Committee approves substitute allowing air and rimfire rifles on buses for school shooting teams, with storage rules

CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Senate Education Committee adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 449 that permits air rifles and rimfire rifles on school buses solely during transportation to and from school-sponsored shooting-team events and allows those rifles on school property for shooting-team use or at school-sponsored shooting-team functions when the activity takes place on property owned, rented or leased by the Department of Education, the Secretary of the School Activities Commission, a county board, or a local public school.

Under the substitute, air rifles and rimfire rifles must be locked in a location inaccessible to students at all times other than school-sponsored team events, practices or transport. Counsel explained the limited scope and the storage requirement when presenting the substitute to the committee.

There were no amendments. The committee adopted the substitute by voice vote and then voted to report the substitute to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

Votes at a glance: Committee substitute agreed to by voice vote and the motion to report the bill to the full Senate carried by voice vote; the chair declared the ayes to have it.

The substitute defines where and when covered rifles may be present on school buses and school grounds; it does not change other state laws governing firearms or school safety procedures and does not assign implementation details to a specific agency beyond the storage requirement.