Senate public-safety subcommittee recommends slate of gun, corrections and public‑safety bills to full committee

The Virginia Senate public-safety subcommittee voted Thursday to recommend a package of public‑safety bills to the full Finance and Appropriations Committee, moving forward several measures addressing firearms, hospital safety, juvenile sentencing evaluations and correctional practices.

The subcommittee, chaired by Senator Hashmi, advanced multiple gun‑related bills — including measures to ban certain “assault‑style” firearms, expand criminal penalties for bringing weapons into hospitals, narrow rules on air‑ and gas‑operated weapons, require safe storage in homes in certain circumstances, and clarify criminal treatment for unserialized “ghost” firearms — and also reported bills on juvenile evaluation procedures, fireworks permitting for small localities and limits on prolonged solitary confinement in state correctional facilities.

Why it matters: the subcommittee’s recommendations send the measures to the full Finance and Appropriations Committee for consideration of fiscal impacts. Many of the bills either create or change criminal penalties, set enforcement requirements for local institutions (hospitals and colleges), or mandate state action (for corrections policy or juvenile evaluation processes).

Most prominent items

Senate Bill 1181 and 1182 (firearms): Senator Deeds returned with bills previously considered last year. One version would ban possession, sale and transportation of certain assault‑style firearms after a specified date; another would allow a board of visitors at an institution of higher education to adopt policies making possession of firearms in campus buildings a Class 1 misdemeanor where the board chooses to do so. The subcommittee adopted an amendment to clarify exceptions for authorized training (for example ROTC or Virginia Military Institute) and to give boards authority to enact policies that carry criminal penalties.

Senate Bill 1110 (weapons in hospitals): Senator Williams Graves characterized SB 1110 as making it a Class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly and intentionally possess a weapon inside a hospital that provides mental‑health or developmental services, with posted notice required at each entrance and limited exemptions (hospital security, individuals with written authorization, and certain emergency custody situations). The subcommittee recommended the bill for reporting; members recorded two ‘‘no’’ votes on the motion.

Air‑ and gas‑operated weapons (SB 941 and SB 1220): Senator DeStef presented SB 941 to add air‑ and gas‑powered weapons to the robbery statute so they are treated like other weapons in robbery prosecutions; committee discussion noted these devices can operate at higher projectile speeds than many handguns and have been used in local crimes. The subcommittee recommended SB 941 and also approved SB 1220, which narrows a prohibition to people convicted of violent felonies as defined in the code; SB 941 carried at least one recorded abstention.

Other gun bills: Senator Saleem and others moved forward bills that had been considered in prior sessions, including raising the minimum age to purchase certain firearms to 21 (SB 484), a five‑day waiting period for firearm purchases through licensed dealers (SB 891), and the storage/safe‑storage bill (SB 1134) that would require safe storage in residences where a minor or a prohibited person is present and would require dealers to post notices. The subcommittee recommended these bills, with recorded ‘‘no’’ votes noted in several cases.

Ghost guns and machine‑conversion devices (SB 881 and SB 886): The panel recommended measures targeting unserialized plastic receivers and other so‑called ghost‑gun components, and a bill to update definitions to cover devices that convert firearms into machine guns (including some 3‑D‑printed parts). Those bills were recommended for reporting; members recorded opposition in several cases.

Juvenile evaluations (SB 747): The subcommittee adopted a substitute that removes private agencies from the list of entities that may perform court‑ordered comprehensive evaluations prior to juvenile sentencing and narrows the language to public agencies; the bill was recommended for reporting with at least one abstention recorded during the vote. Sponsors said the change makes evaluations more consistent with how courts typically obtain social histories and assessment information.

Correctional isolation (substitute on SB 1409): The committee adopted a substitute that would delay enactment and clarify that inmates in medical isolation are exempt from certain recreational requirements; the subcommittee recommended the substitute for reporting.

Narrower measures and member amendments: The committee also recommended bills on fireworks permit‑fee waivers for small localities (SB 1248), criminal penalties for drones capturing controlled technical information near defense contractors (SB 757), criminal penalties for assaulting Virginia Marine Police officers (SB 926), and a bill to prohibit certain items in hospitals (SB 1110). Staff presented a package of member budget amendments and requests that included funding for body‑worn cameras for Virginia State Police, technology and training programs for veterans, and funding to replace federally banned drones for local law enforcement.

Votes at a glance

- SB 1181 (assault‑style firearm ban): Recommended to full committee (motion and voice vote; outcome: reported). (See provenance.) - SB 1182 (campus firearm policies via boards of visitors; Class 1 misdemeanor): Recommended to full committee (reported after amendment clarifying training exceptions). (See provenance.) - SB 1110 (weapons in hospitals; Class 1 misdemeanor; posted notice required): Recommended to full committee; recorded two no votes on the motion to report. - SB 941 (add air/gas weapons to robbery statute): Recommended to full committee; at least one abstention recorded on the vote. - SB 1220 (narrow prohibition on possession of air‑operated weapons to violent felons): Recommended to full committee. - SB 484 (raise minimum purchase age to 21 for certain firearms): Recommended to full committee. - SB 891 (five‑day waiting period for firearm purchases): Recommended to full committee; recorded two no votes. - SB 1134 (safe storage requirements; dealer posting; Class 4 misdemeanor): Recommended to full committee; recorded two no votes. - SB 881 (ghost guns / unserialized receivers): Recommended to full committee. - SB 886 (definitions covering machine‑conversion devices, including 3‑D‑printed): Recommended to full committee; recorded two no votes. - SB 883 (‘‘boyfriend loophole’’ closure for dating‑partner domestic‑violence convictions): Recommended to full committee; recorded two no votes. - SB 747 (juvenile comprehensive evaluations; substitute restricting to public agencies): Substitute adopted and bill recommended to full committee; at least one abstention recorded. - SB 1248 (waive fireworks permit fee for certain small localities): Recommended to full committee. - SB 757 (unmanned aircraft near defense contractors; felony where controlled technical information captured): Recommended to full committee. - SB 926 (add Virginia Marine Police to law‑enforcement definitions; penalties noted): Recommended to full committee (recorded opposition, abstentions reflected in committee tally). - Substitute to SB 1409 (limits on isolated confinement; delay of enactment; medical‑isolation carve‑outs): Substitute adopted and recommended to full committee.

What the committee did not do: in most cases the subcommittee recommended bills to the full Finance and Appropriations Committee; several motions passed by voice vote and many recorded counts were not full roll calls, so specific yes/no tallies are not available for all items. Where members raised fiscal or legal questions (for example about trespassing vs. new criminal statutes, or which entity conducts juvenile evaluations), staff and counsel provided clarifying comments or technical edits reflected in adopted substitutes and amendments.

Next steps: recommended bills move to the full Finance and Appropriations Committee for fiscal review and potential floor action. Several sponsors said they expect to continue work on substitute language on the floor when needed.

Quotes and attribution

"This bill would give the board of visitors the ability to enact a policy that would have the force of law," Senator Deeds said while describing the campus‑firearm bill and amendment allowing training exceptions.

"It also has an intent element that's in there...the government is going to have to prove that they intentionally did this and not accidentally did it," Senator McDougall said in discussion of the hospital‑weapons proposal and its distinction from trespassing charges.

Ending

The subcommittee cleared its docket and staff presented a companion package of member budget amendments that will be available for members and the full committee to review before the committee meeting later the same day.