S. 2186: Preventing Pretrial Gun Purchases Act

This bill, titled the Preventing Pretrial Gun Purchases Act, seeks to amend existing firearm regulations by clarifying and expanding the definitions and processes related to prohibiting certain individuals from purchasing firearms. Here are the main points of the bill:

Amendments to the Gun Control Act of 1968

The bill proposes changes to the Gun Control Act by adding the term "pretrial release order," defined as an order from a relevant court that governs the release of an arrested person while they await trial.

Prohibitions on Gun Purchases

Under the proposed changes, individuals who are subject to a pretrial release order that includes a prohibition on purchasing or possessing firearms would be formally recognized in the federal legal framework. The amendment includes specific updates to several sections of the U.S. Code:

• Section 921 would be modified to recognize pretrial release orders as a valid restriction.
• Section 922 would explicitly include pretrial release orders in the list of conditions under which individuals are prohibited from purchasing firearms.

Conforming Amendments

The bill also includes conforming amendments to other related laws to ensure consistency with the new provisions surrounding pretrial release orders. This includes updates to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to appropriately incorporate the prohibition against the sale and receipt of firearms for individuals under a pretrial release order.

Funding for States

The bill authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to states and tribes to assist in reporting pretrial release orders that restrict firearm possession to the national instant criminal background check system (NICS). Specific provisions for these grants include:

• A definition of "covered pretrial release order" that outlines the parameters for what qualifies.
• Requirements for states and tribes to submit applications for these grants.
• Clarification that these grants are in addition to existing funding programs related to criminal history improvement.
• Authorization of appropriations of $25 million for each fiscal year from 2026 to 2030 to fund these initiatives.

Objective of the Bill

The central objective of the Preventing Pretrial Gun Purchases Act is to ensure that individuals who are already considered a risk due to pending criminal charges cannot legally acquire firearms during the pretrial phase, thus aiming to enhance public safety.

Relevant Companies

None found