Back to Virginia

SB86 • 2026

State Police, Department of; purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers.

An Act to amend and reenact § 59.1-148.3 of the Code of Virginia, relating to purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers; Department of State Police.

Children Firearms
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Stanley
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not support all claims made in the candidate explanation, particularly those related to retired or disabled law enforcement officers and current full-time sworn state police officers.

State Police; Purchase of Handguns or Other Weapons

This act allows immediate survivors of former state police officers who had at least 10 years of service and died while receiving long-term disability payments to purchase their service handgun for $1 with the approval of the Superintendent.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the immediate survivor of a former state police officer who had at least 10 years of service and died while receiving long-term disability payments to purchase the officer's service handgun for $1, if approved by the Superintendent.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Immediate survivors of former state police officers with at least 10 years of service who died while receiving long-term disability payments.

Terms To Know

Service handgun
A firearm issued by an agency to a law enforcement officer for use in their official duties.
Immediate survivor
The closest family member of a deceased person, such as a spouse or child.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Only applies to immediate survivors of former state police officers who had at least 10 years of service and died while receiving long-term disability payments.
  • Does not specify the effective date.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 286 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 286 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0286)

  4. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  5. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-02-18 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-02-18 Senate

    Signed by President

  8. 2026-02-18 Senate

    Enrolled

  9. 2026-02-18 Senate

    Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB86ER)

  10. 2026-02-18 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB86)

  11. 2026-02-16 House

    Read third time

  12. 2026-02-16 House

    Passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-02-15 House

    Read second time

  14. 2026-02-13 Public Safety

    Reported from Public Safety (20-Y 0-N)

  15. 2026-02-03 House

    Placed on Calendar

  16. 2026-02-03 House

    Read first time

  17. 2026-02-03 Public Safety

    Referred to Committee on Public Safety

  18. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  19. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Read second time

  20. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  21. 2026-01-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  22. 2026-01-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  23. 2026-01-20 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB86)

  24. 2026-01-20 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  25. 2026-01-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  26. 2026-01-19 Courts of Justice

    Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N)

  27. 2025-12-30 Senate

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104010D

  28. 2025-12-30 Courts of Justice

    Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers; Department of State Police.
Provides that the Department of State Police may allow the immediate survivor of any law-enforcement officer formerly employed by the Department who had at least 10 years of service with the Department and who died while receiving long-term disability payments to purchase his service handgun, with the approval of the Superintendent of State Police, at a price of $1. This bill is identical to HB 1300.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
An Act to amend and reenact §
59.1-148.3
of the Code of Virginia, relating to purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers; Department of State Police.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
59.1-148.3
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
59.1-148.3
. Purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers.
A. The Department of State Police, the Department of Wildlife Resources, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, the Virginia Lottery, the Marine Resources Commission, the Capitol Police, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Forestry, any sheriff, any regional jail board or authority, and any local police department may allow any sworn law-enforcement officer, deputy, or regional jail officer, a local fire department may allow any full-time sworn fire marshal, the Department of Motor Vehicles may allow any law-enforcement officer, any institution of higher education named in §
23.1-1100
may allow any campus police officer appointed pursuant to Article 3 (§
23.1-809
et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 23.1, retiring on or after July 1, 1991, and the Department of Corrections may allow any employee with internal investigations authority designated by the Department of Corrections pursuant to subdivision 11 of §
53.1-10
who retires (i) after at least 10 years of service, (ii) at 70 years of age or older, or (iii) as a result of a service-incurred disability or who is receiving long-term disability payments for a service-incurred disability with no expectation of returning to the employment where he incurred the disability to purchase the service handgun issued or previously issued to him by the agency or institution at a price of $1. If the previously issued weapon is no longer available, a weapon of like kind may be substituted for that weapon. This privilege shall also extend to any former Superintendent of State Police who leaves service after a minimum of five years. This privilege shall also extend to any person listed in this subsection who is eligible for retirement with at least 10 years of service who resigns on or after July 1, 1991, in good standing from one of the agencies listed in this section to accept a position covered by the Virginia Retirement System. Other weapons issued by the agencies listed in this subsection for personal duty use of an officer may, with approval of the agency head, be sold to the officer subject to the qualifications of this section at a fair market price determined as in subsection B, so long as the weapon is a type and configuration that can be purchased at a regular hardware or sporting goods store by a private citizen without restrictions other than the instant background check.
B. The agencies listed in subsection A may allow any sworn law-enforcement officer who retires with five or more years of service, but less than 10, to purchase the service handgun issued to him by the agency at a price equivalent to the weapon's fair market value on the date of the officer's retirement. Any sworn law-enforcement officer employed by any of the agencies listed in subsection A who is retired for disability as a result of a nonservice-incurred disability may purchase the service handgun issued to him by the agency at a price equivalent to the weapon's fair market value on the date of the officer's retirement. Determinations of fair market value may be made by reference to a recognized pricing guide.
C. The agencies listed in subsection A may allow the immediate survivor of any sworn law-enforcement officer (i) who is killed in the line of duty or (ii) who dies in service and has at least 10 years of service to purchase the service handgun issued to the officer by the agency at a price of $1.
D. The governing board of any institution of higher learning named in §
23.1-1100
may allow any campus police officer appointed pursuant to Article 3 (§
23.1-809
et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 23.1 who retires on or after July 1, 1991, to purchase the service handgun issued to him at a price equivalent to the weapon's fair market value on the date of the officer's retirement. Determinations of fair market value may be made by reference to a recognized pricing guide.
E. Any officer who at the time of his retirement is a sworn law-enforcement officer with a state agency listed in subsection A, when the agency allows purchases of service handguns, and who retires after 10 years of state service, even if a portion of his service was with another state agency, may purchase the service handgun issued to him by the agency from which he retires at a price of $1.
F. The sheriff of Hanover County may allow any auxiliary or volunteer deputy sheriff with a minimum of 10 years of service, upon leaving office, to purchase for $1 the service handgun issued to him.
G. Any sheriff or local police department may allow any auxiliary law-enforcement officer with more than 10 years of service to purchase the service handgun issued to him by the agency at a price that is equivalent to or less than the weapon's fair market value on the date of purchase by the officer.
H. The agencies listed in subsection A may allow any full-time sworn law-enforcement officer currently employed by the agency to purchase his service handgun, with the approval of the chief law-enforcement officer of the agency, at a fair market price. This subsection shall only apply when the agency has purchased new service handguns for its officers, and the handgun subject to the sale is no longer used by the agency or officer in the course of duty.
I. The Department of State Police may allow any law-enforcement officer formerly employed by the Department who had at least 10 years of service with the Department and has been elected to a constitutional office to purchase his service handgun, with the approval of the Superintendent of State Police, at a fair market price
.
J. The Department of State Police may allow the immediate survivor of any law-enforcement officer who had at least 10 years of service with the Department and who died while receiving long-term disability payments to purchase the service handgun previously issued to the officer, with the approval of the Superintendent of State Police, at a price of $1
.