Committee approves secure‑storage bill with companion tax breaks for locks and safes

Counsel told the committee that House Bill 2244 would require firearms to be securely stored when not in use, make certain violations a third‑degree misdemeanor if a minor or unauthorized user was or should have been present, and allow civil liability for damages resulting from use of an unsecured firearm. An amendment by the bill’s sponsor added a sales‑tax exemption for gun locks and safes; counsel said the bill and the amendment take effect in 60 days.

Opponents warned the storage mandate could delay a homeowner’s immediate ability to use a firearm for self‑defense and raise enforcement questions. Chairman Kaufman said securing firearms as drafted could make them ‘‘functionally useless’’ during an urgent home invasion and asked how the statute would be enforced. Representative Borowicz and others presented scenarios in which ordinary defensive behavior could be criminalized. "We aren't going to fumble with locks in the middle of the night to defend our home," Borowicz said.

Supporters cited fatal incidents linked to unsecured weapons. Representative Kinkade recounted the 2022 homicide of Jordan Lee Puskar and said that if a firearm had been properly stored the victim would be alive. Representative Kenyatta cited local statistics about children accessing unsecured guns and called secure storage common sense.

After debate, the committee adopted the Briggs amendment and reported HB 2244 as amended by recorded vote; the separate measure, HB 2245, providing a sales‑tax exemption for gun locks and safes, passed unanimously in a subsequent vote.