New Federal Bill Creates Two New Barriers for Firearm Purchases, Targeting Age and Interstate Sales

The Secure Background Checks Act of 2025 is a short bill focused entirely on tightening the definition of who is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law. It doesn’t create a new background check system, but it does add two new groups to the list of people who can’t legally own a gun, primarily targeting age compliance and transactions that cross state lines.

The Age Compliance Tightrope

Section 2 introduces a tricky new requirement regarding age. Currently, federal law already prohibits certain people from having firearms, but this bill adds a new layer of complexity. Under the new rule, you become prohibited if you fail to meet two specific age requirements simultaneously: the federal age requirement and the age requirement in your state of residence. Think of it like a double-check system. If you are old enough under federal law but not under your state’s specific rules, you might still be okay—but if you fall short of both, you’re out. This is a big deal for young adults, especially those who move frequently or live in states with stricter age limits than the federal minimum. For example, if you’re 20 and your state requires you to be 21 to possess a handgun, and the federal rule is also 21 for that specific type of transfer, you’re now explicitly prohibited under this new federal language. It’s designed to close loopholes where age requirements might be fuzzy between jurisdictions, but it adds a layer of complexity for the average person trying to comply.

Interstate Sales Get a New Hurdle

The bill also takes aim at how people buy guns across state lines. The second new prohibition targets anyone who buys or is transferred a firearm from a business located outside their state of residence unless they qualify for one of the specific, existing exceptions already written into the law (subsections (b)(3)(A) or (B) of the existing statute). Essentially, if you buy a firearm from a dealer in a neighboring state, you must now explicitly fit into one of the existing, narrow statutory exceptions for interstate transactions—like certain temporary transfers or specific types of long gun purchases. If you don't fit that exception, you’re now prohibited. This means anyone who relies on current, less restrictive interpretations of interstate transfers needs to be acutely aware of these specific exceptions, or they could inadvertently become a prohibited person just by crossing a state line to make a purchase. For the busy person, this means that even a seemingly simple transaction at a gun show just across the state border now requires a legal deep dive to ensure you meet the specific, existing exceptions.

The Technical Clean-Up

Finally, Section 3 is pure bureaucratic housekeeping. It fixes a minor issue in the existing penalty section (Title 18, Section 924(a)(2)). It’s just changing some punctuation and cross-references to make sure the list of offenses that carry criminal penalties is grammatically correct. It’s a technical fix that doesn't change the actual penalties, but it’s the kind of detail that keeps the federal legal code tidy—or at least, tidier.