Virginia Firearms Laws: Carry, Permits, and 2026 Bans

Virginia firearms laws let any adult who clears a background check buy and carry a gun, but the state layers age limits, permit rules, location bans, and storage duties on top of the federal framework, and several major restrictions took effect in 2026: an assault weapons ban, new rules on unserialized firearms, and a ban on guns at public colleges and universities. The rundown below covers who can own a firearm, how to buy one, where you can carry it, and what recently changed.

Who Can Buy and Possess a Firearm

You must be at least 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun from a licensed dealer and at least 21 to buy a handgun.¹ Federal law then bars several categories of people from possessing any firearm at all: anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison, anyone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor, anyone subject to a qualifying domestic violence protective order, anyone involuntarily committed for mental health treatment, and unlawful users of controlled substances, among others.²

Virginia adds its own layer. Under Virginia Code § 18.2-308.2, anyone convicted of a felony is barred from possessing or transporting a firearm. So are certain juveniles adjudicated delinquent at 14 or older for serious violent offenses, and anyone under 29 adjudicated delinquent for what would have been an adult felony.³ Anyone convicted on or after July 1, 2021 of misdemeanor assault and battery against a family or household member is barred for three years after conviction.

Felon-in-possession is a Class 6 felony, normally punishable by one to five years in prison. The floor rises with your record. A prior violent felony triggers a five-year mandatory minimum. Any other felony within the past 10 years triggers a two-year mandatory minimum. Those minimums run on top of any other sentence.³

Getting Firearm Rights Restored

Rights lost through a felony conviction can be restored, but the process runs in two stages. The Governor must first restore your political rights. Only then can you petition the circuit court where you live or were convicted for a hearing on your firearm rights. The restoration has to be unrestricted; a limited order covering only rifles or shotguns for hunting will not clear you for general possession. Once a court grants full restoration, you are responsible for notifying the Virginia State Police Firearms Transaction Center so their records reflect it.⁴

Buying a Firearm

Every sale through a licensed dealer requires a criminal history check run by the Virginia State Police. The dealer collects a $2 fee from Virginia residents or $5 from non-residents for each transaction that triggers a check.⁵ Buyers present a valid government-issued photo ID confirming Virginia residency. Non-citizens without lawful permanent resident status generally cannot purchase firearms in Virginia, with narrow exceptions.

Private Sales Require a Dealer

Private sales between individuals must go through a licensed dealer for a background check. Seller and buyer bring the firearm to a dealer, who runs the same check used in retail sales. The dealer’s fee for this service is capped at $15, on top of the standard $2 or $5 background check fee. Skipping the dealer is a Class 1 misdemeanor for both parties, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.⁶

One Handgun Per 30 Days

Virginia limits handgun purchases to one within any 30-day window.⁷ Holders of a valid Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit are exempt and may buy multiple handguns without waiting, provided they pass the background check on each purchase.

What Changed in 2026: Assault Weapons and Ghost Guns

Two laws signed in 2026 reshape what you can legally buy, transfer, or possess.

The Assault Weapons Ban

House Bill 217, signed by Governor Spanberger in May 2026, prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, and transfer of assault firearms and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices. A violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and a conviction triggers a three-year ban on purchasing or possessing any firearm. The law exempts antique firearms, permanently inoperable guns, and manually operated firearms like bolt-action and lever-action rifles. Firearms lawfully owned before July 1, 2026 are grandfathered, but transferring them is restricted to sales to licensed dealers, inheritance, repair, and transfers to immediate family. Anyone under 21 is barred from possessing an assault firearm regardless of when it was made.

Unserialized Firearms

House Bill 40, also signed in 2026, targets firearms without serial numbers. Manufacturing or possessing a firearm that cannot be detected by security screening devices, such as a fully 3D-printed plastic gun, is a Class 5 felony. Starting January 1, 2027, selling or transferring any completed or unfinished frame or receiver without a valid serial number becomes a Class 1 misdemeanor, escalating to a Class 4 felony for repeat offenses. On July 1, 2027, simple possession of an unserialized firearm or receiver carries the same penalties.⁸

Open Carry

Virginia is a permissive open carry state. If you can legally possess a firearm, you can carry it openly in most public spaces without any permit. The firearm has to be plainly visible; if it becomes concealed by clothing or an accessory, you risk a concealed weapon charge, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor on a first offense.⁹

One targeted restriction cuts across open carry. In certain designated cities and counties, you cannot carry, in public areas, a loaded semiautomatic rifle or pistol with a magazine over 20 rounds, a silencer-ready or folding-stock configuration, or a shotgun with a magazine holding more than seven rounds. The listed localities are Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, Virginia Beach, and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, and Prince William.¹⁰

Virginia generally preempts local gun regulation, but it carves out exceptions. Localities may ban firearms in government-owned buildings, public parks, recreation and community centers, and on public streets adjacent to permitted events.¹¹ These ordinances vary, so check where you plan to be.

Concealed Handgun Permits

Carrying a concealed handgun legally requires a Concealed Handgun Permit. Virginia residents 21 and older apply through the clerk of the circuit court in their county or city of residence, on the form prescribed by the Virginia State Police. There is no minimum length-of-residency requirement.¹²

You have to show handgun competence through in-person training. Acceptable proof includes a hunter education or safety course, an NRA or USCCA training course, a law enforcement firearms course, participation in organized shooting competition, military service or an honorable discharge, or training from a certified instructor. Once demonstrated, that proof never expires. The court has 45 days to issue the permit or provide a written explanation for denial. A permit lasts five years and must be renewed through a similar application.¹²

Grounds for denial include felony convictions, certain drug offenses, recent DUI convictions, involuntary mental health commitments, and active protective orders. A denial comes with a specific written explanation citing the statutory disqualifier.

Non-Resident Permits

Non-residents 21 and older apply in writing to the Virginia State Police for a five-year non-resident permit. The non-resident process requires fingerprints and a fingerprint-based criminal history check. Online training certificates are not accepted; proof of competence must come from in-person instruction or equivalent experience.¹³

Carrying in a Vehicle

You do not need a concealed handgun permit to carry a handgun in your personal vehicle, so long as the handgun is secured in a container or compartment inside the vehicle. The container does not have to be locked.¹⁴ This applies to residents and to people passing through. A glove box, center console, or a case on the seat all qualify. If the handgun is on your body or tucked next to you without a container, you need a valid permit.

Where Firearms Are Off-Limits

Even with a permit, several places are closed to firearms, and ignorance is not a defense.

K-12 Schools

Possessing a firearm on the property of any public, private, or religious elementary, middle, or high school, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored function is a Class 6 felony carrying one to five years. If you possess a firearm inside a school building and display it in a threatening manner or attempt to use it, the charge carries a mandatory minimum five-year sentence on top of any other sentence.¹⁵

Public Colleges and Universities

Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia bans firearms at public higher education institutions. Only law enforcement officers, ROTC cadets, U.S. military personnel, and individuals in approved institutional programs may carry on campus.¹⁶

Government Buildings and the Capitol

Firearms and explosives are prohibited on Capitol Square grounds, in the State Capitol, and in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or its agencies where state employees work, under Virginia Code § 18.2-283.2.

Airport Terminals

Carrying a firearm into any air carrier airport terminal in Virginia is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and the weapon can be seized and forfeited. Exceptions cover law enforcement and passengers checking a lawful firearm with luggage, retrieving one from baggage claim, or presenting one to customs before an international flight.¹⁷

Polling Places

During elections, it is unlawful to possess any firearm within 40 feet of a polling place while the polls are open, ballots are being counted, or within one hour of opening or closing.¹⁸

Private Property

Property owners and businesses can ban firearms from their premises by posting signs or giving verbal notice. Entering or remaining after being forbidden is trespass under Virginia Code § 18.2-119, a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.¹⁹ Virginia has no firearms-specific signage statute, so ordinary trespass law is what gives “no weapons” signs their teeth.

Self-Defense and Brandishing

Virginia has no codified stand-your-ground or castle doctrine statute. Both principles exist through common law and court decisions, so the rules are less clear-cut than in states with explicit statutes.

The framework turns on fault. If you were completely without fault in bringing on the encounter, Virginia common law does not require you to retreat before using force in self-defense. You can stand your ground and respond with proportional force. If you were even slightly at fault in provoking the situation, the standard shifts to what courts call excusable self-defense: you must retreat as far as possible and clearly communicate your desire for peace before using deadly force.

Deadly force is only justified when you reasonably believe you face an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. Words alone are never enough. The threat has to be immediate and physical, and Virginia courts apply a reasonable person standard, meaning a jury can look past your subjective fear and ask whether that fear was objectively reasonable. Inside your own home, the common-law castle doctrine gives broader protection against intruders, but the response still has to be proportional.

Brandishing

Pointing, holding, or brandishing a firearm in a way that would reasonably make someone fear being shot or injured is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Within 1,000 feet of school property, the charge escalates to a Class 6 felony.²⁰ The statute does not apply to justifiable or excusable self-defense, which is one reason the line between lawful defense and criminal brandishing matters so much in practice.

Safe Storage and Child Access

Virginia imposes two child-access duties. Recklessly leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm where it endangers a child under 14 is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Knowingly allowing a child under 12 to use a firearm without adult supervision is also a Class 1 misdemeanor.²¹ For the supervision exception, the supervising adult must be at least 21 and have permission from the child’s parent or guardian.

Virginia also offers a tax credit for firearm safety devices, including safes, lock boxes, gun cases, and trigger locks bought from a licensed dealer. Individual filers can claim up to $300 per year, and married couples filing jointly can claim up to $600 if each spouse files a separate application. The credit is non-refundable but can carry forward up to five years, and it is available through the 2027 tax year. Applications go to the Virginia Department of Taxation on Form FSD.

Substantial Risk Orders

Virginia’s red flag law lets a prosecutor or law enforcement officer petition a judge for an emergency order temporarily removing firearms from someone who poses a substantial risk of injury to themselves or others. If a judge or magistrate finds probable cause, the emergency order takes effect immediately and prohibits the person from buying, possessing, or transporting any firearm for up to 14 days.²²

Within those 14 days, the circuit court must hold a full hearing. The Commonwealth has to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the person continues to pose a substantial risk. If the court agrees, it can issue a standard substantial risk order lasting up to 180 days, during which the person must surrender all firearms to law enforcement.²³ Violating any term of the order is a Class 1 misdemeanor.¹⁹

Reciprocity and Interstate Travel

Virginia recognizes concealed handgun permits issued by every other state that has a permit system. The reverse is not automatic. Many states do not honor a Virginia permit, and the Virginia State Police advises contacting any state you plan to visit or drive through to verify whether your Virginia permit is recognized.²⁴

If you hold an out-of-state concealed carry permit and want to carry in Virginia, you must be at least 21, carry a valid government-issued photo ID, present both the permit and the ID to any law enforcement officer on request, and not have previously had a Virginia permit revoked.²⁴

1
Virginia State Police. Firearms/Concealed Weapons FAQ
2
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
3
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.2 – Possession or Transportation of Firearms by Convicted Felons
4
Virginia State Police. Restoration of Firearm Rights
5
Virginia State Police. Virginia Firearms Transaction Program
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.2:5 – Criminal History Record Information Check Required for Private Sales
7
Virginia Code Commission. 19VAC30-101-30 – Application for Multiple Handgun Purchase
8
Virginia State Legislative Information System. HB40 – 2026 Regular Session
9
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308 – Carrying Concealed Weapons
10
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-287.4 – Carrying Loaded Firearms in Public Areas Prohibited
11
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-915 – Control of Firearms; Applicability to Authorities and Local Governmental Agencies
12
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.02 – Application for a Concealed Handgun Permit
13
Virginia State Police. Nonresident Concealed Handgun Permits
14
Virginia State Police. Transporting Firearms Through Virginia
15
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.1 – Possession of Firearm on School Property
16
Virginia State Legislative Information System. HB626 – 2026 Regular Session
17
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-287.01 – Carrying Weapon in Air Carrier Airport Terminal
18
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 24.2-604 – Polling Places; Prohibited Activities
19
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-11 – Punishment for Conviction of Misdemeanor
20
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-282 – Pointing, Holding, or Brandishing Firearm
21
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-56.2 – Allowing Access to Firearms by Children
22
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.13 – Emergency Substantial Risk Order
23
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.14 – Substantial Risk Order
24
Virginia State Police. Reciprocity and Recognition