The MASS Act would create a new federal program that pays states to implement and maintain comprehensive firearms licensing systems. Titled the Making America Safe and Secure Act of 2025 (MASS Act), it would add a new Part PP (FIREARMS LICENSING) to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The core idea is to require licensing for firearm purchases/possession and for firearm dealers, backed by federal grants administered by the Assistant Attorney General. States would set eligibility standards (prohibited individuals), conduct thorough background checks, require safety training for first-time licensees, and establish processes for licensing, revocation, surrender of firearms when licenses are revoked or extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) or DV orders are in place, and ongoing recordkeeping and reporting. The act also authorizes funding (with no explicit cap on total appropriation) for three-year grant cycles and imposes reporting and compliance requirements on recipient states. In short, if enacted, states would become the primary implementers of a federally funded licensing regime for both gun buyers/holders and gun dealers, with strict background checks, ongoing oversight, data sharing, and surrender/transfer obligations tied to license status and protective orders.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a federal grant program to States to implement or maintain firearms and firearms dealer licensing requirements, administered by the Assistant Attorney General, with each grant lasting three fiscal years.
- 2Defines key terms and standards, including:
- 3- Covered licenses: firearms licenses and firearms dealer licenses.
- 4- Prohibited individuals and suitability standards (based on criminal history, mental health, residency, military discharges, protection orders, warrants, citizenship status, and other relevant factors).
- 5- Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) and how they interact with licensing.
- 6Licensing requirements and processes (for both buyers/possessors and dealers) include:
- 7- Licensing authorities at the local level (chief of police or equivalent body).
- 8- Thorough background checks for license issuance/renewal, potential interviews, references, and a determination of suitability.
- 9- First-time firearms license applicants must complete safety training.
- 10- Dealer licenses require criminal history investigations, thorough background checks, and other state-determined requirements.
- 11- Surrender or transfer of firearms/ammunition if a license is revoked/suspended, or if ERPO/DV orders are in effect.
- 12- Standards for revocation, suspension, or denial, with judicial review processes; nondiscrimination in licensing decisions.
- 13- Separate or parallel ammunition licensing where applicable, with equivalent standards.
- 14Dealer-specific provisions and operational requirements:
- 15- Standards for licensee premises, recordkeeping, employee background checks, inspections, and reporting.
- 16- Requirements for surrender and inventory controls; mandatory reporting of all sales, rentals, and ammunition transactions to state authorities.
- 17- Verification of license validity before any sale, rental, or lease of firearms or ammunition.
- 18Additional protective and compliance measures:
- 19- Prompt collection and sharing of license data (issuance, renewal, expiration, suspension, or revocation).
- 20- Storage security standards (locked containers or tamper-resistant devices) with allowances for owners carrying firearms.
- 21- Family or other petition pathways to ERPOs, including standards for obtaining, extending, or terminating orders.
- 22- Provisions to ensure transfers and compliance are aligned with federal and state law.
- 23Reporting, funding, and oversight:
- 24- Annual reporting by states on grant activities and progress toward meeting licensing elements.
- 25- A cap on administrative spending by the federal agency (no more than 2% of grant funds for salaries/administrative costs).
- 26- States must return any unspent grant funds to the federal government for reallocation.
- 27- Authorization of appropriations: Congress would authorize necessary funds to carry out the MASS Act but does not specify a fixed total.