Weapons Prohibited in Mental Health Hospitals

LegiScan Virginia

Published March 14th, 2026

Detected March 28th, 2026

Summary

The Virginia General Assembly has enacted HB229, prohibiting the knowing and intentional possession of firearms, certain knives, and other dangerous weapons within mental health and developmental services hospitals. The bill requires conspicuous posting of prohibition notices and establishes penalties for violations, including forfeiture of weapons.

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What changed

Virginia House Bill 229, enacted on March 14, 2026, introduces new prohibitions on weapon possession within hospitals providing mental health or developmental services. Specifically, it is now a Class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly possess firearms, knives with blades over 3.5 inches, or other dangerous weapons (including explosives and stun weapons) in the building of such facilities. The bill mandates that these prohibitions must be conspicuously posted at each public entrance; conviction requires either posted notice or actual knowledge of the prohibition.

Healthcare providers operating mental health and developmental services hospitals in Virginia must ensure compliance with this new law. This includes implementing clear signage at all public entrances detailing the prohibited items. Failure to comply can result in a Class 1 misdemeanor charge, and any prohibited weapon found will be subject to seizure and forfeiture. The bill also specifies exceptions to the prohibition, which should be reviewed by legal and compliance teams.

What to do next

Post conspicuous notice of weapon prohibitions at all public entrances of mental health and developmental services hospitals.
Review and update internal policies regarding prohibited items within hospital facilities.
Ensure staff are aware of the prohibitions and exceptions outlined in HB229.

Penalties

Class 1 misdemeanor, subject to seizure and forfeiture of the weapon.

Source document (simplified)

VA HB229 | 2026 | Regular Regular Session

Virginia House Bill 229

VA State Legislature page for HB229
- Summary
- Sponsors
- Texts
- Votes
- Research
- Comments
- Track

Status

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 25)
Status: Enrolled on March 14 2026 - 75% progression
Action: 2026-03-25 - Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
Text: Latest bill text (Enrolled) [HTML]

Summary

Weapons; possession prohibited in a hospital that provides mental health services or developmental services; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly and intentionally possess in the building of any hospital that provides mental health services or developmental services in the Commonwealth, including an emergency department or other facility rendering emergency medical care, a (i) firearm, (ii) knife with a blade over three and one-half inches, or (iii) other dangerous weapon, including explosives and stun weapons. The bill also provides that notice of such prohibitions shall be posted conspicuously at each public entrance of any hospital and that no person shall be convicted of the offense if such notice is not posted, unless such person had actual notice of the prohibitions. The bill provides that such firearm, knife, explosive, or weapon shall be subject to seizure by a law-enforcement officer and forfeited to the Commonwealth and specifies certain exceptions to the prohibition. This bill is identical to SB 173.
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Title

Weapons; possession prohibited in hospital that provides mental health or developmental services.

Roll Calls

2026-03-09 - Senate - Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Y: 21 N: 19 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2026-03-05 - Senate - Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Y: 39 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2026-03-04 - Senate - Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N) (Y: 10 N: 5 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2026-02-23 - Senate - Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 4-N) (Y: 9 N: 4 NV: 0 Abs: 2) [PASS]
2026-02-05 - House - Read third time and passed House (63-Y 34-N 0-A) (Y: 63 N: 34 NV: 0 Abs: 3) [PASS]
2026-01-30 - House - Reported from Public Safety with amendment(s) (15-Y 6-N) (Y: 15 N: 6 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2026-01-29 - House - Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (7-Y 3-N) (Y: 7 N: 3 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]

History

| Date | Chamber | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-25 | | Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 |
| 2026-03-25 | House | Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 25, 2026 |
| 2026-03-17 | House | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB229) |
| 2026-03-14 | Senate | Signed by President |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Signed by Speaker |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB229ER) |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Enrolled |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Read third time |
| 2026-03-06 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Rules suspended |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N) |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 4-N) |
| 2026-02-06 | Senate | Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice |
| 2026-02-06 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) |
| 2026-02-05 | House | Read third time and passed House (63-Y 34-N 0-A) |
| 2026-02-04 | House | Engrossed by House - committee substitute |
| 2026-02-04 | House | committee substitute agreed to |
| 2026-02-04 | House | Read second time |
| 2026-02-03 | House | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB229) |
| 2026-02-03 | House | Read first time |
| 2026-02-02 | House | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/2/2026 10:31 am) |
| 2026-02-02 | House | Committee substitute printed 26106607D-H1 |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Reported from Public Safety with substitute (15-Y 6-N) |
| 2026-01-29 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N) |
| 2026-01-29 | House | House subcommittee offered |
| 2026-01-28 | House | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB229) |
| 2026-01-16 | House | Assigned HPS sub: Firearms |
| 2026-01-08 | House | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/8/2026 5:05 pm) |
| 2026-01-08 | House | Referred to Committee on Public Safety |
| 2026-01-08 | House | Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104503D |

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