Virginia State Law Summary

Last updated September 20, 2011

In its publication Gun Laws Matter: A Comparison of State Firearms Laws and Statistics, LCAV ranked each state based on a review of state laws in 25 different firearms-related policy areas.  Virginia ranked 16th out of 50 – having enacted a modest number of gun violence prevention laws. Among other things:

• Firearms dealers in Virginia must contact the Department of State Police ("DSP") prior to selling a firearm, and DSP conducts a background check on the firearm purchaser.

• After the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, in which a mentally ill individual killed 32 people and himself with firearms he purchased after passing a background check, Virginia significantly improved its reporting of mental health records to the database used for firearm purchaser background checks.

• Virginia generally limits handgun purchases to one per person in any 30-day period.

• Virginia requires all employees of federally licensed firearms dealers to undergo background checks prior to beginning employment.

• Virginia imposes some regulations on gun shows.

However, Virginia law does not:

• Require a background check prior to the transfer of a firearm between unlicensed individuals;

• Require firearms dealers to obtain a state license;

• Regulate the transfer or possession of 50 caliber rifles or large capacity ammunition magazines;

• Require firearm owners to report lost or stolen firearms;

• Impose a waiting period prior to purchase of a firearm; or

• Regulate unsafe handguns (“junk guns” or “Saturday night specials”).

Virginia also imposes only a few restrictions on assault weapons. Local governments in Virginia generally lack authority to regulate firearms or ammunition, and local courts must issue a concealed handgun permit to any applicant who meets basic qualifications.

According to data published by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Virginia consistently ranks among the top three interstate suppliers of crime guns.  Virginia exports crime guns at a rate more than double the average among the states, and at more than double the rate at which it imports crime guns.

For details about specific firearms laws in Virginia, choose a topic below.

Overview State "Right to Bear Arms" Statistics Local Authority to Regulate Firearms
State Firearms Policies Persons Prohibited from Firearm Possession Prohibited Purchasers Generally Minimum Age to Purchase / Possess Domestic Violence & Firearms Disarming Prohibited Persons Sales & Transfers Background Checks Mental Health Reporting Multiple Purchases / Sales of Firearms Retention of Sales / Background Check Records Waiting Periods Gun Dealers & Other Sellers Dealer Regulations Private Sales Gun Shows Immunity Statutes Gun Owner Responsibilities Licensing of Gun Owners / Purchasers Registration of Firearms Reporting Lost or Stolen Firearms	Firearms in Public Places Concealed Weapons Permitting Open Carrying Location Restrictions Guns in Vehicles Guns in Schools Other Location Restrictions Consumer & Child Safety Design Safety Standards for Handguns Locking Devices Personalized / Owner-Authorized Firearms Child Access Prevention Classes of Weapons / Ammunition Assault Weapons Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines Fifty Caliber Rifles Machine Guns / Automatic Firearms Non-Powder Guns Ammunition Regulation Investigating Gun Crimes Microstamping / Ballistic Identification Trafficking
State Links