How to educate students about the proper 
steps such students should take upon encountering 
an unsecured firearm, including to not handle the 
firearm and to contact a trusted adult. 
‘‘(6) How community members, including par-
ents, can acquire secure storage devices, including 
any resources that provide secure storage devices for 
free. 
‘‘(7) A summary of Federal laws directly re-
lated to firearm safety and secure firearm storage, 
including information about the Second Amendment 
to the Constitution of the United States. 
‘‘(8) A survey of State laws and programs re-
lated to firearm safety, including laws related to the 
secure storage of firearms and the implementation of 
State crisis intervention court proceedings and re-
lated programs or initiatives. 
‘‘(9) Firearm safety resources created by aca-
demic institutions or organizations with experience 
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in firearm safety and education, as determined ap-
propriate by the Secretary. 
‘‘(10) Any other information determined appro-
priate by the Secretary. 
‘‘(c) NEUTRALITY REQUIREMENT.—In developing 
the best practices described in subsection (a), the Sec-
retary may not include as part of such best practices mate-
rials encouraging or discouraging the possession or owner-
ship of firearms. 
‘‘(d) DISTRIBUTION.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, 
the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) distribute the best practices described in 
subsection (a) to each local educational agency; 
‘‘(2) notify each covered local education agency 
of the local firearm safety guidance requirements 
under section 4132; and 
‘‘(3) provide guidance to each covered local edu-
cation agency regarding the most effective time dur-
ing an academic year to satisfy the distribution re-
quirement under section 4132(e) in order to maxi-
mize the prevention of firearm-related suicide or un-
intentional injury. 
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‘‘(e) UPDATE.—Not later than 4 years after the date 
of enactment of this section, and once every 3 years there-
after, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) solicit feedback from school staff, students, 
parents, and experts with experience in firearm safe-
ty and education on the best practices described in 
subsection (a); and 
‘‘(2) update the information in such best prac-
tices, as determined appropriate by the Secretary. 
‘‘SEC. 4132. LOCAL FIREARM SAFETY GUIDANCE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
Secretary distributes the best practices described in sec-
tion 4131(a) as required under section 4131(d)(1), each 
covered local educational agency shall develop guidance re-
lating to the secure storage of firearms and the prevention 
of firearm-related suicide or unintentional injury in con-
sultation with— 
‘‘(1) community-based health and violence pre-
vention organizations; 
‘‘(2) public safety officials and emergency per-
sonnel, including police and firefighters; 
‘‘(3) mental health professionals, including doc-
tors and psychologists; 
‘‘(4) educators; and 
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‘‘(5) any other stakeholders determined appro-
priate by the local educational agency. 
‘‘(b) RELATIONSHIP TO BEST PRACTICES.—In devel-
oping the guidance described in subsection (a), each cov-
ered local educational agency shall— 
‘‘(1) incorporate the best practices distributed 
to the covered local educational agency as required 
under section 4131(d)(1); 
‘‘(2) modify such best practices to be relevant 
to the local community, as determined appropriate 
by the covered local educational agency; and 
‘‘(3) regularly update such guidance to reflect 
any changes to such best practices, as determined 
appropriate by the covered local educational agency. 
‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION.—Each covered 
local educational agency shall include as part of such guid-
ance the following information: 
‘‘(1) Mental health resources available to stu-
dents, including resources available in schools served 
by the covered local educational agency and re-
sources provided by the local community. 
‘‘(2) Any other information determined appro-
priate by the covered local educational agency. 
‘‘(d) NEUTRALITY REQUIREMENT.—In developing 
the guidance described in subsection (a), each covered 
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local educational agency may not include as part of such 
guidance materials encouraging or discouraging the pos-
session or ownership of firearms. 
‘‘(e) DISTRIBUTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days 
after the beginning of the 2027–2028 academic year, 
and not later than 90 days before the end of each 
academic year thereafter, each covered local edu-
cational agency shall distribute the guidance de-
scribed in subsection (a) through email and physical 
means (including by sending students home with 
such guidance as a handout or by mail) to— 
‘‘(A) students; 
‘‘(B) parents; 
‘‘(C) school staff; and 
‘‘(D) any other members of the local com-
munity determined appropriate by the covered 
local educational agency. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITY.—A covered local edu-
cational agency may delegate responsibility for car-
rying out any part of the distribution activities re-
quired under paragraph (1) to the schools served by 
such covered local educational agency. 
‘‘SEC. 4133. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subpart: 
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‘‘(1) COVERED
LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘covered local educational agency’ 
means a local educational agency, or consortium of 
such agencies, that receives an allocation under sec-
tion 4105(a). 
‘‘(2) SECURE STORAGE DEVICE.—The term ‘se-
cure storage device’ means a device which is de-
signed to prevent unauthorized access to, or render 
inoperable, a firearm, including a firearm safe, lock 
box, trigger lock, or cable lock. 
‘‘(3) SCHOOL STAFF.—The term ‘school staff’ 
means— 
‘‘(A) school leaders; 
‘‘(B) specialized instructional support per-
sonnel; 
‘‘(C) teachers; and 
‘‘(D) other staff.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 
section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 is amended by inserting after the item relating 
to section 4121 the following: 
‘‘SUBPART 3—FIREARM SAFETY RESOURCES 
‘‘4131. Firearm safety best practices. 
‘‘4132. Local firearm safety guidance. 
‘‘4133. Definitions.’’. 
Æ 
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