,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #geia ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ag1 #bjbf,mr4 ,goldman of ,new ,york 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,auchincloss1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,moskowitz1 ,mr4 ,bell1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,louisiana1 ,mrs4 ,foushee1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 ,ms4 ,pettersen1 ,ms4 ,dean of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,deluzio1 ,ms4 ,johnson of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,crockett1 ,mr4 ,krishnamoorthi1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,craig1 and ,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife to require certain local educational agencies to distribute guidance to students1 parents1 and other local community members regarding firearm safety1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,secure ,firearm ,storage and ,suicide ,prevention ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,unintentional injuries and suicides related to firearms are significant causes death among children and teenagers4 7#b7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention-- 7,a7 the annual rate of suicide by firearm in the ,united ,states increased approximately #aa percent from #bjai to #bjbb1 with provisional data suggesting that #bjbd may have had the highest rate of gun suicide since at least #aifh2 7,b7 nearly #fj percent of all gun-related deaths in the ,united ,states are suicides2 7,c7 in #bjba1 #bjbb1 and #bjbc1 firearm suicides accounted for approximately #ee percent of all suicide deaths in the ,united ,states2 7,d7 in #bjbc1 an average of #ge individuals in the ,united ,states died by firearm suicide each day2 7,e7 in #bjbc1 the third leading cause of death in the ,united ,states for youth under the age of #ah was suicide2 and 7,f7 in both #bjbb and #bjbc1 firearms were the leading mechanism of death among youth under the age of #ah in the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,according to the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 #gi percent of the firearms used in the suicides of youth under the age of #ah are the guns of family members4 7#d7 ,suicide attempts involving firearms are almost always deadly1 with #i out of #aj firearm suicide attempts resulting in death4 7#e7 ,education about the importance of proper secure storage of firearms1 including the risk of firearm-related suicide associated with unsecured weapons1 is critical to reducing firearm-related unintentional injuries and suicides4 7#f7 ,implementing firearm safety and education on suicide prevention can foster a culture of responsible firearm ownership and handling1 benefitting both individuals and communities4 7#g7 ,it can take less than #aj minutes between thinking about suicide and acting on it4 ,putting barriers between individuals and lethal means in moments of crisis can save lives4 7#h7 ,secure storage of firearms is effective in reducing suicide deaths4 #c4 ,firearm safety resources 7a7 ,in general ,part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gaja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #c ,firearm safety resources #daca4 ,firearm safety best practices 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall develop best practices relating to the secure storage of firearms and the prevention of firearm-related suicide or unintentional injury in consultation with-- 7#a7 the ,firearms and ,ammunition ,technology ,division of the ,bureau of ,alcohol1 ,tobacco1 ,firearms and ,explosives2 7#b7 the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services2 7#c7 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention2 7#d7 the ,national ,institutes of ,health2 7#e7 the ,substance ,abuse and ,mental ,health ,services ,administration of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services2 7#f7 the ,department of ,homeland ,security2 7#g7 the ,federal ,clearinghouse on ,school ,safety ,evidence-,based ,practices established under section #bbbj;,d of the ,homeland ,security ,act of #bjjb 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #ffek72 7#h7 the ,firearms-,toolmarks ,unit of the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation2 7#i7 law enforcement agencies2 7#aj7 non-profit organizations that-- 7,a7 have experience in firearm safety and education2 and 7,b7 are not affiliated with the firearm industry or lobbyist working on behalf of the firearm industry2 7#aa7 educators2 and 7#ab7 independent experts in firearm safety and education1 as determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7b7 ,information required ,the ,secretary shall include as part of the best practices described in subsection 7a7 the following information3 7#a7 ,how to securely store firearms1 including how to use secure storage devices4 7#b7 ,how to evaluate and regularly re-evaluate firearm safety protocols1 including secure storage practices for firearms in places were firearms are commonly kept1 including in homes and motor vehicles4 7#c7 ,the risks associated with the improper use of firearms or unsecure storage of firearms1 including firearms that are not lawfully possessed1 and the correlation of such factors with suicide or unintentional injury4 7#d7 ,strategies for preventing unintentional injuries or suicides related to the use of firearms4 7#e7 ,how to educate students about the proper steps such students should take upon encountering an unsecured firearm1 including to not handle the firearm and to contact a trusted adult4 7#f7 ,how community members1 including parents1 can acquire secure storage devices1 including any resources that provide secure storage devices for free4 7#g7 ,a summary of ,federal laws directly related to firearm safety and secure firearm storage1 including information about the ,second ,amendment to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 7#h7 ,a survey of ,state laws and programs related to firearm safety1 including laws related to the secure storage of firearms and the implementation of ,state crisis intervention court proceedings and related programs or initiatives4 7#i7 ,firearm safety resources created by academic institutions or organizations with experience in firearm safety and education1 as determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7#aj7 ,any other information determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,neutrality requirement ,in developing the best practices described in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary may not include as part of such best practices materials encouraging or discouraging the possession or ownership of firearms4 7d7 ,distribution ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this section1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 distribute the best practices described in subsection 7a7 to each local educational agency2 7#b7 notify each covered local education agency of the local firearm safety guidance requirements under section #dacb2 and 7#c7 provide guidance to each covered local education agency regarding the most effective time during an academic year to satisfy the distribution requirement under section #dacb7;e7 in order to maximize the prevention of firearm-related suicide or unintentional injury4 7e7 ,update ,not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this section1 and once every #c years thereafter1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 solicit feedback from school staff1 students1 parents1 and experts with experience in firearm safety and education on the best practices described in subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 update the information in such best practices1 as determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 #dacb4 ,local firearm safety guidance 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the ,secretary distributes the best practices described in section #daca7;a7 as required under section #daca7;d77#a71 each covered local educational agency shall develop guidance relating to the secure storage of firearms and the prevention of firearm-related suicide or unintentional injury in consultation with-- 7#a7 community-based health and violence prevention organizations2 7#b7 public safety officials and emergency personnel1 including police and firefighters2 7#c7 mental health professionals1 including doctors and psychologists2 7#d7 educators2 and 7#e7 any other stakeholders determined appropriate by the local educational agency4 7b7 ,relationship to best practices ,in developing the guidance described in subsection 7a71 each covered local educational agency shall-- 7#a7 incorporate the best practices distributed to the covered local educational agency as required under section #daca7;d77#a72 7#b7 modify such best practices to be relevant to the local community1 as determined appropriate by the covered local educational agency2 and 7#c7 regularly update such guidance to reflect any changes to such best practices1 as determined appropriate by the covered local educational agency4 7c7 ,additional information ,each covered local educational agency shall include as part of such guidance the following information3 7#a7 ,mental health resources available to students1 including resources available in schools served by the covered local educational agency and resources provided by the local community4 7#b7 ,any other information determined appropriate by the covered local educational agency4 7d7 ,neutrality requirement ,in developing the guidance described in subsection 7a71 each covered local educational agency may not include as part of such guidance materials encouraging or discouraging the possession or ownership of firearms4 7e7 ,distribution 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the beginning of the #bjbg-bjbh academic year1 and not later than #ij days before the end of each academic year thereafter1 each covered local educational agency shall distribute the guidance described in subsection 7a7 through email and physical means 7including by sending students home with such guidance as a handout or by mail7 to-- 7,a7 students2 7,b7 parents2 7,c7 school staff2 and 7,d7 any other members of the local community determined appropriate by the covered local educational agency4 7#b7 ,responsibility ,a covered local educational agency may delegate responsibility for carrying out any part of the distribution activities required under paragraph 7#a7 to the schools served by such covered local educational agency4 #dacc4 ,definitions ,in this subpart3 7#a7 ,covered local educational agency ,the term covered local educational agency means a local educational agency1 or consortium of such agencies1 that receives an allocation under section #daje7;a74 7#b7 ,secure storage device ,the term secure storage device means a device which is designed to prevent unauthorized access to1 or render inoperable1 a firearm1 including a firearm safe1 lock box1 trigger lock1 or cable lock4 7#c7 ,school staff ,the term school staff means-- 7,a7 school leaders2 7,b7 specialized instructional support personnel2 7,c7 teachers2 and 7,d7 other staff4 4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents in section #b of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #daba the following3 ,subpart #c--;,firearm ,safety ,resources #daca4 ,firearm safety best practices4 #dacb4 ,local firearm safety guidance4 #dacc4 ,definitions4 4