119th (2025–2027)
H.R. 9399
The Juvenile Firearms Safety Act of 2026 creates new federal criminal penalties for adults who provide firearms to juveniles or fail to secure firearms where juveniles can access them. Adults 18 and older would face up to one year in prison for knowingly giving a firearm to a minor with reason to believe the juvenile intends to use it for crime or self-harm, or for storing unsecured firearms in places where they know or should know a juvenile could access them. Penalties increase significantly if a juvenile uses the provided or accessed firearm to commit a crime, injure someone, or cause a death, ranging from two years imprisonment for crimes up to ten years for direct provision of a firearm that results in harm. The law includes exceptions for lawful activities like hunting with parental permission and allows adults to avoid liability by using gun safety devices or keeping firearms on their person, and it provides courts guidance on relevant factors like prior knowledge of a juvenile's violence, mental health concerns, or history of self-harm. The bill has no specified timeline for implementation or funding requirement since it establishes criminal penalties within existing federal law.