---
type: "Bill"
title: "Retail Sales and Use Tax; exemption for certain gun safes."
description: "Sales tax exemption; gun safes. Establishes an exemption from retail sales tax for a gun safe with a selling price of $1,500 or less. The bill defines \"gun safe\" as a safe or vault that is (i) commercially available, (ii) secured with a digital or dial combination locking mechanism or biometric locking mechanism, and (iii) designed for the storage of a firearm or of ammunition for use in a firearm. Under the bill, \"gun safe\" does not include a glass-faced cabinet. This bill is identical to SB 268."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 888"
citation: "Virginia HB 888 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Eileen Filler-Corn"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 38
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2020-01-07"
last_action: "2020-03-27"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/53888d7c-0416-4ada-bc91-11937d4492f3"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB888"
source_hash: "77c14fb3a9c85eec553bfe0e397ec9990efd32995fcc245acd2e69beb70a5925"
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 888 (2020) — Retail Sales and Use Tax; exemption for certain gun safes.

Sales tax exemption; gun safes. Establishes an exemption from retail sales tax for a gun safe with a selling price of $1,500 or less. The bill defines "gun safe" as a safe or vault that is (i) commercially available, (ii) secured with a digital or dial combination locking mechanism or biometric locking mechanism, and (iii) designed for the storage of a firearm or of ammunition for use in a firearm. Under the bill, "gun safe" does not include a glass-faced cabinet. This bill is identical to SB 268.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0507)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0507)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB888ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB888ER)
3. **Impact statement from TAX (HB888)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB888)

## Votes

- Passed Senate with amendment (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 99-N) — **0–98** (fail) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N) — **6–2** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations with amendment (16-Y 0-N) — **16–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (98-Y 1-N) — **97–1** (pass) · lower
- Senate insisted on amendment (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (98-Y 1-N) — **97–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Eileen Filler-Corn — primary (person)
- Chris L. Hurst — cosponsor (person)
- Karrie K. Delaney — cosponsor (person)
- Kathleen Murphy — cosponsor (person)
- Mark H. Levine — cosponsor (person)
- Mark L. Keam — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-07** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102042D `introduction`
- **2020-01-07** Referred to Committee on Finance `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-16** Impact statement from TAX (HB888)
- **2020-01-29** Assigned Finance sub: Subcommittee #3 `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-31** Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
- **2020-02-05** Reported from Finance (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-06** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-07** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2020-02-10** Read third time and passed House (98-Y 1-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-10** VOTE: Passage (98-Y 1-N)
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-11** Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-19** Reported from Finance and Appropriations with amendment (16-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-20** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-21** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-21** Reading of amendment waived
- **2020-02-21** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2020-02-21** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2020-02-21** Passed Senate with amendment (38-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-25** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-25** Senate amendment rejected by House (0-Y 99-N)
- **2020-02-25** VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 99-N)
- **2020-02-26** Senate insisted on amendment (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-26** Senate requested conference committee
- **2020-02-26** House acceded to request
- **2020-02-26** Conferees appointed by House
- **2020-02-27** Conferees appointed by Senate
- **2020-03-02** Amended by conference committee
- **2020-03-02** Conference report agreed to by House (98-Y 1-N)
- **2020-03-02** VOTE: Adoption (98-Y 1-N)
- **2020-03-03** Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-06** Enrolled
- **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
- **2020-03-16** Impact statement from TAX (HB888ER)
- **2020-03-27** Approved by Governor-Chapter 507 (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/53888d7c-0416-4ada-bc91-11937d4492f3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).