H.R. 2948: Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2025

The Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2025 aims to establish a program for gun buybacks through grants made available by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Here is a breakdown of the bill's main components:

Overview of the Gun Buyback Program

The bill authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to various eligible entities, including:

• States
• Local governments
• Tribal governments
• Covered gun dealers

These grants are intended for conducting gun buyback programs, where individuals can surrender firearms in exchange for compensation, facilitated through the issuance of smart prepaid cards.

Application Process

Eligible entities must submit grant applications to the Director. Gun dealers wishing to participate through subgrants must apply via the local government's chief executive. The applications must include necessary information as required by the Director.

Grant Details

The grants are set for a term of two years. Any unspent funds or unused smart prepaid cards must be returned to the Director at the end of this term.

The Director may prepare and distribute smart prepaid cards to participating entities to facilitate the buyback transactions, ensuring that no funds are initially loaded onto these cards.

Restrictions on Card Usage

Smart prepaid cards cannot be used to buy firearms or ammunition. If someone violates this provision, they must pay a penalty equivalent to the value of the firearm involved in the sale.

Use of Funds from Grants

Grant recipients must use the funds primarily for conducting gun buyback programs or for administrative costs. At least 5% of the grant must be allocated to destroy collected firearms and ammunition. Gun dealers receiving funds must also conduct buyback programs using smart prepaid cards loaded with sufficient value to encourage participation.

Incentives and Prohibitions

Grant funds may be used to incentivize gun dealers to participate in the program, ensuring a wider reach and higher effectiveness. However, there are strict prohibitions against selling any firearms or parts collected through the buyback program.

Administrative and Compliance Measures

Recipients of grants must verify that firearms collected have not been reported stolen and must comply with criminal database checks to ensure guns were not used in crimes. Collected guns must be delivered to the relevant authorities within a specified timeframe after collection.

Funding Authorization

The bill authorizes a financial allocation of $360,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2025 through 2027 to support the program.

Criminal Provisions

The bill includes a provision that makes it a federal crime to use a smart prepaid card in transactions involving firearms or ammunition, punishable by fines.

Definitions

The bill clearly defines terms such as “gun,” “smart prepaid card,” and “gun buyback program,” ensuring clarity in its implementation.

Relevant Companies

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