HB 1608 Virginia House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Firearm industry members; standards of responsible conduct, civil liability.

Summary
Firearm industry members; standards of responsible conduct; civil liability. Creates standards of responsible conduct for firearm industry members and requires such members to establish and implement reasonable controls regarding the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, and marketing of the firearm industry member's firearm-related products, as those terms are defined in the bill. Such reasonable controls include reasonable procedures, safeguards, and business practices that are designed to (i) prevent the sale or distribution of a firearm-related product to a straw purchaser, a firearm trafficker, a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, or a person who the firearm industry member has reasonable cause to believe is at substantial risk of using a firearm-related product to harm themselves or unlawfully harm another or of unlawfully possessing or using a firearm-related product; (ii) prevent the loss of a firearm-related product or theft of a firearm-related product from a firearm industry member; (iii) ensure that the firearm industry member complies with all provisions of state and federal law and does not otherwise promote the unlawful manufacture, sale, possession, marketing, or use of a firearm-related product; and (iv) ensure that the firearm industry member does not engage in an act or practice in violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill also provides that a firearm industry member may not knowingly or recklessly create, maintain, or contribute to a public nuisance, as defined in the bill, through the sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of a firearm-related product. The bill creates a civil cause of action for the Attorney General or a local county or city attorney to enforce the provisions of the bill or for any person who has been injured as a result of a firearm industry member's violation to seek an injunction and to recover costs and damages.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
Vetoed
Mar 2025
Introduced Jan 3, 2025 Vetoed Mar 24, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Courts of Justice Substitute Enrolled · 2 edits · Feb 23, 2025
MINOR
The bill has progressed from a Senate substitute version to its final enrolled form, indicating it has been approved by the Governor and is now law. The substantive policy content regarding firearm industry standards and civil liability remains unchanged, with the primary difference being the formal status update and the addition of the official act number.
Scope change
No change in scope or applicability; the bill remains focused on adding new sections to the Code of Virginia regarding firearm industry standards.
TECHNICAL

Added official act header and approval status to finalize the bill as law.

Removed Senate-specific metadata, including the substitute designation and committee attribution.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 13, 2025 · House of Delegates Jan 23, 2025

How they voted

400
Passed
Total votes 40
Feb 13, 2025
D Democratic21
21 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
28
Key actions
9
Committee
5
Apr 2, 2025
Vetoed
House sustained Governor's veto
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Vetoed
Vetoed by Governor
executive
Feb 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1608ER)
lower
Feb 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 15-N)
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N)
upper
Feb 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N)
upper
Jan 24, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Jan 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (49-Y 47-N)
lower
Jan 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported from Public Safety (12-Y 10-N)
lower
Jan 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Public Safety
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors