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Committee hears bill to shield firearm retailers who provide voluntary crisis storage; mental‑health advocates praise program, lawyers urge caution
Summary
At a hearing on HB 2501, proponents including mental‑health and veteran groups urged civil‑liability protection for federally licensed firearms dealers who accept voluntary hold agreements; a neutral witness warned the bill could limit negligent‑entrustment claims unless amended.
The Committee on Federal and State Affairs heard testimony on HB 2501, a bill that would provide civil‑immunity for federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) that return a firearm at the termination of a voluntary firearm‑hold agreement, unless the claim arises from unlawful conduct by the dealer.
Mike Heim of the Revisor’s office told the committee the bill’s immunity would not apply if an FFL engaged in unlawful conduct, and described the bill as protecting dealers who participate in voluntary out‑of‑home storage programs.
Proponents described the measure as a suicide‑prevention tool. Sarah Wright, vice chair of the Kansas Law Enforcement Crisis Intervention Team and community prevention manager at Johnson County Mental Health Center, said TAP and related programs meet people in crisis and provide “time, hope, and the chance to recover.” Nathan Carter of Johnson County Mental Health Center said preliminary 2025 data shows firearms were involved in nearly 64% of Johnson County suicides (61 of 96).
FFL operators and program partners described existing voluntary practices. Don Denton Turley, who works in the firearms industry, described how hold agreements and bound‑book entries are used, how shops may require a background check before returning a firearm, and how insurance and coordination among participating retailers can manage volume. “I’m the one who’s putting my neck on the line,” Turley said, arguing that liability protection would make it easier for dealers to participate.
Trade and pro‑retailer testimony came from Mariah Day of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and local operator Ken Gromit of Range 54, who said his Hold My Guns program has handled about 30 firearms a year since 2020.
A neutral witness, David Marantz of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, said he shares the bill’s intent to remove firearms from dangerous hands but warned that, “as currently written, HB 2501 could basically wreck all those protections” such as negligent‑entrustment claims and ATF‑form safeguards, and recommended drafting changes to preserve those civil remedies in extreme cases.
Committee members pressed witnesses on operational details (serial‑number recording, bound‑book entries, lockers, background checks, disposition if an owner dies) and heard that state law and ATF procedures inform disposal and recordkeeping.
The committee closed the hearing on HB 2501; no committee vote was taken at the hearing.
