Firearm industry members; definitions, 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
Nov 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Nov 17, 2025
Signed Apr 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Public Safety Substitute
→
Chaptered
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was finalized and approved as Chapter 530 of the 2026 Session, moving from a House substitute version to the official enacted law. The primary substantive change is the addition of a new section, 59.1-148.8, which was not present in the earlier draft, expanding the legislative text beyond the original three sections. Minor technical adjustments were made to align terminology with standard legal formatting, such as changing 'town' to 'city' in certain contexts and updating 'importing' to 'importation' for consistency.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on establishing civil liability standards for firearm industry members, but the inclusion of the new section 59.1-148.8 expands the total number of sections in the new chapter from three to four.
SCOPE
A new section, 59.1-148.8, was added to the bill, increasing the total number of sections in the new chapter from three to four.
TECHNICAL
Minor formatting and terminology updates were made, including changing 'town' to 'city' in venue descriptions and standardizing the use of 'importation' instead of 'importing'.
DEFINITION
The definition of 'firearm industry member' was slightly updated to change 'importing' to 'importation' to match the formal language used in the new section.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 5, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 16, 2026
How they voted
39–0
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 5, 2026
D
Democratic20
100% Yea
R
Republican19
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
46
Key actions
16
Committee
12
Apr 10, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 530 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB27ER)
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 36-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference report agreed to by Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Legislature · Passed
recommended by conference committee Conference Report
legislature
Mar 5, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Conference Report released
legislature
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
House requested conference committee
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House with substitute (61-Y 36-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Public Safety with substitute (13-Y 7-N)
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Public Safety
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N)
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N)
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Jan 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Nov 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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