HB 534 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Firearm Immunity Amendments

HB 534 adds legal immunity for property owners, tenants, and government entities when accidental firearm discharges occur on their property under lawful conditions. It expands immunity to include businesses and legal entities (not just individuals) who allow lawful firearm possession on their property, and grants similar immunity to government properties where firearm use complies with policy. The bill explicitly excludes immunity if the property owner or government official actively encouraged or aided a discharge for an unlawful purpose. This changes liability rules for accidental shootings but does not alter firearm laws or require new funding.

Bill status passed 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 10, 2026 Last action Mar 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill substitute amends Utah's firearm immunity laws to expand protections for both private property owners and governmental entities. The changes clarify who qualifies for immunity, specify when immunity does not apply, and update formatting and references in the original bill text.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include legal entities (not just individuals) as property occupants eligible for immunity, and clarified that immunity applies to government-owned property when firearm possession is authorized by law, policy, or practice.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded 'property occupant' definition to include legal entities, not just individuals, who have the right to occupy property under an agreement.

Removed the requirement that property must be privately owned for immunity to apply, allowing immunity on government-owned, leased, or controlled property.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the immunity exception from 'nondefensive purpose' to 'unlawful purpose' for when immunity does not apply to governmental entities.

TECHNICAL

Updated Senate Sponsor name from 'LONG TITLE' to 'David P. Hinkins' and corrected formatting inconsistencies in the bill text.

Corrected cross-references in the bill, including updating chapter numbers and fixing capitalization errors in defined terms.

Floor votes · House Feb 24, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate/ committee report favorable [Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

upper

Feb 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation [Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Committee

Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

upper

Feb 25, 2026

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

Feb 24, 2026

Upper · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ committee report favorable [House Public Utilities and Energy Committee]

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Public Utilities and Energy Committee]

lower

Feb 13, 2026

Committee

House/ to standing committee [House Public Utilities and Energy Committee]

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor