Veterans secure storage program

Summary#

This bill would create a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program to give certain veterans and some former service members secure firearm storage items (lockboxes) or vouchers to get them. It requires the VA to share information and run a public education campaign about safe storage and to report to Congress each year on the program. The stated goal is to promote secure firearm storage as a suicide-prevention step for people who served.

• Main change: VA must offer a covered lockbox or a redeemable voucher and information on secure firearm storage to eligible individuals who request it.
• Covered item rules: Lockboxes must prevent unauthorized access, meet ASTM F2456-20, be made in the U.S., and not be for resale.
• Education and outreach: VA must make an informational video, publish it online, and run a public education campaign.
• Reporting: VA must report annually to Congress on program function, number of items and vouchers distributed and redeemed, outreach to veterans not enrolled in VA care, obstacles, and planned improvements.
• Privacy limits: The bill says the VA must not collect personally identifiable information to track firearm ownership, require firearm registration, mandate storage, or create participant lists.
• Funding: The bill authorizes $5 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2036 for the program and related activities.

What it means for you#

• Veterans and certain former service members

  • If you are eligible and request it, you could get a VA-provided lockbox or a voucher to get one.
  • You will be given information (including a video online) about using secure storage as a suicide-prevention strategy.
  • Participation is voluntary and the bill says it will not affect your legal right to own firearms.

• Veterans not enrolled in VA health care

  • The VA must try to reach veterans who are not enrolled in the VA’s annual patient enrollment system. The bill asks the VA to describe outreach efforts and obstacles in its reports.

• VA staff and contractors

  • The VA must run the distribution program, make the video and public campaign, track distributions and vouchers, and prepare annual reports to Congress.

• Organizations that make or distribute secure storage devices

  • The VA may work with outside groups with expertise in secure storage. Lockboxes must meet the ASTM standard and be U.S.-manufactured, which affects which suppliers qualify.

• Taxpayers

  • The program is authorized to receive federal money (see Expenses).

Expenses#

Estimated public cost: the bill authorizes $5,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2036 to carry out the program.

• The bill expressly authorizes $5 million annually for program costs, education, outreach, and reporting. Authorization does not by itself appropriate money; Congress must provide funding in appropriation bills.
• Additional administrative costs (staff time, purchasing and shipping lockboxes or vouchers, contractor fees for the video and campaign, and reporting systems) are implied but not itemized.
• No publicly available information in the bill text gives a full fiscal estimate or an itemized cost breakdown beyond the $5 million annual authorization.

Proponents' View#

• The bill appears intended to reduce veteran suicides by increasing access to secure firearm storage and by educating veterans about safe-storage options.
• Making lockboxes or vouchers available could remove a cost barrier for veterans who want to store firearms more safely.
• The education campaign and video could increase awareness of secure storage without changing legal ownership rights.
• Annual reporting aims to provide oversight on how the program works and whether outreach reaches veterans not enrolled in VA care.

Opponents' View#

• One concern is whether the authorized $5 million per year is enough to buy, distribute, and staff a national program, plus run outreach and reporting. The bill does not provide a budget breakdown.
• The bill requires the VA not to collect personally identifiable information for tracking ownership, but it is unclear how the VA will manage distribution and voucher redemption without collecting some participant data for delivery and accounting.
• The lockbox rules (must meet ASTM F2456-20 and be U.S.-made) may limit suppliers and raise per-item costs, which could reduce the number of units purchased for a given budget.
• The bill does not include measures to evaluate whether providing lockboxes or vouchers actually reduces suicides, so effectiveness is not guaranteed by the text.
• It is unclear exactly which former service members beyond "veterans" are included because the bill refers to another law for that definition; the bill itself does not list those criteria.