---
type: "Bill"
title: "Slingbow hunting; authorizes use to hunt small and big game."
description: "Authorizes the use of a slingbow to hunt deer and small game when a hunter is licensed to hunt with a bow and arrow."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2017"
identifier: "HB 1938"
citation: "Virginia HB 1938 (2017)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Counties", "Cities and Towns", "Game", "Inland Fisheries and Boating", "Hunting Laws and Permits"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["James E. Edmunds, II"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 18
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2017-01-10"
last_action: "2017-03-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c11c0281-5bca-4b60-9e5c-7e3c5c3ad80f"
source_url: "http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+sum+HB1938"
source_hash: "53482ca19e47ac04b75c7b88dd3e1d3d03f91798d490c76c6b276d3592acdd71"
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 1938 (2017) — Slingbow hunting; authorizes use to hunt small and big game.

Authorizes the use of a slingbow to hunt deer and small game when a hunter is licensed to hunt with a bow and arrow.

## Version chain

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

1. **Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0530)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+CHAP0530)
2. **House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1938ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+HB1938ER)
3. **House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103783D** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+HB1938)
4. **House: Printed as engrossed 17103783D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+HB1938E)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed — **40–0** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources — **13–0** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment — **19–2** (pass) · legislature
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment — **8–0** (pass) · legislature
- Passed Senate — **36–4** (pass) · legislature
- Read third time and passed House — **94–3** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- James E. Edmunds, II — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2017-01-10** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103783D `introduction`
- **2017-01-10** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2017-01-16** Assigned ACNR sub: Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-02** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2017-02-03** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-02-03** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2017-02-03** Engrossed by House as amended HB1938E
- **2017-02-03** Printed as engrossed 17103783D-E
- **2017-02-06** Read third time and passed House (94-Y 3-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2017-02-07** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2017-02-07** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-21** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2017-02-24** Enrolled
- **2017-02-24** Signed by Speaker
- **2017-02-24** Signed by President
- **2017-02-28** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on 2/28/17
- **2017-02-28** Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
- **2017-03-16** Approved by Governor-Chapter 530 (effective 7/1/17) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c11c0281-5bca-4b60-9e5c-7e3c5c3ad80f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).