Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2022
Latest action · Jul 26, 2022 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 340.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 22, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2022
This bill removes limitations on the civil liability of gun manufacturers and the disclosure of gun trace data in civil actions.
Specifically, the bill repeals the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which prohibits civil actions against a firearm or ammunition manufacturer, seller, importer, dealer, or trade association for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm.
Additionally, the bill states that firearms trace data maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is not immune from legal process. Such data is subject to discovery; is admissible as evidence; and may be used, relied on, or disclosed in a civil action or administrative proceeding.
Cosponsors 85
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 22, 2021 to Dec 8, 2022; 33 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-PA | Brendan F. Boyle | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-MO | Cori Bush | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-VA | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-VA | Gerald E. Connolly | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-MA | Jake Auchincloss | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-MD | Jamie Raskin | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CO | Jason Crow | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-IL | Marie Newman | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-WA | Pramila Jayapal | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-NY | Ritchie Torres | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-FL | Theodore E. Deutch | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-NY | Thomas R. Suozzi | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-FL | Val Butler Demings | Original | Apr 22, 2021 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Mary Gay Scanlon | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Sean Casten | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | May 18, 2021 | |
| D-AL | Terri A. Sewell | May 18, 2021 | |
| D-CT | James A. Himes | Jun 8, 2021 | |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Jun 8, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Mar 8, 2022 | |
| D-FL | Charlie Crist | Mar 8, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Katie Porter | Mar 8, 2022 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Mar 8, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Jesús G. "Chuy" García | Mar 16, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Mar 16, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Mike Quigley | Mar 16, 2022 | |
| D-VA | Robert C. "Bobby" Scott | Mar 16, 2022 | |
| D-GA | Nikema Williams | Mar 30, 2022 | |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Joseph D. Morelle | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-MA | Katherine M. Clark | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-NC | Kathy E. Manning | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Mondaire Jones | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-CA | John Garamendi | Jun 23, 2022 | |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Jul 15, 2022 | |
| D-PA | Madeleine Dean | Jul 15, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Sara Jacobs | Jul 15, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Jul 18, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Vicente Gonzalez | Jul 18, 2022 | |
| D-PA | Conor Lamb | Jul 19, 2022 | |
| D-GA | David Scott | Jul 19, 2022 | |
| D-MI | Haley M. Stevens | Jul 19, 2022 | |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Jul 19, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Nanette Diaz Barragán | Jul 19, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Veronica Escobar | Jul 19, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Jimmy Gomez | Jul 20, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Jul 20, 2022 | |
| D-IN | André Carson | Jul 26, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Brian Higgins | Jul 26, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Jul 26, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Norma J. Torres | Jul 26, 2022 | |
| D-VA | Elaine G. Luria | Jul 27, 2022 | |
| D-MD | Kweisi Mfume | Jul 27, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Rick Larsen | Jul 27, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Jul 27, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Sep 14, 2022 | |
| D-NC | David E. Price | Oct 28, 2022 | |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Oct 28, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Nov 3, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Lizzie Fletcher | Dec 8, 2022 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Apr 22, 2021Markup Jul 20, 2022Reported Jul 26, 2022 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Oct 19, 2021Discharged Jul 20, 2022 |
Actions 8
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 26, 2022Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 117-436.
- Jul 26, 2022Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 340.
- Jul 20, 2022Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Discharged.
- Jul 20, 2022Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 20, 2022Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 24 - 18.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H6947–H6949 | Louie Gohmert R-TX | Jul 21, 2022 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jul 27, 2022H.R. 2814, the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2022As Posted on the Website of the House Committee on Rules on July 25, 2022
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 70, April 22, 2021, page H2109.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 117-23 | AN UNENDING CRISIS: ESSENTIAL STEPS TO REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE AND MASS SHOOTINGS304 pages | Judiciary Committee | May 20, 2021 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R48715 | The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act: The Supreme Court Recognizes Statutory Immunity for Firearm Companies in Case Brought by the Government of Mexico | Report | Sep 19, 2025 |
Related bills 4
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1338 | Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act | Identical bill | Apr 22, 2021 |
| HR 3214 | Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act | Reintroduction of | Jun 28, 2019 |
| HR 4184 | Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2023 | Reintroduced Bill | Jun 15, 2023 |
| HR 4836 | Firearm Owners Responsibility and Safety Act | Related bill | Nov 1, 2022 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and provide for the discoverability and admissibility of gun trace information in civil proceedings.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2022
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Law.
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 26, 2022Reported in House
- Apr 22, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
