Secure Background Checks Act Clarifies Existing Age and Residency Rules for Gun Ownership, Updates Penalty Code

The Secure Background Checks Act of 2025 proposes specific amendments to federal firearms law. Its main action is to update Title 18, Section 922(g) of the U.S. Code to explicitly state that it's unlawful for individuals who don't meet established age or residency requirements to possess firearms. The bill also makes a technical correction to the penalty section (Section 924(a)(2)) to ensure accurate cross-referencing within the code.

Legal Housekeeping: Aligning the Rules

Think of this less as creating brand-new hurdles and more as legal tidying up. The bill doesn't invent new age or residency standards; instead, it points to existing requirements already outlined elsewhere in the law (specifically subsections (b)(1) for age and (b)(3) for residency). By adding this language to Section 922(g) – the part of the code that lists categories of people prohibited from having guns (like convicted felons) – the Act makes it explicitly clear that failing to meet those existing age or residency criteria falls under this specific prohibition. The practical effect? It potentially streamlines how violations related to age and residency are charged under federal law, making the statute itself more direct.

Dotting the I's: Penalty Code Refresh

The change to Section 924(a)(2) is even more straightforward – it's essentially a proofreading fix. Legal codes get updated over time, and sometimes references need to be adjusted. This amendment ensures that the penalty provisions correctly point to all the relevant subsections they're supposed to cover, reflecting previous changes to the law. It’s about maintaining accuracy and consistency within the legal text itself. Overall, this Act focuses on reinforcing existing rules within the federal code and ensuring the associated legal language is precise and up-to-date.