SB 479 Virginia Senate · 2020 Regular Session

Protective orders; possession of firearms, surrender or transfer of firearms, penalty.

Summary
Protective orders; possession of firearms; surrender or transfer of firearms; penalty. Prohibits any person subject to a permanent protective order (i.e., a protective order with a maximum duration of two years) from knowingly possessing a firearm while the order is in effect, provided that for a period of 24 hours after being served with a protective order such person may continue to possess such firearm for the purposes of selling or transferring it to any person who is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing such firearm. A violation of this provision is a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that a court shall order a person subject to a permanent protective order to (i) within 24 hours, surrender any firearm possessed by such person to a designated local law-enforcement agency or sell or transfer any firearm possessed by such person to a dealer or to any person who is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing such firearm and (ii) certify in writing that such person does not possess any firearms or that all firearms possessed by such person have been surrendered, sold, or transferred and file such certification with the clerk of the court that entered the protective order within 48 hours after being served with a protective order. The bill provides that any person who willfully fails to certify in writing in accordance with this section that all firearms possessed by such person have been surrendered, sold, or transferred or that such person does not possess any firearms is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill provides procedures for designating a local law-enforcement agency to receive and store firearms, as well as a process to return such surrendered firearms. The bill also makes it a Class 4 felony for any person to sell, barter, give, or furnish any firearm to any person he knows is prohibited from possessing or transporting a firearm who is subject to a permanent protective order. This bill incorporates SB 372 and is identical to HB 1004.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2020
Committee Review
Feb 2020
Senate Passage
Apr 2020
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2020
Signed into Law
Apr 2020
Introduced Jan 7, 2020 Signed Apr 22, 2020
Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
49
Key actions
11
Committee
7
Apr 22, 2020
Executive · Passed
Governor's recommendation adopted
executive
Apr 22, 2020
Lower · Passed
House concurred in Governor's recommendation (50-Y 42-N)
lower
Apr 22, 2020
Upper · Passed
Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (20-Y 18-N)
upper
Feb 28, 2020
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 26, 2020
Lower · Passed
Passed House with substitute (56-Y 41-N)
lower
Feb 21, 2020
Lower · Passed
Reported from Public Safety with amendment (15-Y 6-N)
lower
Feb 18, 2020
Committee
Referred to Committee on Public Safety
lower
Jan 28, 2020
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (23-Y 17-N)
upper
Jan 27, 2020
Upper · Passed
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB479S1
upper
Jan 27, 2020
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute agreed to 20106476D-S1
upper
Jan 22, 2020
Upper · Passed
Reported from Judiciary with substitute (10-Y 4-N)
upper
Jan 8, 2020
Upper · Passed
Moved from Courts of Justice to Judiciary due to a change of the committee name
upper
Jan 7, 2020
Committee
Referred to Committee on the Judiciary
upper
Jan 7, 2020
Introduced
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20103357D
upper
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors