[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2993 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2993
To establish appropriate rules for prosecutors and Federal judges to
carry a concealed firearm.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 9, 2025
Mr. Cotton introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish appropriate rules for prosecutors and Federal judges to
carry a concealed firearm.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protect Our Prosecutors and Judges
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO CARRY A CONCEALED FIREARM FOR PROSECUTORS AND
FEDERAL JUDGES.
(a) Current Prosecutors and Federal Judges.--Section 926B of title
18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by inserting ``, qualified
prosecutors, and qualified Federal judges'' after ``qualified
law enforcement officers'';
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) by inserting ``, a qualified prosecutor, or a
qualified Federal judge'' after ``qualified law
enforcement officer''; and
(B) by striking ``subsection (d)'' and inserting
``subsection (c)'';
(3) by striking subsections (c), (d), and (e) and inserting
the following:
``(c) The identification required by this subsection is--
``(1) with respect to a qualified law enforcement officer,
the photographic identification issued by the governmental
agency for which the individual is employed that identifies the
employee as a police officer or law enforcement officer of the
agency;
``(2) with respect to a qualified prosecutor--
``(A) the photographic identification issued by the
governmental agency by which the individual is employed
that identifies the employee as a prosecutor of the
agency; and
``(B) a certification--
``(i) if agency employing the qualified
prosecutor has authorized the qualified
prosecutor to carry a firearm, that indicates
that the qualified prosecutor has been tested
or otherwise found by the agency to meet the
active duty standards for qualification in
firearms training as established by the agency
to carry a firearm of the same type as the
concealed firearm; or
``(ii) if the agency employing the
qualified prosecutor has not authorized the
qualified prosecutor to carry a firearm, issued
by the State in which the qualified prosecutor
resides or by a certified firearms instructor
that is qualified to conduct a firearms
qualification test for active duty officers
within that State that indicates that the
qualified prosecutor has been tested or
otherwise found by the State or certified
firearms instructor that is qualified to
conduct a firearms qualification test for
active duty officers within that State to have
met--
``(I) the active duty standards for
qualification in firearms training, as
established by the State, to carry a
firearm of the same type as the
concealed firearm; or
``(II) if the State has not
established such standards, standards
set by any law enforcement agency
within that State to carry a firearm of
the same type as the concealed firearm;
and
``(3) with respect to a qualified Federal judge--
``(A) photographic identification issued by the
Federal Government that identifies the individual as a
Federal judge; and
``(B) a certification issued by the State in which
the Federal judge resides or by a certified firearms
instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms
qualification test for active duty officers within that
State that indicates that the individual has been
tested or otherwise found by the State or certified
firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a
firearms qualification test for active duty officers
within that State to have met--
``(i) the active duty standards for
qualification in firearms training, as
established by the State, to carry a firearm of
the same type as the concealed firearm; or
``(ii) if the State has not established
such standards, standards set by any law
enforcement agency within that State to carry a
firearm of the same type as the concealed
firearm.'';
(4) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (d); and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) As used in this section--
``(1) the term `firearm'--
``(A) except as provided in this paragraph, has the
same meaning as in section 921 of this title;
``(B) includes ammunition not expressly prohibited
by Federal law or subject to the provisions of the
National Firearms Act; and
``(C) does not include--
``(i) any machinegun (as defined in section
5845 of the National Firearms Act);
``(ii) any firearm silencer (as defined in
section 921 of this title); and
``(iii) any destructive device (as defined
in section 921 of this title);
``(2) the term `qualified Federal judge' means an
individual who--
``(A) is serving in a position as a judge that is
established under article I, III, or IV of the
Constitution of the United States;
``(B) is not the subject of a pending impeachment
inquiry or trial;
``(C) is not under the influence of alcohol or
another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or
substance; and
``(D) is not prohibited by Federal law from
receiving a firearm;
``(3) the term `qualified law enforcement officer' means an
employee of a governmental agency who--
``(A) is authorized by law to engage in or
supervise the prevention, detection, investigation or
prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for,
any violation of law, and has statutory powers of
arrest or apprehension under section 807(b) of title
10, United States Code (article 7(b) of the Uniform
Code of Military Justice);
``(B) is authorized by the agency to carry a
firearm;
``(C) is not the subject of any disciplinary action
by the agency which could result in suspension or loss
of police powers;
``(D) meets standards, if any, established by the
agency which require the employee to regularly qualify
in the use of a firearm;
``(E) is not under the influence of alcohol or
another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or
substance; and
``(F) is not prohibited by Federal law from
receiving a firearm; and
``(4) the term `qualified prosecutor' means an individual
who--
``(A) is a full-time employee of an agency of the
Federal Government or a State or unit of local
government who--
``(i) is continually licensed to practice
law; and
``(ii) prosecutes criminal or juvenile
delinquency cases at the Federal, State, or
local level (including supervision, education,
or training of other persons prosecuting such
cases);
``(B) is not the subject of any disciplinary action
by the agency which could result in suspension;
``(C) meets standards, if any, established by the
agency which require the employee to regularly qualify
in the use of a firearm;
``(D) is not under the influence of alcohol or
another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or
substance; and
``(E) is not prohibited by Federal law from
receiving a firearm.''.
(b) Retired Prosecutors and Federal Judges.--Section 926C of title
18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by inserting ``, qualified
retired prosecutors, and qualified retired Federal judges''
after ``qualified retired law enforcement officers'';
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) by inserting ``, a qualified retired
prosecutor, or a qualified Federal judge'' after
``qualified law enforcement officer''; and
(B) by striking ``subsection (d)'' and inserting
``subsection (c)''; and
(3) by striking subsections (c), (d), and (e) and inserting
the following:
``(c) The identification required by this subsection is--
``(1) with respect to a qualified retired law enforcement
officer--
``(A) a photographic identification issued by the
agency from which the individual separated from service
as a law enforcement officer that identifies the person
as having been employed as a police officer or law
enforcement officer and indicates that the individual
has, not less recently than 1 year before the date the
individual is carrying the concealed firearm, been
tested or otherwise found by the agency to meet the
active duty standards for qualification in firearms
training as established by the agency to carry a
firearm of the same type as the concealed firearm; or
``(B)(i) a photographic identification issued by
the agency from which the individual separated from
service as a law enforcement officer that identifies
the person as having been employed as a police officer
or law enforcement officer; and
``(ii) a certification issued by the State in which
the individual resides or by a certified firearms
instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms
qualification test for active duty officers within that
State that indicates that the individual has, not less
than 1 year before the date the individual is carrying
the concealed firearm, been tested or otherwise found
by the State or certified firearms instructor that is
qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for
active duty officers within that State to have met--
``(I) the active duty standards for
qualification in firearms training, as
established by the State, to carry a firearm of
the same type as the concealed firearm; or
``(II) if the State has not established
such standards, standards set by any law
enforcement agency within that State to carry a
firearm of the same type as the concealed
firearm;
``(2) with respect to a qualified retired prosecutor--
``(A) the photographic identification issued by the
governmental agency by which the individual was
employed that identifies the individual as a former
prosecutor of the agency; and
``(B) a certification issued by the State in which
the qualified retired prosecutor resides or by a
certified firearms instructor that is qualified to
conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty
officers within that State that indicates that the
qualified retired prosecutor has, not less than 1 year
before the date the qualified retired prosecutor is
carrying the concealed firearm, been tested or
otherwise found by the State or certified firearms
instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms
qualification test for active duty officers within that
State to have met--
``(i) the active duty standards for
qualification in firearms training, as
established by the State, to carry a firearm of
the same type as the concealed firearm; or
``(ii) if the State has not established
such standards, standards set by any law
enforcement agency within that State to carry a
firearm of the same type as the concealed
firearm; and
``(3) with respect to a qualified retired Federal judge--
``(A) photographic identification issued by the
Federal Government that identifies the individual as a
former Federal judge; and
``(B) a certification issued by the State in which
the Federal judge resides or by a certified firearms
instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms
qualification test for active duty officers within that
State that indicates that the individual has, not less
than 1 year before the date the individual is carrying
the concealed firearm, been tested or otherwise found
by the State or certified firearms instructor that is
qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for
active duty officers within that State to have met--
``(i) the active duty standards for
qualification in firearms training, as
established by the State, to carry a firearm of
the same type as the concealed firearm; or
``(ii) if the State has not established
such standards, standards set by any law
enforcement agency within that State to carry a
firearm of the same type as the concealed
firearm.
``(d) As used in this section--
``(1) the term `firearm'--
``(A) except as provided in this paragraph, has the
same meaning as in section 921 of this title;
``(B) includes ammunition not expressly prohibited
by Federal law or subject to the provisions of the
National Firearms Act; and
``(C) does not include--
``(i) any machinegun (as defined in section
5845 of the National Firearms Act);
``(ii) any firearm silencer (as defined in
section 921 of this title); and
``(iii) any destructive device (as defined
in section 921 of this title);
``(2) the term `qualified retired Federal judge' means an
individual who--
``(A) separated from service in good standing from
service in a position as a judge that was established
under article I, III, or IV of the Constitution of the
United States;
``(B)(i) has not been officially found by a
qualified medical professional employed by the Federal
Government to be unqualified for reasons relating to
mental health and as a result of this finding will not
be issued the photographic identification as described
in subsection (c)(3); and
``(ii) has not entered into an agreement with the
Federal Government in which that individual
acknowledges he or she is not qualified under this
section for reasons relating to mental health and for
those reasons will not receive or accept the
photographic identification as described in subsection
(c)(3);
``(C) during the most recent 12-month period, has
met, at the expense of the individual, the standards
for qualification in firearms training for active law
enforcement officers, as determined by the State in
which the individual resides or, if the State has not
established such standards, either a law enforcement
agency within the State in which the individual resides
or the standards used by a certified firearms
instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms
qualification test for active duty officers within that
State;
``(D) is not under the influence of alcohol or
another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or
substance; and
``(E) is not prohibited by Federal law from
receiving a firearm;
``(3) the term `qualified retired law enforcement officer'
means