What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Tribal Police Department Parity Act This bill treats tribal law enforcement agencies in the same manner as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies for purposes of accessing firearms. The National Firearms Act (NFA) generally imposes a tax on the transfer of an NFA firearm; however, specified governmental entities (e.g., federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies) are exempt from this transfer tax. This bill extends this exemption to Indian tribes (and consequently, to tribal law enforcement agencies). The Gun Control Act (GCA) generally prohibits the interstate shipment of firearms to unlicensed persons, but exempts specified governmental entities from this prohibition. This bill makes Indian tribes (and consequently, tribal law enforcement agencies) eligible to receive firearms interstate. The GCA also prohibits the transfer or possession of machine guns manufactured after 1986, but exempts specified governmental entities from this prohibition. This bill makes Indian tribes (and consequently, tribal law enforcement agencies) eligible to transfer or possess these machine guns.
Action Timeline
2026-02-26
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
2026-02-26
Introduced in Senate
Frequently Asked Questions
Did S.3945 pass?
S.3945 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: pending.
What does S.3945 do?
Tribal Police Department Parity Act This bill treats tribal law enforcement agencies in the same manner as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies for purposes of accessing firearms. The National Firearms Act (NFA) generally imposes a tax on the transfer of an NFA firearm; however, specified governmental entities (e.g., federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies) are exempt from this transfer tax. This bill extends this exemption to Indian tribes (and consequently, to tribal law enforcement agencies). The Gun Control Act (GCA) generally prohibits the interstate shipment of f…
Who sponsored S.3945?
S.3945 was sponsored by Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma).
Full Bill Text
119 S3945 IS: Tribal Police Department Parity Act U.S. Senate 2026-02-26 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. II 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3945 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 26, 2026 Mr. Mullin (for himself, Mr. Daines , Mr. Hoeven , and Mr. Grassley ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To ensure that Federal laws that enable Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to access firearms apply equally to Tribal law enforcement agencies. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Tribal Police Department Parity Act . 2. Tribal law enforcement access to firearms (a) Amendments to title 18 , United States Code (1) Transfer and possession of post-1986 machineguns Section 922(o)(2)(A) of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (A) by striking or a State, or and inserting , a State or ; and (B) by inserting before ; or the following: , or an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 )) or any department or agency thereof . (2) Transportation, shipment, receipt, possession, and importation of firearms and ammunition Section 925(a)(1) of such title is amended— (A) by striking or any State and inserting , any State ; and (B) by inserting before the period at the end the following: , or any Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 )) or any department or agency thereof . (b) Amendments to Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (1) Transfer tax exemption Section 5853(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting , Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 )) after any State . (2) Making tax exemption Section 5853(b) of such Code is amended by inserting , Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 )) after any State . (3) Effective date The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to any firearm transferred or made after the date of enactment of this Act.
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