The FOP makes the LEOSA Reform Act a top priority: what the bill would change

The National Fraternal Order of Police has named the LEOSA Reform Act one of its two top legislative priorities, according to an October 2, 2026 report from Legis1. The report draws on the union's amended second-quarter lobbying disclosure, which lists H.R. 2243, the LEOSA Reform Act, alongside a collective bargaining bill as the two measures the FOP flagged as top priority.

According to Legis1, the FOP described the bill as one that would exempt qualified active and retired officers from state and local prohibitions on carrying concealed firearms. The outlet reports the union spent $100,000 on lobbying in the quarter, a level it has held since early 2025, and that it lobbies entirely in-house.

A lobbying filing is not a change in the law. Nothing about where you can carry today is different because of this report. It is a useful prompt, though, to review what LEOSA does and does not cover right now, and what the Reform Act would change if it ever reaches the President's desk.

What LEOSA covers today

LEOSA, codified at 18 U.S.C. 926B for active officers and 926C for qualified retirees, lets a qualified officer carry a concealed firearm in any state notwithstanding most state and local concealed carry laws. The statute carries its own limits, and officers sometimes overlook them:

• Private property. The statute does not override the right of a private person or entity to prohibit firearms on its property. A stadium, hospital, mall or employer can post against carry, and LEOSA gives you no answer to that policy.
• State and local government property. LEOSA does not supersede state laws that prohibit or restrict firearms on state or local government property, installations, buildings, bases or parks.
• Federal facilities and school zones. LEOSA does not amend the federal facilities statute or the Gun-Free School Zones Act. Whether an off-duty or retired officer may carry in a post office, a Social Security office or a school zone depends on those laws and the exceptions written into them, not on LEOSA.
• Magazines. LEOSA addresses the firearm and ammunition, with an exception for certain ammunition. It does not clearly resolve state magazine capacity limits.

These carve-outs are why a facility database exists. The federal statute gets you across state lines. It does not get you through a door that the property owner, the state or a separate federal law has closed.

What the Reform Act would change

The bill the FOP is prioritizing has been pending for more than a year. According to a March 2025 release from Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith's office, the Reform Act would permit LEOSA-qualified officers and retirees to carry on state, local and private property that is open to the public, in national parks, in school zones, and in certain federal facilities that are open to the public, including post offices, Social Security offices and Veterans Affairs facilities. The release also says the bill would extend LEOSA's exemptions to magazine capacity.

According to a release from Representative Don Bacon's office, the House passed H.R. 2243 on May 14, 2025 by a vote of 229 to 193. The bill's record on Congress.gov shows it was then received in the Senate and referred to the Judiciary Committee, where the companion bill, S. 679, has sat since February 2025. The Legis1 report does not describe any new Senate action.

What this means for you this week

Treat the news as a reminder, not a green light. The practical checklist has not changed:

1. Carry your credentials. Under LEOSA, the photographic identification is what makes the carry lawful. Retirees also need proof of a firearms qualification within the past 12 months, under the standard their agency or state requires.
2. Check the venue before you arrive. Private venues set their own rules, and many large ones publish them. Look up the facility here, call ahead if the entry is missing or stale, and add what you learn.
3. Know the state and local property rules. Courthouses, state office buildings and transit systems often have statutory bans with narrow exceptions for officers on official business. Off-duty status may not qualify.
4. Separate federal facilities from LEOSA. Before you walk into a post office or a federal building, know what the federal facilities statute allows and what your agency says about it.
5. Follow the bill, not the headlines. If the Reform Act moves in the Senate, we will cover it. Until a bill is signed, the limits above remain in force.

The filing tells you where the union is spending its effort. It does not tell you where you can carry. The database does, one facility at a time.

LEOSA Locations is a community-sourced database. Always verify status directly with facility management. Not legal advice.