HB 21 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Firearm industry members; creates standards of responsible conduct, civil liability.

Summary
Firearm industry members; standards of responsible conduct; civil liability. Creates standards of responsible conduct for firearm industry members and requires such members to establish and implement reasonable controls regarding the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, and marketing of the firearm industry member's firearm-related products, as those terms are defined in the bill. Such reasonable controls include reasonable procedures, safeguards, and business practices that are designed to (i) prevent the sale or distribution of a firearm-related product to a straw purchaser, a firearm trafficker, a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, or a person who the firearm industry member has reasonable cause to believe is at substantial risk of using a firearm-related product to harm themselves or unlawfully harm another or of unlawfully possessing or using a firearm-related product; (ii) prevent the loss of a firearm-related product or theft of a firearm-related product from a firearm industry member; (iii) ensure that the firearm industry member complies with all provisions of state and federal law and does not otherwise promote the unlawful manufacture, sale, possession, marketing, or use of a firearm-related product; (iv) prevent the installation and use of an auto sear on firearm-related products; and (v) ensure that the firearm industry member does not engage in an act or practice in violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill also provides that a firearm industry member may not knowingly create, maintain, or contribute to a public nuisance, as defined in the bill, through the sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of a firearm-related product. The bill creates a civil cause of action for the Attorney General or a local county, city, or town attorney to enforce the provisions of the bill or for any person who has been injured as a result of a firearm industry member's violation to seek an injunction and to recover costs and damages. The bill also allows the Attorney General to issue a civil investigative demand if he has reasonable cause to believe that any person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in any violation of such standards of responsible conduct.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Dec 22, 2025 Signed Apr 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

Firearms Subcommittee Substitute Finance and Appropriations Substitute · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was revised from a House substitute to a Senate substitute, adding a new section on civil investigative demands for the Attorney General. The text was also updated to reflect the Senate's jurisdiction and specific dates.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to include a new enforcement mechanism allowing the Attorney General to issue civil investigative demands.
ENFORCEMENT

Added a new section (§ 59.1-148.8) granting the Attorney General the authority to issue civil investigative demands when there is reasonable cause to believe a violation of the chapter has occurred or is imminent.

DEFINITION

Changed the definition of 'firearm industry member' to use 'importation' instead of 'importing' to ensure grammatical consistency with other terms like 'sale' and 'manufacture'.

Updated the definition of 'straw purchaser' to clarify that the exclusion for bona fide gifts applies to individuals providing the gift, rather than the individual receiving it.

TECHNICAL

Adjusted the order of 'county, town, or city' to 'county, city, or town' in several locations to align with standard legal phrasing conventions.

Updated the bill header and description to reflect the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations as the proposing body and added the specific date of February 25, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 26, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 5, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 26, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
38
Key actions
13
Committee
7
Apr 10, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 529 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB21ER)
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N)
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 5-N)
upper
Feb 6, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Public Safety with substitute (15-Y 6-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 16, 2026
Committee
Assigned HPS sub: Firearms
lower
Dec 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Public Safety
lower
1 primary · 25 co-sponsors

Sponsors