---
type: "Bill"
title: "Stun weapons; prohibits possession on school property, exemptions."
description: "Prohibition on possession of stun weapon on school property; exemptions. Allows the holder of a valid concealed handgun permit to possess a stun weapon on school property while in a motor vehicle in a parking lot, traffic circle, or other means of vehicular ingress or egress to the school. The bill also allows a stun weapon to be stored in a closed container in a motor vehicle while such vehicle is on school property."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 173"
citation: "Virginia SB 173 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Emmett W. Hanger, Jr."]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2019-12-20"
last_action: "2020-04-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0059e353-ce1f-4d75-8d5c-66397ce9a39d"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB173"
source_hash: "38d42df745c69abee6c61faa3a8230029d7631991d9f75fe04bf830ba024c3a0"
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 SB 173 (2020) — Stun weapons; prohibits possession on school property, exemptions.

Prohibition on possession of stun weapon on school property; exemptions. Allows the holder of a valid concealed handgun permit to possess a stun weapon on school property while in a motor vehicle in a parking lot, traffic circle, or other means of vehicular ingress or egress to the school. The bill also allows a stun weapon to be stored in a closed container in a motor vehicle while such vehicle is on school property.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0693)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0693)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB173ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB173ER)
3. **Engrossed by Senate as amended SB173E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB173)
4. **Engrossed by Senate as amended SB173E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB173E)

## Votes

- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Judiciary with amendments (13-Y 0-N) — **13–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Public Safety (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2019-12-20** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101379D `introduction`
- **2019-12-20** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-08** Moved from Courts of Justice to Judiciary due to a change of the committee name
- **2020-01-22** Reported from Judiciary with amendments (13-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-24** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-27** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-01-27** Reading of amendments waived
- **2020-01-27** Committee amendments agreed to
- **2020-01-27** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB173E
- **2020-01-27** Printed as engrossed 20101379D-E
- **2020-01-28** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-01-29** Impact statement from DPB (SB173E)
- **2020-02-03** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-03** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-03** Referred to Committee on Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-13** Assigned PS sub: Firearms `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-18** Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-21** Reported from Public Safety (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-25** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-26** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-26** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-03** Enrolled
- **2020-03-03** Impact statement from DPB (SB173ER)
- **2020-03-03** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-04** 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
- **2020-04-06** Approved by Governor-Chapter 693 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/0059e353-ce1f-4d75-8d5c-66397ce9a39d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).