HB 214 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Firearms Liability Amendments

HB 214 makes it harder to sue firearm sellers, manufacturers, and trade associations by requiring courts to dismiss certain lawsuits that don’t meet specific standards. It prevents local governments from imposing additional liability on these businesses and allows winning defendants to recover legal costs. The bill excludes claims about negligent entrustment, product defects when firearms are used properly, or violations of gun laws from being sued over. It directly affects firearm sellers, manufacturers, and trade associations by limiting their civil liability in most cases. The bill contains no new funding requirements.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed Mar 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute #1 → Enrolled · 7 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's firearms liability laws to strictly limit lawsuits against manufacturers, sellers, and trade associations. It establishes that these entities are only liable for gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct, and it requires plaintiffs to prove specific facts about the defendant's mental state and direct causation to proceed with a claim. The bill also adds protections against foreign lawsuits and preempts local governments from passing their own liability laws on these entities.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of protection for manufacturers, sellers, and trade associations by narrowing the circumstances under which they can be sued and adding specific procedural hurdles for plaintiffs.

DEFINITION

Updated definitions for 'negligent entrustment' and 'unlawful misuse' to clarify the conditions under which liability applies.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that plaintiffs must prove gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct to sue manufacturers or sellers.

Added a requirement for plaintiffs to plead specific factual allegations regarding the defendant's mental state and proximate cause.

ENFORCEMENT

Granted defendants the right to appeal a denial of a motion to dismiss immediately, rather than waiting for a final judgment.

Allowed prevailing defendants to recover reasonable attorney fees and court costs.

SCOPE

Added a provision preventing foreign nations from asserting specific exceptions to the liability limits.

Added state preemption to stop local governments from enacting their own civil liability laws regarding firearms manufacturers and sellers.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 19, 2026 · House Feb 5, 2026

How they voted

20–7

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 29

Feb 19, 2026

D Democratic6

6 Nay

100% Nay

N Forward1

1 Nay

100% Nay

R Republican22

20 Yea 2

90% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 26, 2026

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Feb 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling

lower

Feb 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House

lower

Feb 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate/ passed 3rd reading

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (20-7-2)

senate

Feb 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate/ committee report favorable [Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation [Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Committee

Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

upper

Jan 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ comm rpt/ substituted [House Public Utilities and Energy Committee]

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Public Utilities and Energy Committee]

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Committee

House/ to standing committee [House Public Utilities and Energy Committee]

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor