New Federal Bill Creates Fines, Lawsuits for Unsecured Guns That Crossed State Lines

The “Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act” is a major legislative effort focused on reducing accidental shootings by tightening gun storage rules and juvenile access. It introduces new federal penalties and civil liability for leaving firearms unsecured, while also setting up a grant program to fund gun safety education in schools.

The Fine Print on Handgun Consent

First, this bill tweaks the rules around parents giving written permission for a juvenile (a minor) to possess a handgun. Currently, a parent can sign off on this for certain activities. This bill adds a crucial layer of knowledge: the parent giving consent must now know that the juvenile will only be using or holding the handgun while they are actively supervised by the person who transferred the gun, or another legally qualified adult (Section 2). Essentially, the bill ensures that parental consent isn’t a blank check; it has to be tied to immediate, adult supervision during the time the minor handles the firearm.

Unsecured Firearm? Prepare for Federal Penalties and Lawsuits

The biggest change here is the creation of a new federal offense for unsecured firearm storage (Section 3). If you own a gun that has, at some point, traveled across state lines (which covers almost every commercially sold firearm), you are now breaking federal law if you keep it, leave it, or store it unsecured. An "unsecured firearm" is defined simply as one that isn't locked up with a secure storage or safety device. The only exception is if you are carrying the gun on your person or if it is “immediately accessible as if the person were carrying it.”

This is a huge shift. For the average gun owner who keeps a home defense firearm loaded but stored in a nightstand or closet—not locked up, but not actively carried—that firearm is now considered unsecured under federal law. If you violate this rule, the Attorney General can hit you with a civil fine: up to $1,000 for the first offense and up to $5,000 for subsequent offenses. If you are penalized, you are temporarily barred from purchasing a firearm for five years.

The New Risk of Civil Liability

Beyond the federal fines, this bill opens the door to significant civil lawsuits (Section 3). If someone is injured because you violated this new secure storage rule, they can sue you, the gun owner. Crucially, they can also sue anyone else in control of the property where the gun was kept, provided that person knew or should have known the unsecured gun was there. If the injured party wins, all sued parties are held jointly and severally liable, meaning any one of them can be forced to pay the entire judgment, regardless of their individual degree of fault. This creates a real financial risk for roommates, spouses, or landlords who might live with a gun owner.

School Grants for Gun Safety Education

On the education front, the bill sets up a new grant program run by the Department of Education (Section 4). This program will issue competitive grants to local school districts (LEAs) to help them provide parents with educational materials and public information sessions on secure gun storage best practices. However, there’s a catch: only school districts located in states that already have a secure gun storage law similar to this new federal rule are eligible to apply. This means that districts in states without existing secure storage laws will not be able to access this federal funding, potentially limiting the reach of the educational push.

Tracking the Implementation

Finally, the bill mandates that the Attorney General must report to Congress annually, starting two years after the law takes effect (Section 5). This report must detail how the new law and its penalties are being implemented. The key requirement is that the data must be broken down and separated by sex, race, age, ethnicity, national origin, and English proficiency, ensuring the federal government tracks who is being affected by these new rules.