---
type: "Bill"
title: "Allow all law enforcement officers to purchase gun upon retirement"
description: "Allow all law enforcement officers to purchase gun upon retirement"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 3181"
citation: "West Virginia HB 3181 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Public Safety"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Howell, G."]
version_count: 6
action_count: 42
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2025-03-06"
last_action: "2025-07-31"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f03339dc-d382-4db2-b3f0-49fecf3008d4"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=3181&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "57618865318e87d8afb7a16b561cfa2b0ba228e6fa97a0465b21f7ebfb06f598"
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 3181 (2025) — Allow all law enforcement officers to purchase gun upon retirement

## Version chain

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

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb3181%20sub1.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=3181)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb3181%20sub1%20eng.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=3181)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb3181%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=3181)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb3181%20intr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=3181)
5. **hb3181 s gov am _1 4-9 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/com_amends/hb3181%20s%20gov%20am%20_1%204-9%20adopted.htm)
6. **hb3181 sfat rucker _1 4-9 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/hb3181%20sfat%20rucker%20_1%204-9%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Howell, G. — primary (person)
- Heckert — cosponsor (person)
- Kelly — cosponsor (person)
- Linville — cosponsor (person)
- Marple — cosponsor (person)
- Masters — cosponsor (person)
- Phillips — cosponsor (person)
- Pinson — cosponsor (person)
- Ridenour — cosponsor (person)
- Stephens — cosponsor (person)
- Ward — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-03-06** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2025-03-06** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-06** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2025-03-06** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-24** Markup Discussion
- **2025-03-26** By substitute, do pass
- **2025-03-27** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-27** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-03-28** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-28** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-03-31** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-31** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-03-31** Passed House (Roll No. 283) `passage`
- **2025-03-31** Communicated to Senate
- **2025-04-01** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2025-04-01** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-01** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-09** Reported do pass, with amendment `committee-passage`
- **2025-04-09** Immediate consideration
- **2025-04-09** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-04-10** On 2nd reading
- **2025-04-10** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-10** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2025-04-11** On 3rd reading
- **2025-04-11** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-11** Passed Senate (Roll No. 490) `passage`
- **2025-04-11** Title amendment adopted
- **2025-04-11** Senate requests House to concur
- **2025-04-12** House received Senate message
- **2025-04-12** House refused to concur; requested Senate to recede (Voice)
- **2025-04-12** Communicated to Senate
- **2025-04-12** House Message received
- **2025-04-12** Senate receded and passed (Roll No. 592)
- **2025-04-12** Communicated to House
- **2025-04-12** Completed legislative action
- **2025-04-22** To Governor 4/22/2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-12** To Governor 4/22/2025 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-12** To Governor 4/22/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-28** Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-12** Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-12** Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-07-31** Chapter 161, Acts, Regular Session, 2025 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f03339dc-d382-4db2-b3f0-49fecf3008d4`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).