2025 SESSION

HOUSE SUBSTITUTE

25107005D

SENATE BILL NO. 1271

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the House Committee for Courts of Justice

on February 10, 2025)

(Patron Prior to Substitute—Senator Perry)

A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-83 of the Code of Virginia, relating to threats to discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation; penalties.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 18.2-83 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 18.2-83. Threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.; punishment; venue.

A. Any person (i) who makes and communicates to another by any means any threat to bomb, burn, destroy, discharge a firearm within or at, or in any manner damage any place of assembly, building or other structure, or any means of transportation, or (ii) who communicates to another, by any means, information, knowing the same to be false, as to the existence of any peril of bombing, burning, destruction, discharging of a firearm within or at, or damage to any such place of assembly, building or other structure, or any means of transportation, is guilty of a Class 5 felony, provided, however, that if such person is under 15 18 years of age, he is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

B. A violation of this section may be prosecuted either in the jurisdiction from which the communication was made or in the jurisdiction where the communication was received.

2. That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment. Pursuant to § 30-19.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities; therefore, Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly of 2024, Special Session I, requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to assign a minimum fiscal impact of $50,000. Pursuant to § 30-19.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.