National Gun Violence Research Act
Bill: H.R.1576 | Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Eddie Bernice (D-TX)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
National Gun Violence Research Act
This bill promotes gun violence research, including by

To provide for a coordinated national research program to examine the 
nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of violence and unintended 
 injury and death relating to gun ownership, use, and trafficking, and 
                          for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Gun Violence Research 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In the last 50 years, more individuals in the United 
        States have died from gunshots than in all wars in which the 
        United States was a combatant, combined.
            (2) The rate of gun violence deaths in the United States is 
        more than double that of other high-income nations.
            (3) Guns accounted for 74 percent of homicides and 51 
        percent of suicides in 2016, totaling over 37,000 deaths in the 
        United States.
            (4) Gun violence disproportionately affects racial 
        minorities, with African Americans comprising nearly 60 percent 
        of homicide victims and 22 percent of unintentional injury 
        deaths in 2016.
            (5) Provisions in appropriations Acts dating back to 1996 
        have had a chilling effect on Federal funding for research on 
        gun violence across the Federal Government and, as a result, 
        research on gun violence is significantly underfunded relative 
        to other leading causes of death.
            (6) Research examining the nature, causes, consequences, 
        and prevention of gun-related violence, suicide, and 
        unintentional injury and death does not constitute advocacy in 
        support of, or opposition to, gun control policies or 
        regulations.
            (7) More research and high-quality data relating to gun 
        violence are needed to inform the development of effective 
        strategies to reduce the incidence of gun-related injury and 
        death.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the National Gun 
        Violence Research Program established under section 5.

SEC. 4. RESEARCH AND DATA RESTRICTIONS REPEAL.

    (a) Gun Trace Data.--
            (1) The matter under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol, 
        Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in 
        title I of division B of the Consolidated and Further 
        Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public 
        Law 112-55; 125 Stat. 609-610) is amended by striking the 6th 
        proviso.
            (2) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol, 
        Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in 
        title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
        2010 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111-117; 123 Stat. 3128-
        3129) is amended by striking ``beginning in fiscal year 2010 
        and thereafter'' and inserting ``in fiscal year 2010''.
            (3) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol, 
        Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in 
        title II of division B of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 
        (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111-8; 123 Stat. 574-576) is 
        amended by striking ``beginning in fiscal year 2009 and 
        thereafter'' and inserting ``in fiscal year 2009''.
            (4) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol, 
        Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in 
        title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
        2008 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 110-161; 121 Stat. 1903-
        1904) is amended by striking ``beginning in fiscal year 2008 
        and thereafter'' and inserting ``in fiscal year 2008''.
            (5) The 6th proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol, 
        Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' in 
        title I of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related 
        Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public 
        Law 109-108; 119 Stat. 2295-2296) is amended by striking ``with 
        respect to any fiscal year''.
            (6) The 6th proviso under the heading in title I of 
        division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (18 
        U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 108-447; 118 Stat. 2859-2860) is 
        amended by striking ``with respect to any fiscal year''.
    (b) Department of Health and Human Services.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, funds made available to the Department of 
Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, may be used to 
conduct research with respect to gun violence.

SEC. 5. RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The President, acting through the Director, 
shall develop and implement a program to improve public health and 
safety through research on gun violence (to be known as the ``National 
Gun Violence Research Program''), through activities carried out in 
collaboration with covered agencies that--
            (1) support gun violence research;
            (2) accelerate the translation of gun violence research 
        into effective policy interventions to reduce the incidence of 
        injury and death related to guns;
            (3) expand the number of researchers and students in the 
        field of gun violence research; and
            (4) improve interagency planning and coordination of 
        Federal Government activities relating to gun violence 
        research.
    (b) Program Activities.--A covered agency, in carrying out 
activities described in subsection (a), shall--
            (1) award grants to individual investigators and 
        interdisciplinary teams of investigators for projects related 
        to gun violence research;
            (2) support projects funded under joint solicitations by a 
        collaboration of no fewer than two covered agencies;
            (3) establish interdisciplinary research centers that are 
        organized to investigate basic research questions and inform 
        policy decisions relating to gun violence;
            (4) provide for the education and training of undergraduate 
        students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars in gun 
        violence research; and
            (5) promote the development of voluntary consensus gun 
        safety technical standards.
    (c) Interagency Working Group.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the 
        National Science and Technology Council, shall establish an 
        interagency working group on gun violence research.
            (2) Composition.--The working group established under this 
        subsection shall be chaired by the Director and include 
        representatives from--
                    (A) the National Science Foundation;
                    (B) the National Institute of Standards and 
                Technology;
                    (C) the National Institutes of Health;
                    (D) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
                    (E) the National Institute of Justice; and
                    (F) any other Federal agency (including an agency, 
                department, or service thereof) that the Director 
                considers appropriate.
            (3) Duties.--The Working Group shall--
                    (A) oversee the planning, management, and 
                coordination of the Program;
                    (B) provide for coordination among covered agencies 
                of Federal gun violence research and other activities 
                undertaken pursuant to the Program;
                    (C) establish and periodically update goals and 
                priorities for the Program; and
                    (D) develop, not later than 12 months after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, and update every 5 
                years, a strategic plan to guide the activities of the 
                Program to meet the goals and priorities established 
                under subparagraph (C).
    (d) Advisory Committee.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the 
        Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall 
        establish an advisory committee on gun violence research.
            (2) Composition.--The advisory committee established under 
        paragraph (1) shall be composed of not less than 12 members, 
        including representatives of research institutions, 
        institutions of higher education, industry, law enforcement, 
        and relevant nonprofit organizations who are qualified to 
        provide advice on the Program.
            (3) Duties.--The advisory committee established under 
        subsection (a) shall assess--
                    (A) the management, coordination, implementation, 
                and activities of the Program;
                    (B) the balance of activities and funding across 
                the Program;
                    (C) whether the Program priorities and goals 
                developed by the working group established under 
                subsection (c)(3) are helping to improve public health 
                and safety; and
                    (D) the need to revise the Program.
    (e) Covered Agency Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered 
agency'' means--
            (1) the National Science Foundation;
            (2) the National Institute for Standards and Technology;
            (3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
            (4) the National Institutes of Health;
            (5) the National Institute of Justice; and
            (6) such other Federal agency as determined appropriate by 
        the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director to carry out this section $200,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027.

SEC. 6. AGENCY ACTIVITIES.

    (a) National Science Foundation.--
            (1) Research.--The Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to 
        institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or 
        consortia of such institutions or organizations)--
                    (A) to support multidisciplinary research to better 
                understand the nature, causes, and consequences of 
                violence, including violence, suicide, unintended 
                injury, and death involving guns;
                    (B) to examine the effects of gun policy 
                interventions on--
                            (i) rates of suicide, homicide, and 
                        unintended injury and death;
                            (ii) individuals' ability to use guns for 
                        self-defense, hunting, and recreation; and
                            (iii) the gun industry; and
                    (C) to educate and train researchers in the field 
                of violence, including gun violence, research.
            (2) National center for violence research.--The Director of 
        the National Science Foundation shall award grants on a 
        competitive basis to institutions of higher education or 
        nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or 
        organizations) to establish one or more centers to conduct 
        multidisciplinary research and education activities in support 
        of the goals and priorities of the Program (to be known as 
        ``National Center for Violence Research'').
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $15,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027.
    (b) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--
            (1) Voluntary consensus standards.--The Secretary of 
        Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute 
        of Standards and Technology, shall establish a program to 
        promote the development of voluntary consensus gun safety 
        technical standards. Such effort shall include--
                    (A) outreach, coordination, and technical support 
                to relevant industry and nonindustry stakeholders and 
                standards development organizations to assist such 
                entities in the development of voluntary consensus gun 
                safety technical standards;
                    (B) the conduct of research to support efforts to 
                develop and improve such standards and conformity 
                assessment; and
                    (C) the development of such standard reference 
                material as the Director determines is necessary to 
                further the development of such standards.
            (2) Prohibition on regulation.--Nothing in this Act shall 
        be construed as conferring upon the Secretary of Commerce any 
        authority to establish or enforce mandatory gun safety 
        standards.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027.
    (c) Department of Health and Human Services.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services, acting through the Director of the National 
        Institutes of Health, the Director of the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention, and other scientific agencies within 
        the Department of Health and Human Services, shall award grants 
        on a competitive basis to conduct or support research into the 
        nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of gun violence.
            (2) Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out this 
        subsection $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
        2027.
    (d) Department of Justice.--
            (1) Research.--The Attorney General of the United States, 
        acting through the National Institute of Justice, shall conduct 
        or sponsor research into the nature, causes, consequences, and 
        prevention of gun violence.
            (2) Competition.--The Attorney General of the United 
        States, acting through the National Institute of Justice, shall 
        sponsor an inducement prize competition under section 24 of the 
        Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
        3719) to demonstrate through testing and evaluation the 
        reliability of guns and gun accessories with integrated 
        advanced gun safety technology (commonly referred to as smart 
        guns, user-authorized handguns, childproof guns, and 
        personalized guns).
            (3) Trace data.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in 
                collaboration with the Secretary of the Department of 
                Health and Human Services, shall develop consensus 
                protocols for granting researchers access to gun trace 
                data while protecting the confidentiality of gun owners 
                and dealers.
                    (B) Data sharing.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, 
                acting through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
                Firearms, and Explosives, shall commence sharing with 
                researchers according to the protocols developed under 
                subparagraph (A), the contents of the Firearms Trace 
                System database and information required to be kept by 
                licensees pursuant to section 923(g) of title 18, 
                United States Code, or required to be reported pursuant 
                to paragraphs (3) and (7) of such section 923(g).
            (4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $3,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027.
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