Juvenile Firearms Safety Act of 2026

Adults face penalties for child firearm access

If enacted, the bill would make it a federal crime for anyone 18 or older to knowingly give a non‑handgun firearm to a juvenile when the adult knows or has reasonable cause to believe the juvenile intends self‑harm or to commit a crime. It would also make it a crime for an adult to keep a firearm that has moved in interstate commerce on property they control if they know or reasonably should know a juvenile could get it, and a juvenile obtains the gun and uses it to commit a crime or causes injury or death. A factfinder could consider warnings about the juvenile’s mental health, past violence, or suicidality. The storage rule would not apply if the firearm was kept secured with a gun‑storage device or in a place a reasonable person would think is secure, or if the adult carried the gun on their person or within immediate reach. The bill would not stop lawful juvenile firearm activities with parental permission. Penalties would range from fines or up to 1 year in jail for a general violation, up to 2 years if the gun is used in a crime, up to 5 years if a storage failure leads to injury or death, and up to 10 years if an adult provided the gun and the juvenile causes injury or death.