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VIRGINIA GUN LAWS

The Latest Guide

Are you looking for information on Virginia gun laws?

You’re in the right place. Get the latest facts and information, everything is covered in detail and has been totally updated.
 
Keep reading…

Virginia gun laws operate on a “Shall Issue” policy and allow for concealed carry permits to be issued to residents and non-residents. Applicants for a CCW permit must be 21 or older and complete a firearms training course. For residents, applications are filed with the circuit court in their county of residence and non-residents must mail their application to the State Police. Open carry in Virginia is legal without a permit with the minimum age being 18 provided the person meets other qualifying laws.

Virginia CCW Quick Facts

TOTAL ACTIVE CCW
0
PERMIT'S IN VIRGNIA
Gun Laws
STATE RATING
Good
STATES THAT HONOR
0
A VIRGINIA PERMIT
STATE PERMITS
0
VIRGINIA HONORS
STATES NOT
0
HONORING PERMIT

Virginia CCW Reciprocity

Permit Honored
Permit not honored
Residential permits only
Non-Resident permits only
Issuing state

How Reciprocity Works in Virginia

Virginia honors all valid out of state CCW permits. Any person issued a concealed carry permit in another state may carry in Virginia provided they meet the following conditions;

  • They are at least 21 years old.
  • They must carry photo ID issued by a government agency of any state or the US Department of State or US Department of Defense.
  • The permit must be displayed with photo ID upon request from law enforcement.
  • The permit holder has not had a Virginia concealed carry permit revoked in the past.

Virginia Reciprocity State's

35
STATES
Resident Permit Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming Non-Resident Permit Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
53
STATES
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Districts & Territories District of Columbia, New York City, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
15
STATES
California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington,
  • Wisconsin will only honor the Virginia Non-Resident permit.
  • Virginia will honor all Non-Resident permits from other states they honor.

Virginia Handgun Permit

Virginia Gun Policy

Shall Issue

Permit Issued To

Residents, Non-residents

CCW PERMIT OVERVIEW

Concealed carry permits are issued to residents and non-residents. Any training requirements can be done online or in person with the minimum age of applicants being 21 years old. Application forms can be obtained on this website or picked up from Circuit Courts, Sheriffs office or the Police Department. There is no requirement that you have resided in the county or state for any length of time.

NON-RESIDENT PERMITS

You can apply by mail for a non-resident permit. To request an application package write to the below address and include your full name, address and phone number;

Firearms Transaction Center,
Nonresident Concealed Handgun Permits,
Criminal Justice Information Services Division,
Department of State Police,
P.O. Box 85141
Richmond, VA 23285-5141.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old. An instruction list on what you will need for a non-resident permit can be obtained here.

HANDGUN TRAINING

You will need to submit proof that you are competent with a handgun. You can achieve this by any of the following methods;

  • Complete a NRA firearms safety course.
  • Complete a hunter safety or hunter education course that has been approved by the Department of game and Fisheries or a similar organization in other states.
  • Complete any firearms training or safety course available to the public from a college, firearms school, Department of Justice, Law enforcement agency or private or public institution with certified NRA instructors.
  • Online training course.

COST OF

$ 0
CWW PERMIT

YEARS PERMIT

0
IS VALID

Pointers: Virginia Handgun Laws

Virginia CCW Handgun Permit Forms

Download Your Forms

Virginia: Places Off-Limits for CCW

Virginia state flag

Places Off-Limits in Virginia

  • Private property when prohibited by the owner of the property, or where posted as prohibited
  • Place of religious worship while a meeting for religious purposes is being held
  • Courthouse
  • School property or school functions (School buses are school property)
  • Non-secure areas of airport terminals
  • Regional Jail or Juvenile Detention Facility
  • Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by Federal Law.

Places Allowed in Virginia

  • State parks
  • State and national forests
  • Road side rest areas
  • Vehicle
  • All areas of the state not listed as Off-Limits

Virginia Concealed Carry Laws

Virginia state capitol building

Virginia Gun Laws To Know

YES – WITHOUT A PERMIT

YES – Without a Permit/License Vehicle carry is allowed in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel and such handgun is secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle or vessel. The term “compartment” includes a console, glove compartment, or any other area within or on the vehicle or vessel that possesses the ability to be closed and the term “secured” means that a container or compartment be closed but not necessarily locked.

53
STATES
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Districts & Territories District of Columbia, New York City, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
NO – MUST INFORM OFFICER

There is nothing in Virginia gun statutes that state you must inform a law enforcement officer you have a firearm when approached on official business. The law does require you to carry your permit, together with photo ID, at all times during which the permittee is in actual possession of a concealed handgun.

NO

Virginia does not have constitutional carry laws.

YES

It is legal to carry in the following areas; State Parks:    YES State/National Forests:    YES State Game Management Units:    YES Road Side Rest Areas:   YES  

YES/NO

In Restaurants That Serve Alcohol If a Virginia restaurant does not have “NO WEAPONS” signs posted you can open and conceal carry a firearm into the restaurant. However, you are not allowed to consume alcohol if you conceal carry into the restaurant. The Law 18.2-308.012

NO

“No Weapons” signs are not mentioned in Virginia gun statutes. There are no legal penalties for entering a private property or business that has posted these signs. They have no force of law unless they are posted in areas that are mentioned by the law as being off limits. GunsToCarry recommends that you do not enter a property displaying a “No Weapons” sign whether the law is for or against signage. If asked to leave a property and you refuse to do so then you are breaking the law and put yourself at risk of being charged.

“That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.”
(Article I § 13)

Virginia Off-Limit Statutes

This applies to private property if the owner has post a No Weapons sign or requested you do not carry a weapon onto the property. It is a trespass charge.

§ 18.2-308. Carrying concealed weapons; exceptions; penalty.

A. If any person carries about his person, hidden from common observation, (i) any pistol, revolver, or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind by action of an explosion of any combustible material; (ii) any dirk, bowie knife, switchblade knife, ballistic knife, machete, razor, slingshot, spring stick, metal knucks, or blackjack; (iii) any flailing instrument consisting of two or more rigid parts connected in such a manner as to allow them to swing freely, which may be known as a nun chahka, nun chuck, nunchaku, shuriken, or fighting chain; (iv) any disc, of whatever configuration, having at least two points or pointed blades which is designed to be thrown or propelled and which may be known as a throwing star or oriental dart; or (v) any weapon of like kind as those enumerated in this subsection, he is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A second violation of this section or a conviction under this section subsequent to any conviction under any substantially similar ordinance of any county, city, or town shall be punishable as a Class 6 felony, and a third or subsequent such violation shall be punishable as a Class 5 felony. For the purpose of this section, a weapon shall be deemed to be hidden from common observation when it is observable but is of such deceptive appearance as to disguise the weapon’s true nature. It shall be an affirmative defense to a violation of clause (i) regarding a handgun, that a person had been issued, at the time of the offense, a valid concealed handgun permit.

B. This section shall not apply to any person while in his own place of abode or the curtilage thereof.

C. Except as provided in subsection A of § 18.2-308.012, this section shall not apply to:

  1. Any person while in his own place of business;
  2.  Any law-enforcement officer, or retired law-enforcement officer pursuant to § 18.2-308.016, wherever such law-enforcement officer may travel in the Commonwealth;
  3.  Any person who is at, or going to or from, an established shooting range, provided that the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported;
  4.  Any regularly enrolled member of a weapons collecting organization who is at, or going to or from, a bona fide weapons exhibition, provided that the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported;
  5.  Any person carrying such weapons between his place of abode and a place of purchase or repair, provided the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported;
  6. Any person actually engaged in lawful hunting, as authorized by the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries, under inclement weather conditions necessitating temporary protection of his firearm from those conditions, provided that possession of a handgun while engaged in lawful hunting shall not be construed as hunting with a handgun if the person hunting is carrying a valid concealed handgun permit;
  7.  Any attorney for the Commonwealth or assistant attorney for the Commonwealth, wherever such attorney may travel in the Commonwealth;
  8.  Any person who may lawfully possess a firearm and is carrying a handgun while in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel and such handgun is secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle or vessel;
  9. Any enrolled participant of a firearms training course who is at, or going to or from, a training location, provided that the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported; and
  10. Any judge or justice of the Commonwealth, wherever such judge or justice may travel in the Commonwealth.

D. This section shall also not apply to any of the following individuals while in the discharge of their official duties, or while in transit to or from such duties: 1. Carriers of the United States mail; 2. Officers or guards of any state correctional institution; 3. Conservators of the peace, except that a judge or justice of the Commonwealth, an attorney for the Commonwealth, or an assistant attorney for the Commonwealth may carry a concealed handgun pursuant to subdivisions C 7 and 10. However, the following conservators of the peace shall not be permitted to carry a concealed handgun without obtaining a permit as provided in this article: (i) notaries public; (ii) registrars; (iii) drivers, operators, or other persons in charge of any motor vehicle carrier of passengers for hire; or (iv) commissioners in chancery; 4. Noncustodial employees of the Department of Corrections designated to carry weapons by the Director of the Department of Corrections pursuant to § 53.1-29; and 5. Harbormaster of the City of Hopewell.

18.2-283. Carrying dangerous weapon to place of religious worship.

If any person carry any gun, pistol, bowie knife, dagger or other dangerous weapon, without good and sufficient reason, to a place of worship while a meeting for religious purposes is being held at such place he shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.

§ 18.2-283.1. Carrying weapon into courthouse.

It is unlawful for any person to possess in or transport into any courthouse in this Commonwealth any (i) gun or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile or projectile of any kind; (ii) frame, receiver, muffler, silencer, missile, projectile, or ammunition designed for use with a dangerous weapon; or (iii) other dangerous weapon, including explosives, stun weapons as defined in § 18.2-308.1, and those weapons specified in subsection A of § 18.2-308. Any such weapon shall be subject to seizure by a law-enforcement officer. A violation of this section is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to any police officer, sheriff, law-enforcement agent or official, conservation police officer, conservator of the peace, magistrate, court officer, judge, city or county treasurer, or commissioner or deputy commissioner of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission while in the conduct of such person’s official duties.

§ 18.2-308.1. Possession of firearm, stun weapon, or other weapon on school property prohibited; penalty.
A. If any person knowingly possesses any
(i) stun weapon as defined in this section;
(ii) knife, except a pocket knife having a folding metal blade of less than three inches; or
(iii) weapon, including a weapon of like kind, designated in subsection A of § 18.2-308, other than a firearm; upon
(a) the property of any public, private or religious elementary, middle or high school, including buildings and grounds;
(b) that portion of any property open to the public and then exclusively used for school-sponsored functions or extracurricular activities while such functions or activities are taking place; or
(c) any school bus owned or operated by any such school, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

B. If any person knowingly possesses any firearm designed or intended to expel a projectile by action of an explosion of a combustible material while such person is upon
(i) any public, private or religious elementary, middle or high school, including buildings and grounds;
(ii) that portion of any property open to the public and then exclusively used for school-sponsored functions or extracurricular activities while such functions or activities are taking place; or
(iii) any school bus owned or operated by any such school, he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.


C. If any person knowingly possesses any firearm designed or intended to expel a projectile by action of an explosion of a combustible material within a public, private or religious elementary, middle or high school building and intends to use, or attempts to use, such firearm, or displays such weapon in a threatening manner, such person shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony and sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years to be served consecutively with any other sentence. The exemptions set out in § 18.2-308 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the provisions of this section. The provisions of this section shall not apply to;
(i) persons who possess such weapon or weapons as a part of the school’s curriculum or activities;
(ii) a person possessing a knife customarily used for food preparation or service and using it for such purpose;
(iii) persons who possess such weapon or weapons as a part of any program sponsored or facilitated by either the school or any organization authorized by the school to conduct its programs either on or off the school premises;
(iv) any law-enforcement officer;
(v) any person who possesses a knife or blade which he uses customarily in his trade;
(vi) a person who possesses an unloaded firearm that is in a closed container, or a knife having a metal blade, in or upon a motor vehicle, or an unloaded shotgun or rifle in a firearms rack in or upon a motor vehicle;
(vii) a person who has a valid concealed handgun permit and possesses a concealed handgun while in a motor vehicle in a parking lot, traffic circle, or other means of vehicular ingress or egress to the school; or
(viii) an armed security officer, licensed pursuant to Article 4 (§ 9.1-138 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of Title 9.1, hired by a private or religious school for the protection of students and employees as authorized by such school.


For the purposes of this paragraph, “weapon” includes a knife having a metal blade of three inches or longer and “closed container” includes a locked vehicle trunk.

Other Virginia CCW Statutes

B. A valid concealed handgun permit issued by Maryland shall be valid in the Commonwealth, provided (i) the holder of the permit is licensed in Maryland to perform duties substantially similar to those performed by Virginia branch pilots licensed pursuant to Chapter 9 (§ 54.1-900 et seq.) of Title 54.1 and is performing such duties while in the Commonwealth, and (ii) the holder of the permit is 21 years of age or older.

18.2-308 (H) ….The person issued the permit shall have such permit on his person at all times during which he is carrying a concealed handgun and shall display the permit and a photo-identification issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth or by the United States Department of Defense or United States State Department (passport) upon demand by a law-enforcement officer.

18.2-308 Carrying concealed weapons; exceptions; penalty.

C. Except as provided in subsection A of § 18.2-308.012, this section shall not apply to:

8. Any person who may lawfully possess a firearm and is carrying a handgun while in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel and such handgun is secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle or vessel;

For purposes of this subsection, the term “compartment” includes a console, glove compartment, or any other area within or on the vehicle or vessel that possesses the ability to be closed and the term “secured” means that a container or compartment be closed but not necessarily locked.

The Minimum age to transport a firearm is 18

 

18.2-308.7. Possession or transportation of certain firearms by persons under the age of 18; penalty.It shall be unlawful for any person under 18 years of age to knowingly and intentionally possess or transport a handgun or assault firearm anywhere in the Commonwealth. For the purposes of this section, “handgun” means any pistol or revolver or other firearm originally designed, made and intended to fire single or multiple projectiles by means of an explosion of a combustible material from one or more barrels when held in one hand and “assault firearm” means any (i) semi-automatic centerfire rifle or pistol which expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (ii) shotgun with a magazine which will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered. A violation of this section shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor.

This section shall not apply to:

1. Any person (i) while in his home or on his property; (ii) while in the home or on the property of his parent, grandparent, or legal guardian; or (iii) while on the property of another who has provided prior permission, and with the prior permission of his parent or legal guardian if the person has the landowner’s written permission on his person while on such property;

2. Any person who, while accompanied by an adult, is at, or going to and from, a lawful shooting range or firearms educational class, provided that the weapons are unloaded while being transported;

3. Any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or going to and from a hunting area or preserve, provided that the weapons are unloaded while being transported; and

4. Any person while carrying out his duties in the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of this Commonwealth or any other state.

§ 15.2-915. Control of Firearms; Applicability to Authorities and Local Governmental Agencies.

A. No locality shall adopt or enforce any ordinance, resolution or motion, as permitted by § 15.2-1425, and no agent of such locality shall take any administrative action, governing the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, storage or transporting of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof other than those expressly authorized by statute. For purposes of this section, a statute that does not refer to firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof, shall not be construed to provide express authorization. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a locality from adopting workplace rules relating to terms and conditions of employment of the workforce. However, no locality shall adopt any workplace rule, other than for the purposes of a community services board or behavioral health authority as defined in § 37.2-100, that prevents an employee of that locality from storing at that locality’s workplace a lawfully possessed firearm and ammunition in a locked private motor vehicle. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a law-enforcement officer, as defined in § 9.1-101, from acting within the scope of his duties. The provisions of this section applicable to a locality shall also apply to any authority or to a local governmental entity, including a department or agency, but not including any local or regional jail, juvenile detention facility, or state-governed entity, department, or agency.

B. Any local ordinance, resolution or motion adopted prior to the effective date of this act governing the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying or transporting of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof, other than those expressly authorized by statute, is invalid.

C. In addition to any other relief provided, the court may award reasonable attorney fees, expenses, and court costs to any person, group, or entity that prevails in an action challenging (i) an ordinance, resolution, or motion as being in conflict with this section or (ii) an administrative action taken in bad faith as being in conflict with this section.

D. For purposes of this section, “workplace” means “workplace of the locality.”

Other Virginia Gun Laws

Virginia CCW FAQ's

Concealed carry permits/licenses are issued by the circuit court of the county or city where the applicant resides.

45 Days The application for a concealed carry permit/license must be processed within 45 days of the application being received.

Yes you can open carry but not in off-limit areas.

To purchase a handgun you must be at least 21 years old. For a rifle or shotgun a person must be at least 18 years old.

Both the seller and buyer of a handgun must reside in the state that the transaction occurs. You should keep a record of when the firearm was sold and to whom plus the serial number.

No, firearms are not registered in Virginia, one exception is machine guns.

Non-Resident permits are issued by the Virginia State Police.

A concealed carry permit is not required while carrying a handgun within a vehicle. Provided the handgun is secured within a container within the vehicle. The container does not have to be locked.

Virginia CCW Contact

Virginia Beach Circuit Court

Hours


Monday – Friday    8:30 am – 4 pm

Saturday                  Closed

Sunday                    Closed

Contact


Address  2425 Nimmo Parkway

City          Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9017

Phone      (757) 385-4181

Email       TSinnen@courts.state.va.us