Survivors may buy deceased officer handguns for $1
Summary
Virginia Governor signed HB1300 into law, allowing immediate survivors of law-enforcement officers who died while receiving long-term disability payments to purchase the officer's service handgun from the Department of State Police for $1. The officer must have had at least 10 years of service with the Department. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and passed with unanimous support in both chambers.
What changed
HB1300 creates a new statutory right for immediate survivors of deceased Virginia State Police officers to purchase service handguns at a fixed price of $1, provided the officer had at least 10 years of service and died while receiving long-term disability benefits. The transfer requires approval from the Superintendent of State Police. This provision codifies a specific benefit for fallen officers' families that was not previously available under Virginia law.
Affected parties include the Department of State Police (which must establish transfer procedures), estates of eligible deceased officers, and surviving family members of law-enforcement officers. State and local law enforcement agencies should review their personnel policies to determine whether similar provisions apply or should be considered for their own officers. The uniform $1 price is a symbolic gesture recognizing officer service rather than a market-value transaction.
What to do next
- Determine if your agency administers deceased officer estates or manages service weapon disposition
- Update internal policies for service weapon transfer procedures to reflect the $1 purchase option for eligible survivors
- Monitor for implementing regulations from the Department of State Police
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / Virginia / HB1300 Signed by Governor HB1300 House Bill Signed by Governor 2026-04-06
State Police, Department of; purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers.
Purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers; Department of State Police. Provides that the Department of State Police may allow the immediate survivor of any law-enforcement officer formerly employed by the Department who had at least 10 years of service with the Department and who died while receiving long-term disability payments to purchase his service handgun, with the approval of the Superintendent of State Police, at a price of $1. This bill is identical to SB 86.
Bill Details
State Virginia
Session 2026 Regular Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1300
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Mitchell Cornett (Rep - R)
Action History
2026-04-06 Approved by Governor-Chapter 285 (effective 7/1/2026) 2026-03-10 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 2026-03-10 H Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 2026-03-02 H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1300) 2026-03-02 S Signed by President 2026-03-02 H Signed by Speaker 2026-03-02 H Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1300ER) 2026-03-02 H Enrolled 2026-02-25 S Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-25 S Read third time 2026-02-24 S Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) 2026-02-24 S Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-24 S Rules suspended 2026-02-23 S Reported from Courts of Justice (11-Y 0-N) 2026-02-13 S Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice 2026-02-13 S Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) 2026-02-12 H Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-11 H Read second time and engrossed 2026-02-10 H Read first time 2026-02-06 H Reported from Public Safety (22-Y 0-N) 2026-02-05 H Rereferred to Public Safety 2026-02-05 H Motion to rerefer to committee agreed to (63-Y 34-N 0-A) 2026-02-04 H Read second time and engrossed 2026-02-04 H Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar 2026-02-03 H Read first time 2026-01-30 H Reported from Public Safety (21-Y 0-N) 2026-01-29 H Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) 2026-01-27 H Assigned HMPPS sub: Firearms 2026-01-20 H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1300) 2026-01-15 H Referred to Committee on Public Safety 2026-01-15 H Presented and ordered printed 26105506D
Votes
2026-01-29 Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) Yea: 10 Nay: 0 2026-01-30 Reported from Public Safety (21-Y 0-N) Yea: 21 Nay: 0 2026-02-05 Motion to rerefer to committee agreed to (63-Y 34-N 0-A) Yea: 63 Nay: 34 2026-02-06 Reported from Public Safety (22-Y 0-N) Yea: 22 Nay: 0 2026-02-12 Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 98 Nay: 0 2026-02-23 Reported from Courts of Justice (11-Y 0-N) Yea: 11 Nay: 0 2026-02-24 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 39 Nay: 0 2026-02-25 Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 40 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-01-15 H Public Safety 2026-01-27 H Militia, Police and Public Safety: Firearms 2026-02-05 H Public Safety 2026-02-13 S Courts of Justice
Bill Text Versions
2026-01-15 Introduced 2026-03-02 Enrolled Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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