---
type: "Bill"
title: "Concealed handgun permits; demonstration of competence, effective date."
description: "Concealed handgun permits; demonstration of competence. Removes the option for concealed handgun permit applicants to demonstrate competence with a handgun by completing an electronic, video, or online course conducted by a state-certified or National Rifle Association-certified firearms instructor. The bill does not affect any in-person means of satisfying the requirement to demonstrate competence with a handgun under current law. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill is identical to SB 263."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 264"
citation: "Virginia HB 264 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Alfonso H. Lopez"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 35
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2019-12-30"
last_action: "2020-03-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/945f6d1e-ea8a-4515-8810-8b2ffe837e50"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB264"
source_hash: "ced890397aeeb7510c1047d87f482d6287b4ab750bdfd5548368862502d19908"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 264 (2020) — Concealed handgun permits; demonstration of competence, effective date.

Concealed handgun permits; demonstration of competence. Removes the option for concealed handgun permit applicants to demonstrate competence with a handgun by completing an electronic, video, or online course conducted by a state-certified or National Rifle Association-certified firearms instructor. The bill does not affect any in-person means of satisfying the requirement to demonstrate competence with a handgun under current law. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill is identical to SB 263.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0390)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0390)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB264ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB264ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB264H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB264H1)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (HB264)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB264)
5. **Impact statement from DPB (HB264S1)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB264S1)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 3-N) — **5–3** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N) — **21–19** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (54-Y 46-N) — **53–46** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (52-Y 45-N) — **51–45** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Public Safety with substitute (13-Y 9-N) — **13–9** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Judiciary with substitute (9-Y 6-N) — **9–6** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Alfonso H. Lopez — primary (person)
- Mark H. Levine — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-12-30** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101680D `introduction`
- **2019-12-30** Referred to Committee on Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-13** Impact statement from DPB (HB264)
- **2020-01-20** Assigned PS sub: Firearms `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-04** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 3-N)
- **2020-02-07** Reported from Public Safety with substitute (13-Y 9-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-07** Committee substitute printed 20107665D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-09** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-10** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-10** Committee substitute agreed to 20107665D-H1
- **2020-02-10** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB264H1
- **2020-02-11** Read third time and passed House (54-Y 46-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-11** VOTE: Passage (54-Y 46-N)
- **2020-02-11** Impact statement from DPB (HB264H1)
- **2020-02-12** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-12** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-24** Reported from Judiciary with substitute (9-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-24** Committee substitute printed 20108960D-S1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-25** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-25** Impact statement from DPB (HB264S1)
- **2020-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-26** Reading of substitute waived
- **2020-02-26** Committee substitute agreed to 20108960D-S1
- **2020-02-26** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB264S1
- **2020-02-26** Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-28** Senate substitute agreed to by House 20108960D-S1 (52-Y 45-N)
- **2020-02-28** VOTE: Adoption (52-Y 45-N)
- **2020-03-05** Enrolled
- **2020-03-05** Impact statement from DPB (HB264ER)
- **2020-03-06** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-06** Signed by President
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-03-23** Approved by Governor-Chapter 390 (effective 1/1/21) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/945f6d1e-ea8a-4515-8810-8b2ffe837e50`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).