Virginia HB 1422: Concealed handgun permits; demonstration of competence.

Bill Text

VIRGINIAACTSOFASSEMBLY--2023SESSION
CHAPTER93
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 18.2-308.02 and 18.2-308.06 of the Code of Virginia, relating to
concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence.
[H1422]
ApprovedMarch21,2023
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 18.2-308.02 and 18.2-308.06 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as
follows:
§18.2-308.02. Application for a concealed handgun permit; Virginia resident or domiciliary.
A. Any person 21 years of age or older may apply in writing to the clerk of the circuit court of the
county or city in which he resides, or if he is a member of the United States Armed Forces and
stationed outside the Commonwealth, the county or city in which he is domiciled, for a five-year permit
to carry a concealed handgun. There shall be no requirement regarding the length of time an applicant
has been a resident or domiciliary of the county or city. The application shall be on a form prescribed
by the Department of State Police, in consultation with the Supreme Court, requiring only that
information necessary to determine eligibility for the permit. Additionally, the application shall request
but not require that the applicant provide an email or other electronic address where a notice of permit
expiration can be sent pursuant to subsection C of § 18.2-308.010. The applicant shall present one valid
form of photo identification issued by a governmental agency of the Commonwealth or by the U.S.
Department of Defense or U.S. State Department (passport). No information or documentation other than
that which is allowed on the application in accordance with this section may be requested or required by
the clerk or the court.
B. The court shall require proof that the applicant has demonstrated competence with a handgun in
person and the applicant may demonstrate such competence by one of the following, but no applicant
shall be required to submit to any additional demonstration of competence, nor shall any proof of
demonstrated competence expire:
1. Completing any hunter education or hunter safety course approved by the Department of Wildlife
Resources or a similar agency of another state;
2. Completing any National Rifle Association or United States Concealed Carry Association firearms
safety or training course;
3. Completing any firearms safety or training course or class available to the general public offered
by a law-enforcement agency, institution of higher education, or private or public institution or
organization or firearms training school utilizing instructors certified by the National Rifle Association,
the United States Concealed Carry Association, or the Department of Criminal Justice Services;
4. Completing any law-enforcement firearms safety or training course or class offered for security
guards, investigators, special deputies, or any division or subdivision of law enforcement or security
enforcement;
5. Presenting evidence of equivalent experience with a firearm through participation in organized
shooting competition or current military service or proof of an honorable discharge from any branch of
the armed services;
6. Obtaining or previously having held a license to carry a firearm in the Commonwealth or a
locality thereof, unless such license has been revoked for cause;
7. Completing any in-person firearms training or safety course or class conducted by a state-certified
or, National Rifle Association-certified, or United States Concealed Carry Association-certified firearms
instructor;
8. Completing any governmental police agency firearms training course and qualifying to carry a
firearm in the course of normal police duties; or
9. Completing any other firearms training that the court deems adequate.
A photocopy of a certificate of completion of any of the courses or classes; an affidavit from the
instructor, school, club, organization, or group that conducted or taught such course or class attesting to
the completion of the course or class by the applicant; or a copy of any document that shows
completion of the course or class or evidences participation in firearms competition shall constitute
evidence of qualification under this subsection.
C. The making of a materially false statement in an application under this article shall constitute
perjury, punishable as provided in §18.2-434.
D. The clerk of court shall withhold from public disclosure the applicant's name and any other
information contained in a permit application or any order issuing a concealed handgun permit, except
that such information shall not be withheld from any law-enforcement officer acting in the performance

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of his official duties or from the applicant with respect to his own information. The prohibition on
public disclosure of information under this subsection shall not apply to any reference to the issuance of
a concealed handgun permit in any order book before July 1, 2008; however, any other concealed
handgun records maintained by the clerk shall