2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26102187D

HOUSE BILL NO. 926

Offered January 14, 2026

Prefiled January 13, 2026

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-1209 of the Code of Virginia, relating to prohibition on outdoor shooting of firearm on property without reasonable care; penalty.

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Patron—Lopez

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Committee Referral Pending

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 15.2-1209 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 15.2-1209. Prohibiting outdoor shooting of firearms or arrows from bows or arrowguns; penalty.

A. For purposes of this section:

"Arrow" means a shaft-like projectile intended to be shot from a bow.

"Backstop" means a device to stop, redirect, and contain bullets.

"Berm" means an embankment used for restricting bullets to a given area or as a protective or dividing wall between two areas.

"Bow" includes all compound bows, crossbows, slingbows, longbows, and recurve bows having a peak draw weight of 10 pounds or more. "Bow" does not include bows that have a peak draw weight of less than 10 pounds or that are designed or intended to be used principally as toys.

B. Any county may prohibit the outdoor shooting of firearms or arrows from bows or arrowguns in any areas of the county which are in the opinion of the governing body so heavily populated as to make such conduct dangerous to the inhabitants thereof.

For purposes of this section, "bow" includes all compound bows, crossbows, slingbows, longbows, and recurve bows having a peak draw weight of 10 pounds or more. The term "bow" does not include bows that have a peak draw weight of less than 10 pounds or that are designed or intended to be used principally as toys. The term "arrow" means a shaft-like projectile intended to be shot from a bow.

C. Any county that prohibits the outdoor shooting of firearms or arrows from bows or arrowguns shall provide an exemption for the killing of deer pursuant to § 29.1-529. Such exemption for the shooting of firearms or arrowguns shall apply on land of at least five acres that is zoned for agricultural use. Such exemption for the shooting of arrows from bows shall apply on land of at least two acres that is zoned for agricultural use.

D. Any county may by ordinance prohibit outdoor shooting of a firearm unless the discharge of such firearm is conducted (i) on land of at least five acres and (ii) with reasonable care to prevent a projectile from crossing the bounds of the land. Reasonable care may include discharging such firearm into a natural or man-made berm or backstop set at least 10 feet from a property line so that it prevents projectiles from entering the property of another. The discharge of firearms across or over the bounds of a property without written permission of that property owner shall create a rebuttable presumption that the firearm was discharged at the property of another. A violation of such an ordinance shall not exceed a Class 1 misdemeanor.