# 119-s-3085: Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025

119-s-3085, Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID); status introduced (as of 2026-09-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3085
- As of: 2026-09-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3085
- Congress: 119
- Title: Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-10-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-25

## Summary

**This bill would ensure continuous firearm background checks and export-license processing during shutdowns.** It says specific FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives enforcement work and Commerce and State export-license activities would be treated as emergency functions and their staff deemed excepted employees. - Gun buyers and sellers: The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) would keep processing checks to avoid purchase delays during a funding lapse. - Exporters and manufacturers: The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls would continue processing firearms export license applications to limit interruptions to international sales. - Federal employees: Personnel carrying out these firearms enforcement and export-license functions would be considered excepted employees and would keep working during a lapse.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (R-MS), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Justice, James C. [R-WV] (R-WV), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-12-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX), 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Graham, Darline [R-SC] (R-SC), 2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Keep gun checks and export reviews: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would keep certain firearm-related federal work running during a government shutdown. It would treat the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, including background checks supporting the ATF, as an emergency function. It would also keep the ATF enforcement di…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025
- 119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-s-1715: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3085 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3085)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186)
- [119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-6)
- [119-s-1715: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1715)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3085 (as of 2026-09-25).