Proposed Virginia Firearm Legislation HB40
Legislation Overview
Title: Plastic firearms or receivers, etc., transfer, etc., prohibited; penalties.
Description: Manufacture, importation, sale, transfer, or possession of plastic firearms and unfinished frames or receivers and unserialized firearms prohibited; penalties. Creates a Class 5 felony for any person who knowingly manufactures or assembles, imports, purchases, sells, transfers, or possesses any firearm that, after removal of all parts other than a major component, as defined in the bill, is not detectable as a firearm when subjected to inspection by the types of detection devices, including X-ray machines, commonly used at airports, government buildings, schools, correctional facilities, and other locations for security screening. The bill updates language regarding the types of detection devices that are used at such locations for detecting plastic firearms. Under current law, it is unlawful to manufacture, import, sell, transfer, or possess any plastic firearm and a violation is punishable as a Class 5 felony.The bill also creates a Class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable as a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, for any person to knowingly possess a firearm or any completed or unfinished frame or receiver that is not imprinted with a valid serial number or to knowingly import, purchase, sell, offer for sale, or transfer ownership of any completed or unfinished frame or receiver, unless the completed or unfinished frame or receiver (i) is deemed to be a firearm pursuant to federal law and (ii) is imprinted with a valid serial number. The bill also creates a Class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable as a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, for any person to manufacture or assemble, cause to be manufactured or assembled, import, purchase, sell, offer for sale, or transfer ownership of any firearm that is not imprinted with a valid serial number. The provisions of the bill prohibiting unfinished frames or receivers and unserialized firearms have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027; however, the provisions of the bill prohibiting the knowing possession of a firearm or any completed or unfinished frame or receiver that is not imprinted with a valid serial number have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
Session: 2026 Regular Regular Session
Last Action: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
Last Action Date: March 14, 2026
Sponsors
Note: the first sponsor listed is normally the primary sponsor. If a sponsor's name is a hyperlink you can click on it to 'follow the money'.
10 sponsors: Marcus Simon (D); Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D); Rae Cousins (D); Rozia Henson (D); Marty Martinez (D); Marcia Price (D); Sam Rasoul (D); Holly Seibold (D); Virgil Thornton (D);Kathy Tran (D);
Percentage of House of Delegates sponsoring bill: 10% (10 of 100)
History
| Chamber | Date | Action |
| Mar 14, 2026 | Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 | |
| House | Mar 14, 2026 | Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 |
| House | Mar 12, 2026 | Signed by Speaker |
| House | Mar 11, 2026 | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB40ER) |
| House | Mar 11, 2026 | Enrolled |
| Senate | Mar 11, 2026 | Signed by President |
| House | Mar 11, 2026 | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB40) |
| House | Mar 4, 2026 | Senate substitute agreed to by House (64-Y 32-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Mar 2, 2026 | Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute |
| Senate | Mar 2, 2026 | Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Mar 2, 2026 | Courts of Justice Substitute agreed to |
| Senate | Feb 27, 2026 | Passed by for the day |
| Senate | Feb 27, 2026 | Read third time |
| Senate | Feb 26, 2026 | Rules suspended |
| Senate | Feb 26, 2026 | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 26, 2026 | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) |
| House | Feb 26, 2026 | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB40) |
| House | Feb 25, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/25/2026 12:50 pm) |
| Senate | Feb 25, 2026 | Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N) |
| Senate | Feb 25, 2026 | Committee substitute printed 26108434D-S1 |
| Senate | Feb 23, 2026 | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 5-N) |
| Senate | Feb 6, 2026 | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) |
| Senate | Feb 6, 2026 | Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice |
| House | Feb 5, 2026 | Read third time and passed House (63-Y 34-N 0-A) |
| House | Feb 4, 2026 | Read second time and engrossed |
| House | Feb 3, 2026 | Read first time |
| House | Jan 30, 2026 | Reported from Public Safety (15-Y 6-N) |
| House | Jan 29, 2026 | Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 3-N) |
| House | Jan 16, 2026 | Assigned HPS sub: Firearms |
| House | Jan 13, 2026 | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB40) |
| House | Jan 6, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/6/2026 2:07 pm) |
| House | Dec 23, 2025 | Referred to Committee on Public Safety |
| House | Dec 23, 2025 | Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100452D |
Texts
| Type | Date | State Link | Text |
| Enrolled | Mar 11, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 25, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Introduced | Dec 23, 2025 | state link | bill text |
Amendments
| Title | Description | Date | State Link | Text | Adopted |
| There are no amendments to this bill at this time | |||||
Votes - Click on description to view vote roll call
| Description | Vote Date | Yea Votes | Nay Votes | No Votes | Absent | Passed |
| Reported from Public Safety (15-Y 6-N) | 01/30/2026 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 1 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 3-N) | 01/29/2026 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Read third time and passed House (63-Y 34-N 0-A) | 02/5/2026 | 63 | 34 | 0 | 3 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 5-N) | 02/23/2026 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N) | 02/25/2026 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) | 02/26/2026 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A) | 03/2/2026 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Senate substitute agreed to by House (64-Y 32-N 0-A) | 03/4/2026 | 64 | 32 | 0 | 3 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
Link: link to state bill page
