Firearms, certain; possession, transportation, or purchase by certain persons, penalty.

The exemption for law enforcement officers was changed from covering 'official training or carrying out duties' to only covering 'active duty law-enforcement officers in the course of their duties'.

New exemptions were added for cadets participating in Corps of Cadets or ROTC activities and active participants in the Trooper Basic Academy.

The exemption allowing a person to possess a firearm in the home of a grandparent for self-defense was removed.

The fiscal impact section was updated to include blank fields for estimated costs, whereas the Senate version stated costs could not be determined.

The bill header was changed from 'Senator Surovell Substitute' to 'House Substitute' with a new bill number.

Eliminated the creation of a new 'Firearm Purchaser License' that would have been required for all handgun purchases and the associated application, fingerprinting, and training course requirements.

Removed the mandate for a universal criminal history record information check for every firearm transaction, replacing it with a focus on age-based prohibitions.

Clarified and codified age restrictions: it is now explicitly unlawful for anyone under 18 to possess or transport a handgun or assault firearm, and for anyone under 21 to purchase them.

Deleted the detailed statutory definitions for 'Assault Firearm' and 'Curios or Relics' that were part of the original substitute, relying instead on existing definitions in other sections of the code.

Removed the provision requiring dealers to collect a $2 to $5 fee per transaction to fund the new background check system.

Removed the specific implementation timeline and reporting requirements for the Virginia State Crime Commission that were included in the original substitute.

Added a specific requirement that any person purchasing a handgun from a dealer must present a valid firearm purchaser license, whereas the previous version had a more general requirement.

Added a new section requiring firearm purchaser licenses to be valid for five years and detailing the specific data elements and security features required on the license.

Expanded the definition of 'assault firearm' to include semi-automatic shotguns with specific characteristics (such as folding stocks or detachable magazines) and added a category for shotguns with revolving cylinders.

Added new felony penalties for persons who solicit dealers to transfer firearms to ineligible buyers and for persons who purchase firearms with the intent to resell them to ineligible individuals.

Changed the effective date of the act from July 1, 2028, to a date determined by the Finance and Appropriations committee (specific date not fully visible in the snippet but implied to be different or subject to fiscal review).

Updated the bill number from 26106156D to 26107394D and changed the proposing committee from Courts of Justice to Finance and Appropriations.

Added a header indicating the bill is an 'Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute' proposed by the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice, dated 1/26/2026.