Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence, effective clause.
Summary
Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence. Adds a handgun shooting class or course that teaches (i) efficient, effective, and responsible use of a concealed handgun for self-defense outside of the home; (ii) state laws pertaining to handguns; and (iii) proper handgun storage techniques to those programs that satisfy the demonstration of competence requirement for the issuance of a Virginia resident or nonresident concealed handgun permit. The bill removes the requirement that such a training course must be conducted by the National Rifle Association or the United States Concealed Carry Association. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Signed Apr 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
Enrolled
→
Chaptered
·
2 edits
MINOR
This bill was formally approved and assigned Chapter 438 of the 2026 Virginia Acts of Assembly. The text indicates that the bill amends existing laws regarding concealed handgun permits and demonstrated competence, but the provided excerpt does not contain the specific substantive policy changes, such as new eligibility criteria or funding amounts.
TECHNICAL
Added the official chapter number (Chapter 438) and the specific approval date (April 8, 2026) to the bill text.
Removed the placeholder session header lines.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 5, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 12, 2026
How they voted
38–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 39
Mar 5, 2026
D
Democratic20
95% Yea
R
Republican19
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
38
Key actions
14
Committee
9
Amendments
1
Apr 8, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter438 (Effective - see bill)
executive
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB916ER)
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Amended
Committee amendments rejected (Voice Vote)
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Mar 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N)
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Committee
Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments (9-Y 6-N)
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (81-Y 16-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Public Safety (19-Y 3-N)
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 3-N)
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
Assigned HMPPS sub: Firearms
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Public Safety
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Alfonso Lopez
DDemocratic
Co
Dan Helmer
DDemocratic
Co
Jackie Glass
DDemocratic
Co
Nadarius Clark
DDemocratic
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