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HB 534UTAHSession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Utah grants government entities and firearm possessors immunity from liability for certain firearm discharges on public property

Original title: Firearm Immunity Amendments

Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsors: Ken Ivory and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Utah shields government entities, officers, and employees from civil lawsuits for injuries resulting from lawful firearm discharges on government-owned or controlled property. The bill also expands liability protections to include legal entities and non-private property agreements, with an effective date of May 6, 2026.

Why it matters

Residents injured on public property where firearms are lawfully allowed cannot sue the government or s unless officials actively encouraged an unlawful discharge.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Governmental entities

Government bodies and their employees gain immunity from lawsuits arising from lawful firearm discharges permitted on public properties.

Directly affected

Firearm possessors

Individuals lawfully carrying firearms on public or leased property operate under expanded liability protections for property owners and governmental entities.

Directly affected

Property occupants and tenants

Legal entities and occupants holding property rights under agreements gain civil and criminal liability protections regarding firearm discharges on their premises.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sue a government entity if someone discharges a firearm lawfully on public property and causes injury?
No. The bill grants governmental entities, officers, and employees immunity from suit for injuries resulting from a lawful firearm discharge on property owned, leased, or controlled by the government, unless officials encouraged an unlawful discharge.
Who qualifies as a protected property occupant under this bill?
The bill expands the definition of to include any legal entity that has the right to occupy property under an agreement, removing the prior requirement that the property be privately owned.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · on the Senate floor.

Procedural history

32 actions
  1. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ filed
  2. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  3. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House
  4. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ strike enacting clause
  5. Mar 4, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
  6. Mar 2, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
Show 26 earlier actions
  1. Mar 2, 2026Senate
    Senate/ committee report favorable
  2. Feb 27, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  3. Feb 26, 2026SenateCommittee
    Senate/ to standing committee
  4. Feb 25, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  5. Feb 24, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  6. Feb 24, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  7. Feb 24, 2026HouseFloor
    House/ passed 3rd reading
  8. Feb 24, 2026House
    House/ substituted
  9. Feb 24, 2026House
    House/ 3rd reading
  10. Feb 21, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0534S01
  11. Feb 21, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0534S01
  12. Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0534S01
  13. Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0534S01
  14. Feb 18, 2026House
    House/ 2nd reading
  15. Feb 18, 2026House
    House/ committee report favorable
  16. Feb 18, 2026House
    House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  17. Feb 13, 2026HouseCommittee
    House/ to standing committee
  18. Feb 13, 2026House
    House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
  19. Feb 12, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0534
  20. Feb 12, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0534
  21. Feb 10, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  22. Feb 10, 2026House
    House/ received bill from Legislative Research
  23. Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0534
  24. Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0534
  25. Feb 10, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  26. Feb 10, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill Numbered but not Distributed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Ken IvoryHouse · District 39RepublicanPrimary sponsor
David HinkinsSenate · District 26RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Expansion of Governmental Liability Protections

The bill broadens existing state governmental immunity to explicitly encompass injuries resulting from lawful firearm discharges on public properties.

Ken IvoryDavid P. Hinkins

Connected Entities

Department of Environmental Quality, Utah National Guard, Ken Ivory and 2 more
OrganizationDepartment of Environmental Quality“Issues certificates of completion and administrative letters for voluntary clean”Map →
OrganizationUtah National Guard“Activities are exempted under governmental immunity provisions”Map →
PersonKen Ivory“Chief Sponsor of HB 534 in the Utah House of Representatives”Map →
OrganizationInsurance Department“Grants immunity from suit related to wildland urban interface property evaluatio”Map →
PersonDavid P. Hinkins“Senate Sponsor of HB 534”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
  • Controversy65
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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