# 119-s-726: Ethan's Law

119-s-726, Ethan's Law, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-726
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-726
- Congress: 119
- Title: Ethan's Law
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-25
- Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT)
- Cosponsors: 40
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Secure firearm storage**: Ethan's Law would create a federal standard that makes it a crime to keep a firearm at home if a minor is likely to access it or if an ineligible resident lives there. It would also create grants to help states and tribes adopt matching laws and signal greater civil liability for failures to secure guns. - Families and children: Would criminalize leaving guns where minors could reach them, reflecting findings that about 4.6 million minors live in homes with at least one unsecured firearm. - Gun owners and residents: Owners who knowingly or negligently store firearms accessible to minors or ineligible residents would face a $500 fine per violation; if access leads to injury or death the penalty can include fines, up to 5 years in prison, or both. Firearms kept in violation could be seized and forfeited. - States and tribes: Would create the Firearm Safe Storage Program to award Department of Justice grants to jurisdictions that enact laws functionally identical to the federal standard and would give affirmative preference for certain grants for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. - Liability and litigation: Includes a sense-of-Congress provision saying failure to comply should be treated as negligence and as a proximate cause when it is the but-for cause of harm, which could influence tort and statutory claims.

## Cosponsors (40)

- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA] (D-GA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (D-RI), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2025-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE] (D-DE), 2025-11-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD), 2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI), 2025-12-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA] (D-GA), 2026-02-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants to states that pass storage laws: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Firearm Safe Storage grant program to help States and Indian Tribes that pass laws matching the federal storage rule. A State or Tribe must adopt a functionally identical law and have its attorney general or comparable Tribal official certify that fact to be elig…
- New penalties for unsafe home storage: cost, medium. If enacted, you could face a $500 fine each time you keep a covered firearm in your home when a child could likely get it or a resident is barred from owning guns. You would not be fined if the gun is locked with a secure storage device, kept where a reasonable person would think it is secure, or c…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025
- 119-s-2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025
- 119-s-1115: Paycheck Fairness Act

## Sources
- [119-s-726 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/726)

## Related
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2150)
- [119-s-2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2523)
- [119-s-1115: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1115)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-726 (as of 2026-08-11).