Gun Safety Innovation Opportunity Act of 2026

Grants for safer gun locks

This bill would create a new grant program run by the Attorney General to fund research on safer firearm storage devices. Grants would go to institutions of higher education and to firearms manufacturers to develop locks and integrated safety technology, including biometric-based systems. Applicants would need a detailed plan, a description of how the technology would enhance community safety, and a plan to increase consumer access and lower costs. The bill would authorize $10,000,000 per year for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2030 to carry out the program. Recipients would send annual reports to the Attorney General, and the Attorney General would have to report to Congress within one year after enactment on ways Congress and law enforcement can support, deploy, and use these technologies to prevent self-harm. The bill would define a “safe firearm storage device” as a lock or integrated system that denies unauthorized access or renders a firearm or ammunition inoperable unless authorized, and it would apply the meanings of “firearm” and “ammunition” in 18 U.S.C. 921 with a stated exclusion.