John McGuire (R-VA)
Shall Not Be Infringed Act of 2026
A Republican bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Shall Not Be Infringed Act of 2026. It allows a person to recover compensatory damages and damages for pain and suffering in a civil action against a State or local government under specific conditions. These conditions apply if a person is harmed by a firearm in a gun-free zone, the person is authorized to carry a firearm in their home State, and they could have averted or mitigated the harm if allowed to carry. States and local governments must conform their laws to allow this or face up to a 99 percent reduction in specific federal Byrne-JAG and COPS grant funding. Any funds not allocated to a non-compliant State will be reallocated to States that comply. The bill also provides definitions based on prior federal law.
Yes
- Scored +8
Would gun owners be better off under this?
The bill benefits gun owners by facilitating legal remedies when individuals are harmed in gun-free zones where carrying was prohibited.
- Scored +8
Does this protect the right to own guns?
The bill strongly supports Second Amendment rights by providing a legal avenue for individuals to sue governments over gun-free zones that prevent self-defense.
- Scored +6
Does this give the federal government more power?
The legislation heavily uses federal funding mandates to compel state and local governments to alter their laws regarding gun-free zones.
The opposite
- Scored -8
Does this put more limits on buying or owning guns?
The legislation penalizes jurisdictions with gun-free zones and weakens firearm restrictions by enabling civil liability for governments enforcing them.
- Scored -6
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
The bill preempts state and local authority to establish gun-free zones by penalizing jurisdictions that do not conform to federal liability standards.
- Scored -5
Does this change how police departments operate?
The bill reduces federal Byrne-JAG and COPS grant funding by up to 99 percent for non-compliant states, which could negatively impact local and state law enforcement assistance programs.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Section 2(a)(1) allows individuals who are authorized to carry a firearm in their home State, and who are harmed by a firearm in a gun-free zone where they could have averted or mitigated the harm if allowed to carry, to recover compensatory damages and damages for pain and suffering in a civil action against the State or local government. This provides a direct legal avenue for victims to seek financial recovery from the government if they believe the gun-free zone policy contributed to their inability to defend themselves.
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Section 2(c) and Section 3 require that funds not allocated to non-compliant States and local governments are reallocated to States that have not failed to comply with the gun-free zone policy requirements. This benefits compliant States by increasing the amount of Byrne-JAG and COPS funding available to them.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2(b)(2) and Section 3 state that if a State or unit of local government fails to comply with the gun-free zone policy requirements, they will be subject to a reduction of not more than 99 percent of their allocated Byrne-JAG and COPS grant funds. This could result in a significant loss of funding for local and state law enforcement assistance programs.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would gun owners be better off under this? — The bill benefits gun owners by facilitating legal remedies when individuals are harmed in gun-free zones where carrying was prohibited.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this protect the right to own guns? — The bill strongly supports Second Amendment rights by providing a legal avenue for individuals to sue governments over gun-free zones that prevent self-defense. Does this put more limits on buying or owning guns? — The legislation penalizes jurisdictions with gun-free zones and weakens firearm restrictions by enabling civil liability for governments enforcing them. Does this change how police departments operate? — The bill reduces federal Byrne-JAG and COPS grant funding by up to 99 percent for non-compliant states, which could negatively impact local and state law enforcement assistance programs.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The legislation heavily uses federal funding mandates to compel state and local governments to alter their laws regarding gun-free zones. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The bill preempts state and local authority to establish gun-free zones by penalizing jurisdictions that do not conform to federal liability standards.
- 3/26/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/16/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced in House
Pat HarriganRepublican · North Carolina