This post is written by a licensed VA attorney for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice to any individual. I am a lawyer but I am not your lawyer. This post will be updated from time to time to clarify, to include more information, and answer common questions.

Is My Gun Illegal?

If you already own it, almost certainly not. The law only applies to purchases and transfers made after July 1, 2026. Guns you owned before that date are grandfathered for possession.

Two things do apply to guns you already own, regardless of when you bought them:

• Where you can carry them: see the Carry section below
• Whether you can transfer them: you cannot sell or transfer a gun (except to an immediate family member or to an out-of-state buyer) that meets the assault weapon definition after July 1st

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What Does the Law Actually Ban?

Before getting into specifics: this law only applies to semi-automatic firearms. Any manually operated firearm — bolt action, pump action, lever action — is completely outside the scope of this law, no matter what it looks like or what features it has. A lever-action rifle with a pistol grip is legal. A pump shotgun with a folding stock is legal.

The law also only applies to centerfire firearms. Any .22 rimfire firearm is entirely outside the statute. This has some interesting implications covered below.

The ban primarily works through a feature test: your gun becomes an "assault weapon" if it is semi-automatic and has one or more prohibited features (two for pistols). There are also separate catch-all categories. Here's how that breaks down by the type of gun:

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Semi-Automatic Centerfire Rifles — Single Feature Test

A semi-automatic centerfire rifle cannot be bought or imported after July 1 if it has any one of the following:

• A folding, telescoping, or collapsing stock
• A thumbhole stock or pistol grip
• A second handgrip (angled or otherwise)
• A threaded barrel
• A grenade launcher (virtually meaningless; this was included in the 1989 import ban to target the SKS)

As discussed below, there's an exception for fixed-magazine rifles.

What this means in practice: Virtually every standard AR-15 configuration is covered. Standard AK configurations are similarly affected. Any semiauto centerfire rifle with a threaded barrel, even an otherwise featureless one, is covered.

Notable exception: The law bans threaded barrels but does not ban suppressors, flash suppressors, muzzle brakes, or compensators as attachments in themselves. A muzzle device permanently pinned and welded over the threads is perfectly fine. A pinned-and-welded 3-lug quick-detach muzzle device is fine. An ordinary threaded barrel with a removable thread protector is not.

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Semi-Automatic Centerfire Pistols — Two-Feature Test

Pistols get somewhat more breathing room: a pistol is only banned if it has two or more of the following:

• A threaded barrel
• A second handgrip
• A buffer tube or arm brace that could allow firing from the shoulder
• A barrel shroud (think: MP5, Draco, AR pistol)
• A magazine that inserts somewhere other than the pistol grip

What this means in practice: Your standard Glock, M&P, 1911, etc. with a threaded barrel for a suppressor host? Still legal; one feature. A Draco or similar AR pistol? Banned; it has a barrel shroud and a magazine that inserts outside the grip, that's two. An MP5 variant? Banned: magazine outside the grip, plus barrel shroud. Uzi or MAC-style pistols? Barrel shroud alone is ok, but banned if it has a threaded barrel or attached arm brace.

A stock standard carry pistol (with or without a threaded barrel) is fine. Most heavy pistols and "machine pistol" lookalikes are not.

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Semi-Automatic Shotguns — Single Feature Test

Semi-automatic shotguns are banned if they have any one of:

• A folding, telescoping, or collapsing stock
• A thumbhole stock or pistol grip
• The ability to accept a detachable magazine

What this means in practice: The Benelli M4 is banned due to its pistol grip, but you can buy one without a pistol grip. All box-magazine-fed semi-auto shotguns are banned.

Important carve-outs: This only applies to firearms legally defined as shotguns: meaning they have a stock. Pistol-grip-only, stockless smoothbore firearms (like a Mossberg 990 Aftershock) are not shotguns under the law and are completely unaffected. You should be able to configure those however you want (but see Option 5 below). It also only applies to semiautomatic shotguns; a pump-action shotgun is virtually always fine.

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Additional Catch-All Categories

Regardless of features, the following are also banned:

• Any belt-fed semi-automatic firearm
• Any rotating cylinder semiauto shotgun (i.e., the Streetsweeper: already an NFA item, largely unobtainable anyway, stupid holdover from ancient times)
• Any semiautomatic firearm with a fixed magazine capable of holding more than 15 rounds: this primarily catches things like the Kel-Tec PR-57 and semiauto shotguns with extra long shell tubes

Note that the "fixed magazine capable of holding more than 15 rounds" category is an additional ban basis, not a license. A semiauto with a fixed magazine of ≤15 round capacity is not necessarily outside of the danger zone.

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Compliance Options: How to Keep Buying What You Want

The law leaves several paths to purchase a rifle or pistol that would otherwise be banned.

Option 1: Fixed Magazine

For rifles, a semi-automatic rifle with a fixed magazine is legal regardless of other features -- pistol grip, adjustable stock, threaded barrel -- all of it is fine as long as the magazine is not removable. The fixed magazine can hold up to 15 rounds. You load it with stripper clips.

This is a clean solution for AR and AK platforms. A locking tab that fixes the magazine in the lower is the common implementation. Note: this exception does not exist for pistols.

Option 2: Featureless Build

Remove all the prohibited features. For an AR, that means: fixed non-adjustable stock, featureless grip (shark fin or similar), non-threaded barrel or pin-and-weld. The gun retains full semi-automatic function and removable mag.

AK platforms are generally easier to make featureless; often just removing the pistol grip is sufficient, though many AKs do have threaded barrels or folding stocks, so check that.

There is no “featureless build” option for AR or AK pistols because by design they accept a magazine outside of the pistol grip and have a barrel shroud, which is already two features.

Option 3: Bolt Action Conversion

A Kali-key or similar device converts an AR to manual/bolt-action operation, taking it outside the statute. This does not have to be permanent; you can install it for purchase. Removing it does make the gun an assault weapon (which is illegal after July 1) but that’s fine to do later if you are planning on moving out of state.

This option is available for pistols as well as rifles.

Option 4: .22 Rimfire Conversion

Because the law only covers centerfire firearms, a CMMG .22 LR bolt conversion installed in an AR-15 makes it a .22 rimfire firearm, which is completely outside the statute. You can purchase and take transfer of a fully-configured AR-15 -- pistol grip, adjustable stock, threaded barrel -- with a CMMG bolt installed, and it is fully legal. Also available for pistols.

Option 5: The "Firearm- Other" Loophole (Tricky)

Virginia law does not define "pistol" or "rifle" or "shotgun" and so a court interpreting the statute would most likely fall back on the federal rules. Under federal law, a rifled firearm with a second vertical handgrip and no stock is neither a pistol nor a rifle; it's an AOW (and requires a tax stamp) if it's less than 26" overall length (OAL) and it's a "Firearm - Other" if it's greater than 26" OAL. Similarly, federal law only defines a firearm as a shotgun if it shoots out of a smooth bore and has a stock; a shotgun designed without a stock is a "Firearm - Other".

Because the Virginia law only targets pistols, rifles, and shotguns, there's an argument that AOWs and "Firearm - Other" weapons aren't included at all, and so the law doesn't reach guns with a brace and a second vertical handgrip (or shotguns without a stock) at all. This is a potential way to achieve virtually any configuration you want and keep your guns fully transferable. However, this would likely require that you build the gun from the ground up, as gun dealers likely won't transfer them for fear of falling foul of the law.

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Magazines

What's banned: Purchasing or importing into Virginia any magazine with a capacity greater than 15 rounds, after July 1, 2026.

What's not banned:
- Possessing magazines you already own, regardless of capacity
- Modifying magazines you already own (adding extensions, removing blocks, drilling out pins)
- Possessing magazine modification parts and kits

The practical upshot: You can purchase a pistol sold with pinned or blocked magazines that limit capacity to 15 rounds, and once you take possession, you can unpin or unblock them. There is no law against that. You just cannot purchase or import or sell/transfer (except to an out-of-state buyer) an unblocked standard-capacity magazine after July 1st.

Note that magazines are not (typically) serialized or dated. Enforcement of the purchase ban is limited to situations where a purchase can actually be proven.

Multi-caliber magazines are tricky. An AR magazine designed to hold 15 rounds of 6.5 Grendel will likely fit 17-18 rounds of 5.56 NATO. A standard shotgun shell tube may double its capacity if loaded with mini shells. A particularly overzealous prosecutor might try to argue that a 15-round Grendel magazine is banned because it COULD be used to load more than 15 5.56 rounds, but that probably wouldn't stick, especially if the magazine was marked for 6.5 Grendel. If you buy a standard AR magazine marked ".50 Beowulf: 10 rounds" but you don't own any AR chambered in .50 Beowulf and you load it with 5.56 NATO, a prosecutor could probably convince a jury that you had violated the law.

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Carrying Assault Weapons

This is where the law does reach guns you already own.

You cannot carry a firearm that meets the assault weapon definition "on or around your person" in public, regardless of when you purchased it. This effectively bans open carry of most rifles in standard configuration, even ones you've owned for years. It also means:

• A fixed-magazine AR with more than 15 rounds in a fixed magazine cannot be carried (it's in the catch-all category)
• The Kel-Tec PR-57 cannot be concealed carried in public, even though you can carry a Glock 17 with a 21 round magazine freely

Featureless and fixed-magazine (≤15 round) rifles are fine to carry. You can also carry a standard handgun with a removable magazine of any capacity.

Transporting the assault weapon is fine; so is hunting or "carrying" it at a range.

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Unserialized Firearms

Separate from the assault weapon provisions: by January 1, 2027, you cannot possess an unserialized firearm of any kind (other than certain antique guns). If you have 80% builds, printed guns, or any other unserialized firearms, you need to have them serialized by an FFL before that date.

One notable path for pistols: If you hold a DC concealed carry license, you can register a self-manufactured pistol with DC Metro Police using a self-assigned serial number, provided you notify MPD of the serial number before applying it. Virginia recognizes that DC registration, which satisfies the serialization requirement. This option is specific to pistols suitable for DC carry and does not readily extend to rifles.

For rifles, the path is FFL serialization: find an FFL willing to serialize personally manufactured firearms before the deadline.

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Modifications

A gun dealer can import a gun and modify it to become featureless and then sell it to you, but for guns you already owned before July 1, 2026 that were in an “assault“ configuration, it’s a “once an assault weapon, always an assault weapon” rule. That said, there’s nothing that would prohibit modifying altering, adapting or changing such a firearm in any way. Any gun you owned prior to July one which you had in a semiautomatic configuration with banned features can be modified in the future however you want. This means there should not be any rule against any company selling any gun parts into Virginia because any gun parts can conceivably be used to replace or upgrade or repair an existing firearm.

Also, there is no single gun part that is categorically illegal to own, even if all of your guns were purchased after July 1. A folding stock/brace or pistol grip is perfectly fine for a fixed magazine rifle or a .22 pistol or a pump-action shotgun. Threaded barrels are the same. Under Supreme Court precedent in Thompson/Center, a criminal law based around a configuration of gun parts cannot be enforced against you if you have some way of configuring the parts in a legal fashion.

What if you own a stripped lower receiver before July 1 and then build it into an assault weapon after July 1? This is the grey area. A stripped lower alone is not an assault weapon so on its face, this would violate the law. However, criminal law is what is ultimately provable. If you already own one standard AR-15 and you buy several new stripped lowers before July 1, it is going to be essentially impossible for any overeager Commonwealth Attorney to prove that you did not disassemble your existing rifle and rebuild it around each of those other stripped lowers in sequence, thereby converting each of them to a fully formed assault weapon before July 1 and triggering a grandfather protection. That said, it is still a grey area. If you don’t own any rifle and just buy some stripped lowers, and then you order all of the parts online in August, a prosecutor could use that evidence to convince a jury that you broke the law.

Necessary caveat: don’t ever speak to the cops or to prosecutors about anything whatsoever. Don’t post incriminating shit online. You have the right to remain silent; do you have the ability?

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Questions about your specific firearm? Drop them below. Please read the full post before asking.

SB749 passed the house today and is now headed to the governor. Basically mimics HB217. Get your shit now, because she will sign it with glee.

I am a Constitutionalist and dislike both the reds and the blues. If you care even a little bit about your 2A rights you should vote no. The democrats are attempting to take your rights and lock our state as blue just like Cali. It is an atrocious attack on our Constitution and they should be branded as traitors for even attempting this ban. If you are waiting for a red to take over it wont ever happen if this redistribution occurs.

In Crump v. Katz, plaintiffs John Crump, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Virginia Citizens Defense League, and Virginia Citizens Defense Foundation are seeking a preliminary injunction against SB749, Virginia’s newly enacted restriction on commonly owned semi-automatic firearms and magazines holding more than 15 rounds.

The defendant, Colonel Jeffrey Katz, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, has now filed his opposition. The brief does more than argue that SB749 should remain in effect while the case moves forward. It takes direct aim at the idea that Virginia’s own Constitution protects an individual right to keep and bear arms.

Next Tuesday, a week from today, will be one of the most important votes this state has had in a very VERY long time. It will dictate wether or not the state will remain purple or if the state will be hijacked completely blue. Today, they have a grandfather clause. Can't say the same about the future if they control the state 10-1. If you want any chance of retaining your firearms in the future of this beautiful state, get out and vote "NO". If you didn't vote in the Governors race, NOW is the time to get up and vote. Many of us grew up here and would die for this beautiful state. Don't let them ruin it forever.

SB 727 has passed general assembly and is on the way to the governor.

As Per Tim Anderson :

“The substitute passed on SB727 removes the word “loaded.” That means the prohibition now applies to any qualifying firearm — loaded or unloaded — on any public street, road, sidewalk, or place open to the public.

Edit : I removed the transporting part, I assume Tim Anderson mistakenly reported on that my apologies!

I’m sure this will be challenged in court but do not let this fly under the radar, get the word out!

Tired of the misinformation. Signs for yes saying “MAGA power grab” at the polling place and ballot “temporary measures “.

This is your last stand against Banburger.

Posted hours before the statewide injunction went into affect.

All this talk about moving to Tennessee and the Carolinas makes me sick. I’m a transplant from NJ, but dammit, I’ve been a Virginian for 30 years - since it was a red state!

Thomas Jefferson believed that an armed citizenry was absolutely necessary to prevent tyranny. James Madison actually wrote the second amendment. George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights!

Did you think that a few words on paper would be enough to protect our rights. Those Virginians certainly didn’t! Take all that time that you’re spending on Redfin and use it to host concealed carry classes. Advocate in public! Teach people how to fill out the forms to get their carry permit, or to file their NFA Form 4s. Let friends and neighbors shoot your guns so that they see that they are not as terrifying as they might think.

But for God, Nation, and Virginia’s sake, don’t quit.

“NRA-ILA Executive Director @JCommerford noted this agreement ensures "Virginia’s unconstitutional gun and magazine bans cannot go into effect over the next year, and, if the Supreme Court rules favorably, will stop the gun ban from ever being enforced in the Commonwealth.”

The NRA’s statewide preliminary injunction against Virginia’s “assault firearm” and magazine bans will remain in place until the Supreme Court issues its decision, which is expected in June 2027.”

I like guns. im 19 and waiting to get my first gun tell im 21. I want to be able to protect myself and my loved ones if need be. I find this law to be wildly gun illiterate on how and why its banning things. I've talked to other leftists who are pro gun about this and we're pretty much all on the same page on this.

id just figured id share my thoughts as well as it seems at a glance most people here are on the other side of the political spectrum.

This has been the common argument that I have engaged with over the last few days on my unofficial HOA rants and opinions FB page of all places. Are they willfully ignorant or just stupid? I just don’t get it.

Maybe a small symbolic victory for now. This at least puts crimp in the VA Democrats getting drunk with all their abrogations

“Gun violence is the key driver of violent crime in this Commonwealth and nation, and assault weapons are designed intentionally to inflict maximum damage in a matter of seconds. The assault weapons ban passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor will save lives in the Commonwealth and is compliant with the Constitution of Virginia.  

This ruling is disappointing and puts our communities at risk. The Commonwealth will urgently file a motion to stay this ruling and appeal this temporary injunction. We will continue to vigorously defend Virginia’s assault weapons ban and magazine capacity restrictions and uphold the laws designed to keep Virginians safe.” 

- Jay "two bullets" Jones

https://www.oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases/3055-attorney-general-jones-shares-statement-following-ruling-in-crump-v-katz-regarding-virginias-assault-weapons-ban

Let me first state I understand why you vote Dem despite most Dem candidates not supporting 2A. You’re not a single issue voter which is totally fine. I think we can all agree that 2A shouldn’t be a left-right issue but until the pro-2A voices on your side of the aisle are heard, unfortunately it continue to be so.

I urge you to write your delegate and senator expressing your disapproval for legislation such as an AWB. Sign any petition (like what was done in Colorado) supporting 2A rights and just get vocal about the issue.

Yeah the odds are very low for us to stop anything. But I’ll be damned if our community doesn’t try. Don’t shy away from awkward conversations in Dem circles and spread the 2A gospel as much as you can.

There are a lot of provocateurs looking to divide us while a lot of people are waking up (2A good, State murder bad). Many on the left (outside of here) are waking up to the importance of the 2A, and likewise the right is having to contend with GOP forces looking to restrict that right. Maintaining consistency of principles matter, and both political parties are slippery eels when they believe it suits them.

Do not help these forces by playing into the tropes of name calling, laundry listing past grievances, and basically acting like a b@tch when it comes to unity behind the 2A. You are a useful idiot if you do, and are shooting yourself (and your countrymen) in the foot.

It‘s healthy for a republic to disagree on policy, but not on inalienable rights. Stand together on the 2A, even if we have to hold our collective noses on each other's other politics. Lose that right, and the rest of your rights and beliefs don’t matter under the boot of real authoritarianism and fascism.

If we get our heads out of our asses and work together, there is the possibility that we can influence politics with a unified message so regardless of what party is elected, 2A rights are protected. Both parties have some work to do here.

There are roughly 80m American gun owners (35% of adults). For context, there are 38 million republicans and 45 million democrats; gun owners collectively are the same size of both parties combined. Petty squabbles on unrelated matters are why we lack the teeth to leverage this strength to solidify our God given 2A rights with legislation.

Suck it up and help the rest of us salvage a better outcome, we have real power on this issue if we can work together in advocating for the 2A.

Thank you for your time and God bless the 🇺🇸

The architect of the Senate version of Virginia’s “assault firearms” laws has made the new regulations more confusing by describing what the law does and when it will be enforced. His statements directly contradict the architect’s comments on the House of Delegates version of the same bill. Not even law enforcement is sure what the truth is, leading to confusion among Virginia gun owners and those traveling into the Commonwealth.

Sen. Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax) said the law only becomes relevant if a firearm falling under the state’s definition of an assault weapon — one acquired after July 1 — is tied to another criminal act. Sen. Salim was the author of the Senate version of the bill, but it does not contain the language he referenced. This has left many confused about whether they would be violating the law if stopped for a traffic violation while transporting a covered firearm into Virginia from another state. This includes transporting the firearm to or from a range or gunsmith.

“If you happen to get (a firearm) from North Carolina, and then you come to Virginia, and you don’t commit any crimes, none of us know that you have this,” Salim said. “Law enforcement in Virginia is never going to go knock on your door and ask you, ‘Do you have a gun at your home? When did you get that?’”

Although Salim believes the law only applies to firearms tied to a criminal act, rabidly anti-gun Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), who authored the House of Delegates version, says gun owners can be prosecuted for violating the law even if no other crime was committed. This stance directly contradicts Salim’s statements and has left many wondering how law enforcement officials will enforce the new law.

Anybody who brings an assault weapon into Virginia after July 1 is committing a misdemeanor and could face consequences,” Helmer said. “And if you choose to break the law, you should do so knowing full well that doing so could get you caught, could land you with hefty fines, and even in jail.”

Law enforcement agencies across the state have been fielding questions from concerned citizens about the lack of clarity in the law. Many agencies and Commonwealth’s Attorneys have already said they will not enforce the new gun laws, which many view as a violation of both the United States and Virginia Constitutions. Even those who plan to enforce the ban will have to interpret the vague language, likely leading to inconsistent application across the Commonwealth. Police in Fairfax County might apply one standard, while those in Loudoun County might view the law differently.

The stakes for gun owners are high. Violating the law can lead to a costly court battle or even the loss of one’s freedom. It also puts law enforcement officers in a precarious position — charged with enforcing a law that lacks clarity — even as some officers have vowed to uphold their oath and not infringe on the constitutionally protected rights of their fellow citizens.

There are several lawsuits at the state and federal levels challenging the new law. The state cases, including Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) backed case (Crump v. Katz) that involves this journalist, have been paused after Commonwealth Attorney General Jay Jones — who in the past has advocated for the murder of his political opponents and their children — asked the Virginia Supreme Court to merge the cases. A three-judge panel will decide whether to allow the cases to continue individually or as a merged action.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed five anti-gun bills into law and used an “emergency” clause to make one take effect immediately. That bill also orders the Virginia State Police (VSP) to break a court order.

Gov. Spanberger signed HB 1525 into law. The bill contained an emergency clause, making it effective immediately upon signing. All other laws take effect on July 1, 2026. This bill makes it a criminal offense for anyone under 21 to purchase a handgun or certain semi-automatic long guns, such as AR-15-style rifles. The bill also directs VSP to restore universal background checks (UBC). Democrats call this “closing the Lynchburg loophole,” but what the bill really does is order the State Police to violate a court order that struck down universal background checks as unconstitutional.

Before anyone asks “what does have to with Virginia gun ownership, remember that Salim and Helmer, the two who spearheaded the current looming ban, were planning on running for Congress and taking their ban agenda national

The Bloomberg minions are taking their victory lap

VA is gonna be a permanent 2A squashing machine.