---
type: "Bill"
title: "Authorizing certain first responders to carry firearms"
description: "Authorizing certain first responders to carry firearms"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2018"
identifier: "HB 2916"
citation: "West Virginia HB 2916 (2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Counties", "Magistrates"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Pethtel"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 44
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2018-01-10"
last_action: "2018-04-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/496c2e66-f833-4271-ad03-7b53e39bc15a"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=2916&year=2018&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "255e431693d2288c739fc373e81815fb409b92053b8e233a53c0496b0e77ef27"
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-wv"]
---

# West Virginia HB 2916 (2018) — Authorizing certain first responders to carry firearms

## Version chain

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

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2916%20SUB.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=2916)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2916%20SUB%20ENG.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=2916)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2916%20SUB%20ENR.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=2916)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2916%20intr.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=2916)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · legislature
- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **79–12** (pass) · legislature
- PASSAGE — **96–0** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- Pethtel — primary (person)
- Hanshaw — cosponsor (person)
- Lovejoy — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2018-01-10** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2018-01-10** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-10** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2018-01-10** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-22** By substitute, do pass
- **2018-01-23** On 1st reading, House Calendar
- **2018-01-23** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2018-01-24** On 2nd reading, House Calendar
- **2018-01-24** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2018-01-24** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2018-01-25** On 3rd reading, House Calendar
- **2018-01-25** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2018-01-25** Passed House (Roll No. 13) `passage`
- **2018-01-25** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2018-01-25** Communicated to Senate
- **2018-01-26** House Message received
- **2018-01-26** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2018-01-26** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-26** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-02-27** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2018-02-28** On 1st reading
- **2018-02-28** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2018-03-01** On 2nd reading
- **2018-03-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2018-03-01** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2018-03-02** On 3rd reading
- **2018-03-02** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2018-03-02** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 282) `passage`
- **2018-03-02** Senate requests House to concur
- **2018-03-09** House received Senate message
- **2018-03-09** House concurred in Senate amend with title amend, passed (Roll No. 434)
- **2018-03-09** Communicated to Senate
- **2018-03-10** House Message received
- **2018-03-10** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 498)
- **2018-03-10** Communicated to House
- **2018-03-10** Completed legislative action
- **2018-03-10** House received Senate message
- **2018-03-21** To Governor 3/21/18 `executive-receipt`
- **2018-03-10** To Governor 3/21/18 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2018-03-10** To Governor 3/21/18 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2018-03-10** Approved by Governor 3/27/18 - House Journal
- **2018-03-27** Approved by Governor 3/27/18 `executive-signature`
- **2018-03-10** Approved by Governor 3/27/18 - Senate Journal
- **2018-04-16** Chapter 214, Acts, Regular Session, 2018

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/496c2e66-f833-4271-ad03-7b53e39bc15a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).