Proposed Virginia Firearm Legislation HB229
Legislation Overview
Title: Weapons; possession prohibited in hospital that provides mental health or developmental services.
Description: Weapons; possession prohibited in a hospital that provides mental health services or developmental services; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly and intentionally possess in the building of any hospital that provides mental health services or developmental services in the Commonwealth, including an emergency department or other facility rendering emergency medical care, a (i) firearm, (ii) knife with a blade over three and one-half inches, or (iii) other dangerous weapon, including explosives and stun weapons. The bill also provides that notice of such prohibitions shall be posted conspicuously at each public entrance of any hospital and that no person shall be convicted of the offense if such notice is not posted, unless such person had actual notice of the prohibitions. The bill provides that such firearm, knife, explosive, or weapon shall be subject to seizure by a law-enforcement officer and forfeited to the Commonwealth and specifies exceptions to the prohibition.
Session: 2026 Regular Regular Session
Last Action: Assigned HMPPS sub: Firearms
Last Action Date: January 16, 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'.
9 sponsors: Phil Hernandez (D); Jessica Anderson (D);Karen Carnegie (D);Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D); Michael Feggans (D); Debra Gardner (D); Dan Helmer (D); Rozia Henson (D); Marty Martinez (D);
Percentage of House of Delegates sponsoring bill: 9% (9 of 100)
History
| Chamber | Date | Action |
| House | Jan 16, 2026 | Assigned HMPPS sub: Firearms |
| House | Jan 8, 2026 | Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104503D |
| House | Jan 8, 2026 | Referred to Committee on Public Safety |
| House | Jan 8, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/8/2026 5:05 pm) |
Texts
| Type | Date | State Link | Text |
| Introduced | Jan 8, 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
There have not been any votes on this bill
Link: link to state bill page
