13100699D 
HOUSE BILL NO. 1506
Offered January 9, 2013
Prefiled January 3, 2013
A BILL to amend and reenact §59.1-148.3 of the Code of 
 Virginia, relating to purchase of service handguns by certain officers; minimum 
 years of service.
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Patron-- Lewis
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Referred to Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 
 
 
1.  That §59.1-148.3 of the Code of Virginia is amended 
 and reenacted as follows: 
 
 
§59.1-148.3. Purchase of handguns of certain officers.  
 
 
A. The Department of State Police, the Department of Game and 
 Inland Fisheries, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the State 
 Lottery Department, the Marine Resources Commission, the Capitol Police, the 
 Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Forestry, any 
 sheriff, any regional jail board or authority and any local police department 
 may allow any full-time sworn law-enforcement officer, deputy, or regional jail 
 officer, a local fire department may allow any full-time sworn fire marshal, 
 the Department of Motor Vehicles may allow any law-enforcement officer, and any 
 institution of higher learning named in §23-14 may allow any campus police 
 officer appointed pursuant to Chapter 17 (§23-232 et seq.) of Title 23, 
 retiring on or after July 1, 1991, who retires (i) after at least 15 10 years of service, (ii) at 70 
 years of age or older after at 
 least 10 years of service, or (iii) as a result of a 
 service-incurred disability or who is receiving long-term disability payments 
 for a service-incurred disability with no expectation of returning to the employment 
 where he incurred the disability to purchase the service handgun issued or 
 previously issued to him by the agency or institution at a price of $1. If the 
 previously issued weapon is no longer available, a weapon of like kind may be 
 substituted for that weapon. This privilege shall also extend to any former 
 Superintendent of the Department of State Police who leaves service after a 
 minimum of five years. This privilege shall also extend to any person listed in 
 this subsection who is eligible for retirement with at least 15 10 years of service who resigns 
 on or after July 1, 1991, in good standing from one of the agencies listed above in 
 this section to accept a position covered by the Virginia 
 Retirement System. Other weapons issued by the Department of State Police for 
 personal duty use of an officer, may, with approval of the Superintendent, be 
 sold to the officer subject to the qualifications of this section at a fair 
 market price determined as in subsection B, so long as the weapon is a type and 
 configuration that can be purchased at a regular hardware or sporting goods 
 store by a private citizen without restrictions other than the instant 
 background check.  
 
 
B. The agencies listed in subsection A may 
 allow any full-time sworn law-enforcement officer who retires with 10 5 or 
 more years of service, but less than 15 10, to purchase the service handgun 
 issued to him by the agency at a price equivalent to the weapon's fair market 
 value on the date of the officer's retirement. Any full-time sworn 
 law-enforcement officer employed by any of the agencies listed in subsection A 
 who is retired for disability as a result of a nonservice-incurred disability 
 may purchase the service handgun issued to him by the agency at a price 
 equivalent to the weapon's fair market value on the date of the officer's 
 retirement. Determinations of fair market value may be made by reference to a 
 recognized pricing guide.  
 
 
C. The agencies listed in subsection A may allow the immediate 
 survivor of any full-time sworn law-enforcement officer (i) who is killed in 
 the line of duty or (ii) who dies in service and has at least 15 10 years of service to purchase 
 the service handgun issued to the officer by the agency at a price of $1.  
 
 
D. The governing board of any institution of higher learning 
 named in §23-14 may allow any campus police officer appointed pursuant to 
 Chapter 17 (§23-232 et seq.) of Title 23 who retires on or after July 1, 1991, 
 to purchase the service handgun issued to him at a price equivalent to the 
 weapon's fair market value on the date of the officer's retirement. 
 Determinations of fair market value may be made by reference to a recognized 
 pricing guide.  
 
 
E. Any officer who at the time of his retirement is a 
 full-time sworn law-enforcement officer with a state agency listed in 
 subsection A, when the agency allows purchases of service handguns, and who 
 retires after 15 10 years of state service, even 
 if a portion of his service was with another state agency, may purchase the 
 service handgun issued to him by the agency from which he retires at a price of 
 $1.  
 
 
F. The sheriff of Hanover County may allow any auxiliary or 
 volunteer deputy sheriff with a minimum of 15 10 years of service, upon 
 leaving office, to purchase for $1 the service handgun issued to him.  
 
 
G. Any sheriff or local police department, in accordance with 
 written authorization or approval from the local governing body, may allow any 
 auxiliary law-enforcement officer with more than 15 10 years of service to purchase 
 the service handgun issued to him by the agency at a price that is equivalent 
 to or less than the weapon's fair market value on the date of purchase by the 
 officer.  
 
 
H. The agencies listed in subsection A may allow any full-time 
 sworn law-enforcement officer currently employed by the agency to purchase his 
 service handgun, with the approval of the chief law-enforcement officer of the 
 agency, at a fair market price. This subsection shall only apply when the 
 agency has purchased new service handguns for its officers, and the handgun 
 subject to the sale is no longer used by the agency or officer in the course of 
 duty.  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
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