Proposed Virginia Firearm Legislation SB643
Legislation Overview
Title: Firearm, certain; possession, transportation, or purchase by certain persons, penalty.
Description: Firearm purchase requirements; penalties. Requires any person selling a firearm to obtain verification from the Department of State Police that the prospective purchaser is not prohibited under state or federal law or a criminal history record check from possessing a firearm. The bill requires any person purchasing a firearm from a firearms dealer to present a valid firearm purchaser license issued by the Department of State Police that allows the holder to purchase a firearm. The bill prohibits a firearms dealer from selling, renting, trading, or transferring from his inventory any firearm to any person until he has received such permit. The bill sets forth the procedures to apply for the permit and prohibits the permitting of any person who (i) is younger than 21 years of age; (ii) is prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm; (iii) within the two years prior to the date of application, has been convicted of any offense against a person that is an act of violence, force, or threat or a firearm-related offense that is punished as a Class 1 misdemeanor; or (iv) within the two years prior to the date of application, has not completed a firearms safety or training course or class offered to the public by a law-enforcement agency, institution of higher education, or private or public institution or organization or by a firearms training school utilizing instructors certified or approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services and with a required curriculum, detailed in the bill. The bill provides that such firearm purchaser license is valid for five years from the date of issuance.The bill details reasons for revocation of a firearm purchaser license and provides that any person who fails to return a revoked firearm purchaser license to the Superintendent of State Police within five days' notice of revocation is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill also states that any person who makes a materially false statement on the application form for a permit is guilty of perjury. The bill provides that the Department of State Police shall enter the name and description of a person issued a firearm purchaser license into the Virginia Criminal Information Network and specifies that such information will be withheld from public disclosure but shall not be withheld from any law-enforcement agency or officer, or any authorized agent of such agency or officer, acting in the performance of his official duties. Finally, the bill provides that the Department of State Police shall keep and maintain a computerized database containing certain enumerated information, which may be made available to institutions of higher education and other research organizations or institutions in the Commonwealth upon request and sets out exceptions for to whom its provisions should apply.
Session: 2026 Regular Regular Session
Last Action: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB643)
Last Action Date: March 24, 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'.
2 sponsors: Scott Surovell (D); Jennifer Carroll Foy (D);
Percentage of Senate sponsoring bill: 5% (2 of 40)
History
| Chamber | Date | Action |
| Senate | Mar 24, 2026 | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB643) |
| Mar 14, 2026 | Conference Report released | |
| Mar 14, 2026 | Conference Report released | |
| Senate | Mar 14, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (3/14/2026 12:42 pm) |
| Senate | Mar 14, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (3/14/2026 4:28 pm) |
| House | Mar 14, 2026 | Conference report agreed to by House (59-Y 37-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Mar 14, 2026 | Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) |
| House | Mar 12, 2026 | House Conferees: McGuire, Simon, Oates |
| House | Mar 12, 2026 | Conferees appointed by House |
| Senate | Mar 10, 2026 | Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Mar 10, 2026 | Senate Conferees: Surovell, Srinivasan, Stuart |
| Senate | Mar 10, 2026 | Conferees appointed by Senate |
| House | Mar 9, 2026 | House requested conference committee |
| House | Mar 9, 2026 | House insisted on substitute |
| Senate | Mar 6, 2026 | House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 40-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Mar 6, 2026 | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB643) |
| House | Mar 4, 2026 | Read third time |
| House | Mar 4, 2026 | Passed House with substitute (61-Y 37-N 0-A) |
| House | Mar 4, 2026 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute |
| House | Mar 4, 2026 | committee substitute agreed to |
| House | Mar 3, 2026 | Read second time |
| House | Feb 27, 2026 | Reported from Public Safety with substitute (14-Y 8-N) |
| Senate | Feb 27, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/27/2026 3:32 pm) |
| House | Feb 27, 2026 | Committee substitute printed 26108805D-H1 |
| House | Feb 26, 2026 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N) |
| House | Feb 24, 2026 | Referred to Committee on Public Safety |
| House | Feb 24, 2026 | Read first time |
| House | Feb 24, 2026 | Assigned HMPPS sub: Firearms |
| House | Feb 24, 2026 | Placed on Calendar |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/17/2026 8:45 am) |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2026 | Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Engrossed by Senate - floor substitute |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Engrossment reconsidered by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Committee substitute reconsidered (40-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Finance and Appropriations Substitute rejected |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Floor substitute printed 26108027D-S3 (Surovell) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Floor offered Senator Surovell Substitute |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Senator Surovell Substitute agreed to (21-Y 19-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 13, 2026 | Passed by for the day |
| Senate | Feb 12, 2026 | Passed by for the day |
| Senate | Feb 12, 2026 | Read third time |
| Senate | Feb 11, 2026 | Passed by for the day |
| Senate | Feb 10, 2026 | Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 10, 2026 | Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 10, 2026 | Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 10, 2026 | Read second time |
| Senate | Feb 9, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/9/2026 10:03 am) |
| Senate | Feb 9, 2026 | Passed by for the day |
| Senate | Feb 9, 2026 | Passed by for the day (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 9, 2026 | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 9, 2026 | Rules suspended |
| Senate | Feb 9, 2026 | Committee substitute printed 26107394D-S2 |
| Senate | Feb 8, 2026 | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB643) |
| Senate | Feb 5, 2026 | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N) |
| Senate | Jan 30, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/30/2026 1:17 pm) |
| Senate | Jan 30, 2026 | Committee substitute printed 26106156D-S1 |
| Senate | Jan 28, 2026 | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N) |
| Senate | Jan 28, 2026 | Incorporates SB797 (Carroll Foy) |
| Senate | Jan 26, 2026 | Senate committee offered |
| Senate | Jan 20, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/20/2026 4:34 pm) |
| Senate | Jan 14, 2026 | Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice |
| Senate | Jan 14, 2026 | Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104904D |
Texts
| Type | Date | State Link | Text |
| Comm Sub | Mar 14, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Mar 14, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 27, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 27, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 16, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 9, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Jan 30, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Jan 26, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Introduced | Jan 14, 2026 | 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 Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N) | 01/28/2026 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N) | 02/5/2026 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) | 02/9/2026 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Engrossment reconsidered by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) | 02/16/2026 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Committee substitute reconsidered (40-Y 0-N 0-A) | 02/16/2026 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Senator Surovell Substitute agreed to (21-Y 19-N 0-A) | 02/16/2026 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) | 02/17/2026 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N) | 02/26/2026 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Reported from Public Safety with substitute (14-Y 8-N) | 02/27/2026 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Passed House with substitute (61-Y 37-N 0-A) | 03/4/2026 | 61 | 37 | 0 | 1 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 40-N 0-A) | 03/6/2026 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 | No |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) | 03/10/2026 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Conference report agreed to by House (59-Y 37-N 0-A) | 03/14/2026 | 59 | 37 | 0 | 3 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) | 03/14/2026 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 1 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
Link: link to state bill page
