What new laws are in place around guns in Virginia?

As of July 1, many of the bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by Governor Spanberger are now law and in effect. Here’s a run down of some that you might hear about or be impacted by:

• If you have a minor or a person who is not allowed to possess a gun in your home, you need to lock up your gun when it is not on your person.

• Handguns left in an unattended vehicle in a public space must be stored in a locked, hard-sided container.

• Public School Boards must alert guardians of their responsibility to lock up guns and prescription medication.

• It will be easier to have the state police destroy a gun you no longer want. Contact your regional division headquarters to learn if they are participating in the new program.

• A Substantial Risk Order (SRO) is commonly known as a Red Flag law. This law helps to temporarily seize firearms from someone who is a threat to themselves or others.

  • Family/household members and certain licensed mental health practitioners can now petition the courts to put an SPO in place.

  • K-12 and higher ed school's threat assessment teams will now receive training on what SPO’s are and how they can be used.

  • Intimate partner, or dating relationships, are now included in the definition of domestic violence and firearms prohibitions are applicable.

  • There is now a clearer process to separate a person from their firearm if they’ve been convicted of a domestic violence offense or are subject to a protective order.

  • The Department of State Police will publish a publicly available, monthly report by locality of anonymized SROs.

• Persons convicted of a hate crime will be prohibited from owning a gun.

• Weapons are prohibited in any facility that provides mental health services or emergency medical care.

• Firearms are prohibited within 100 feet (was 40) of a polling place, an election results meeting location, or an election recount location.

• Visitors wishing to carry concealed handguns in Virginia need to meet the same level of safety requirements that we require of our state’s residents.

*The assault weapons sale ban is currently not enforceable law due to an injunction by the courts. The ban on public carry of assault weapons won’t go into effect until July 1, 2027.

**The above information should not be construed as legal advice. Please consult a legal professional when looking to determine the legality of an action.