I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5273 
To establish a Gun Safety Board, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 
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. 
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 ‘‘Gun Safety Board and 
Research Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GUN SAFETY BOARD. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall, not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, establish a board to be known 
as the Gun Safety Board. 
(b) DUTIES.—The Gun Safety Board shall— 
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(1) not later than 2 years after the date of en-
actment of this Act, establish a program that uses 
not less than half of the amounts appropriated 
under this Act to provide grants that recipients shall 
use to— 
(A) conduct original research about fire-
arm violence reduction (including research 
about topics identified for additional research 
by the Gun Safety Board under paragraph (3)); 
and 
(B) to educate members of the public 
about— 
(i) causes and effects of firearm vio-
lence; and 
(ii) ways to reduce firearm violence; 
(2) conduct original research about firearm vio-
lence reduction; and 
(3) publish in the Federal Register and on a 
public website of the Department of Health and 
Human Services, not less frequently than annually— 
(A) policy and funding recommendations 
for potential Federal, State, and local action 
based on available scientific research about fire-
arm violence reduction; 
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(B) a list of subject areas related to fire-
arm violence reduction that the Gun Safety 
Board finds would benefit from additional sci-
entific research; and 
(C) the Gun Safety Board’s findings about 
the efficacy of existing State and Federal laws 
intended to reduce firearm violence, and the ex-
pected efficacy of proposed State and Federal 
legislation intended to reduce firearm violence, 
in reducing— 
(i) domestic violence; 
(ii) suicide and attempted suicide; 
(iii) chronic community violence; 
(iv) police violence; 
(v) mass shootings; 
(vi) hate crimes; 
(vii) school shootings; 
(viii) health care-related expenditures 
(including lost days of work and other indi-
rect expenditures) for victims of firearm- 
caused injuries; 
(ix) hospital interventions; 
(x) broader socioeconomic impacts of 
chronic gun violence; 
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(xi) diversions of firearms, including 
straw purchasing and gun trafficking; and 
(xii) unintentional shootings. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) NUMBER
AND
APPOINTMENT.—The Gun 
Safety Board shall be composed of 22 members ap-
pointed by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services. 
(2) COMPOSITION.—The members shall in-
clude— 
(A) 1 member with expertise in public 
health; 
(B) 1 member with expertise in mental 
health care; 
(C) 1 member with expertise in firearm vi-
olence reduction research; 
(D) 1 member with expertise in trauma 
surgery; 
(E) 1 member with expertise in law en-
forcement; 
(F) 1 member with a background in fire-
arm manufacturing, firearm sales, professional 
firearm use, or recreational firearm use; 
(G) 2 members representing victims of 
firearm violence; 
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(H) 1 member representing a nonprofit or-
ganization that advocates for racial justice; 
(I) 1 member representing a nonprofit or-
ganization that advocates or engages in firearm 
violence intervention or prevention; and 
(J) 1 member from each of— 
(i) the National Institutes of Health; 
(ii) the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention; 
(iii) the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration; 
(iv) the United States Consumer 
Product Safety Commission; 
(v) the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion; 
(vi) the Department of Health and 
Human Services; 
(vii) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
Firearms, and Explosives within the De-
partment of Justice; 
(viii) the Office of Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention within the De-
partment of Justice; 
(ix) the Bureau of Justice Assistance 
within the Department of Justice; 
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(x) the Office for Victims of Crime 
within the Department of Justice; 
(xi) the Office on Violence Against 
Women within the Department of Justice; 
and 
(xii) the National Institute of Justice 
within the Department of Justice. 
(d) TERMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), each member shall be appointed for a 
term of 4 years. 
(2) TERMS OF INITIAL APPOINTEES.—As des-
ignated by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services at the time of appointment, of the members 
first appointed— 
(A) three shall be appointed for a term of 
4 years; 
(B) two shall be appointed for a term of 3 
years; 
(C) two shall be appointed for a term of 2 
years; and 
(D) two shall be appointed for a term of 
1 year. 
(3) VACANCIES.—Any member appointed to fill 
a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the 
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term for which the member’s predecessor was ap-
pointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of 
that term. A vacancy shall be filled in the manner 
in which the original appointment was made. 
(e) BASIC PAY.—Members shall be paid at a rate set 
by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that is 
consistent with title 5, United States Code. 
(f) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member shall receive 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 
in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter 
I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code. 
(g) CHAIR.—The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall designate 1 member to serve as chair of the 
Gun Safety Board. 
(h) VICE CHAIR.—The members of the Gun Safety 
Board shall elect 1 member to serve as vice chair of the 
Gun Safety Board. 
(i) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet at least once 
each month at the call of the chair. 
(j) STAFF.—The chair may appoint and, consistent 
with title 5, United States Code, fix the pay of additional 
personnel as the chair considers appropriate. 
(k) FIREARM.—For the purposes of this Act, the 
term ‘‘firearm’’ shall have the meaning given the term in 
section 921 of title 18, United States Code. 
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(l) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$5,000,000 for each of the first 2 fiscal years beginning 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
$25,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter. 
(m) PROHIBITION ON DIVERSION OF OTHER FED-
ERAL GUN VIOLENCE RESEARCH FUNDS.—The amounts 
made available for Federal gun violence research other 
than under this Act shall not be reduced in order to pro-
vide funds to carry out this Act. 
Æ 
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