Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to securing firearms and establishing a private cause of action and including applicability provisions
Sponsored by Sen. Molly Donahue (D), Sen. Art Staed (D)
Topics:Courts & civil lawFirearms
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 27, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 28, 2026
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary If a person fails to properly secure their gun and it is later used by someone else to commit a crime, the victim can sue the gun owner in court. Owners can defend themselves in these lawsuits if their gun was stolen and they reported the theft to the police before the crime happened. These new rules would apply to incidents occurring on or after July 1, 2026.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to securing firearms and establishing a private cause of action. Under the bill, if a firearm owner fails to secure their firearm against theft, or against the acquisition or use by an unauthorized person, and as a result the firearm is later used to commit a criminal offense by a third party, any person harmed by that offense may bring a civil action against the firearm owner. The bill provides that a firearm owner has an affirmative defense if the firearm was stolen and the theft was reported to law enforcement before the criminal offense occurred. The bill applies to causes of action that arise on or after July 1, 2026.
Senate subcommittee
Named January 28, 2026. It hasn’t reported yet.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part