---
type: "Bill"
title: "Concealed weapons; exceptions, penalty."
description: "Concealed weapons; exceptions, penalty."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 2298"
citation: "Virginia HB 2298 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ware"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 31
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2023-01-11"
last_action: "2023-03-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4910aab9-ce9a-4f62-9bcc-61082129a585"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+HB2298"
source_hash: "8965dca665f00f70f4e843a457803745752bcf73c9be836fd6562954da0569f7"
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 2298 (2023) — Concealed weapons; exceptions, penalty.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0611** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0611)
2. **HB2298ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2298ER)
3. **Presented and ordered printed 23103436D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2298)

## Votes

- VOTE: Passage (66-Y 32-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Passed Senate with amendment (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 1-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice (16-Y 4-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Judiciary with amendment (12-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (61-Y 32-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Ware — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-11** Presented and ordered printed 23103436D `introduction`
- **2023-01-11** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-26** Impact statement from DPB (HB2298)
- **2023-01-28** Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #2 `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-30** Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 1-N)
- **2023-02-03** Reported from Courts of Justice (16-Y 4-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-06** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2023-02-07** Read third time and passed House (66-Y 32-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-07** VOTE: Passage (66-Y 32-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-08** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2023-02-08** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-20** Reported from Judiciary with amendment (12-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-21** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-22** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-22** Reading of amendment waived
- **2023-02-22** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-22** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2023-02-22** Passed Senate with amendment (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-23** Passed by temporarily until after House recess
- **2023-02-23** Senate amendment agreed to by House (61-Y 32-N) `amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-23** VOTE: Adoption (61-Y 32-N)
- **2023-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-03-07** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB2298ER) `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-09** Impact statement from DPB (HB2298ER)
- **2023-03-13** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 13, 2023 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-13** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-26** Approved by Governor-Chapter 611 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-26** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0611)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4910aab9-ce9a-4f62-9bcc-61082129a585`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).