Virginia Gun Ban on Assault Weapons: What You Need to Know

How We Got Here

This didn't happen overnight. Virginia lawmakers have been pushing versions of this legislation since 2024. A similar bill passed both chambers that year, only to be vetoed by then-Governor Glenn Youngkin.

With a new governor and Democratic trifecta in 2026, the bill passed again. This time, the Virginia gun ban stuck.

SB 749 was enrolled on March 13, signed into law on May 14, and takes effect July 1, 2026. 

What Guns Are Banned in Virginia?

Virginia's assault firearms law uses a features-based test, not a list of banned models. Whether your firearm is affected depends on its action type, how it feeds ammunition, and if it has certain physical features.

Here's how to check, by category.

Rifles

A semi-automatic, centerfire rifle is affected if it has a detachable magazine and at least one of the following features:

• A collapsible or folding stock
• A pistol grip
• A second handgrip (forward grip)
• A threaded barrel
• A grenade launcher mount

For many owners, the Virginia AR-15 law is the immediate concern. Most standard-configuration AR-15s meet the threshold several times over. 

A few examples:
AR-15, standard configuration: Covered, i.e. banned. It has a detachable magazine, a pistol grip, a threaded barrel, and a collapsible stock.

AK-47 and AK-74 pattern rifles, standard configuration: Covered. Detachable magazine and pistol grip.

Ruger Mini-14 Ranch, standard stock: Not covered. It accepts a detachable magazine, but has none of the other listed features.

Ruger Mini-14 Tactical: Covered. Same rifle mechanically, but fitted with a pistol grip, threaded barrel, and folding stock.

Bolt-action rifles: Not covered. Manually operated, and excluded by definition.

Note: One exception worth knowing: traditional .22 LR rifles with tubular magazines, like the Marlin Model 60, are not affected. The law specifically excludes attached tubular devices designed for .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.

Pistols

A semi-automatic, centerfire pistol is affected if it has a detachable magazine and at least two of the following features:

• A second handgrip (vertical foregrip)
• A magazine that attaches outside the pistol grip
• A barrel shroud
• A threaded barrel
• A buffer tube or arm brace
• Any feature of like kind (a catch-all clause)

The two-feature threshold is important. Your standard Glock, SIG P320, Smith & Wesson M&P, or 1911 in factory configuration has none of these features. Even a pistol with just a threaded barrel only has one, which isn't enough to trigger the law.

What is affected is primarily the large-format pistol category: AR-style pistols with braces, the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1, the HK SP5, and similar designs. 

Here are examples:

Standard AR-15 pistol with brace: Covered. Barrel shroud, threaded barrel, and stabilizing brace.

CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1: Covered. Barrel shroud and threaded barrel.

Glock 19, standard configuration: Not covered. None of the listed features.

SIG P320 with a threaded barrel only: Not covered. One feature is below the threshold.

Revolvers: Not covered. Not semi-automatic.

Shotguns

A semi-automatic shotgun is affected if it has any one of the following features:

• A folding or telescoping stock
• A pistol grip
• A fixed magazine over 5 rounds
• A detachable magazine
• A grenade launcher mount

Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder is also affected, regardless of other features. Your standard pump-action or break-action shotgun is completely unaffected. 

The law primarily catches tactical semi-auto designs. Some examples:

Fostech Origin-12: Covered. Folding stock, pistol grip, and detachable magazine.

Remington 1100, standard sporting configuration: Not covered. Semi-automatic, but with none of the listed features.

Mossberg 500, pump-action: Not covered. Manually operated, and excluded by definition.

Break-action shotguns: Not covered. Manually operated, and excluded by definition.

Note: A few categories are exempt from the Virginia gun ban, e.g. antique firearms, permanently inoperable firearms, and firearms purchased or possessed by law enforcement or military personnel acting within the scope of their duties. If you’re unsure, a local attorney familiar with firearms law can help you determine if your specific firearm qualifies or is exempted.

What's Grandfathered in Virginia’s Assault Firearms Ban

If you legally owned an affected firearm before July 1, 2026, you're allowed to keep it. The law doesn't require you to surrender, register, or modify anything you already own.

What changes on July 1 is straightforward: no new sales, purchases, transfers, or imports of affected firearms within Virginia. But what you already have remains legal.

Think of it as a cutoff, not a confiscation. Anything in your hands before the deadline stays yours.

What Happens to Local Sales After July 1

Once the law takes effect, selling an affected firearm to anyone in Virginia becomes illegal for private owners and dealers alike. That includes selling to your local gun store.

This cuts off what would otherwise be the most obvious option for a lot of owners. Walking into a Virginia gun shop and getting an offer won't be possible for affected firearms after July 1.

Even before the deadline, it's worth tempering expectations. Virginia dealers can't resell affected firearms to local buyers after July 1. So, they have little incentive to offer fair market value now. 

Their ability to move affected inventory has an expiration date, and their offers are likely to reflect that. Pawn shops face the same constraint, starting from an already lower baseline.

The practical takeaway: if a local sale is what you had in mind, the window for that is closing, and the offers you'll find there may not reflect what your firearm is actually worth.

Penalties for Violations

Selling or transferring an affected firearm within Virginia after July 1 is a Class 1 misdemeanor for private owners. It carries up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. 

Licensed dealers face steeper consequences. A willful violation from them is a Class 6 felony, punishable by one to five years in prison.

For both, a conviction also triggers a three-year ban on purchasing, possessing, or transporting any firearm. 

That means a single illegal sale of an affected rifle could leave you unable to legally own any firearm for three years. 

Your Options as an Affected Owner

If you own a firearm covered by SB 749, you have more options than it might feel like right now. Here's what the law actually permits.

Keep it

The simplest option. If you're happy with your firearm and have no plans to sell, you don't need to do anything. Grandfathered possession is fully legal and the law doesn't require you to register, modify, or report anything.

Sell to an out-of-state buyer or dealer

This is explicitly permitted under SB 749. A Virginia owner who lawfully possessed an affected firearm before July 1 can sell it to an individual or dealer outside the Commonwealth if the buyer can legally own it in their state. The transfer still needs to go through a licensed dealer as federal law requires, but the sale itself is legal.

This is also where Cash for Arms comes in. As a licensed out-of-state dealer, we can make you a competitive offer on your affected firearm, handle the paperwork, and pay you quickly. 

If you'd like to explore that option, you can learn more about selling your gun in Virginia here, or get an offer directly below. 

Give it to an immediate family member

You can transfer an affected firearm as a gift to an immediate family member if they're not prohibited from owning firearms under state or federal law. The law defines immediate family as a spouse, children, parents, grandparents, and siblings.

Transfer temporarily to a gunsmith or FFL

If your firearm needs service or repair, you can temporarily transfer it to a licensed gunsmith or dealer and have it returned to you. This is permitted under the law and doesn't affect your ownership.

Surrender via buy-back

Virginia localities may operate voluntary buy-back programs for affected firearms. This is an option if you simply want to be done with it, though you're unlikely to receive market value through this route.

What About Magazines?

The law also covers magazines. Any magazine capable of holding more than 15 rounds (16 rounds or more) cannot be sold or transferred in Virginia after July 1, 2026.

As with firearms, if you already own them, you can keep them. The grandfathering applies here too.

If you're looking to sell, the same out-of-state option applies. Cash for Arms buys magazines along with affected firearms, so you can bundle everything in one transaction if you'd like.

Legal Challenges to the Virginia Gun Ban on Assault Weapons

The Virginia gun ban didn't go unchallenged. Within minutes of Governor Spanberger signing the bill, multiple lawsuits were filed.

On the federal side, a coalition including the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation filed suit in the Eastern District of Virginia. They argued that the firearms targeted by the law are common and widespread and therefore constitutionally protected. 

On the state side, Gun Owners of America and the Virginia Citizens Defense League filed a separate challenge under Virginia's own constitution.

At the time of writing, the law is still set to take effect July 1, 2026. Unless a court issues an injunction before then, it goes into force on schedule regardless of where the litigation stands.

We'll update this section as the legal situation develops.

A Note to Virginia Gun Owners

We recognize that this law puts a lot of people in a difficult position. For many Virginia owners, affected firearms aren't just equipment. They're investments, heirlooms, or simply guns they've owned and enjoyed for years. Having your options narrow overnight is genuinely frustrating, and we don't take that lightly.

The same goes for the state’s local dealers and gun shops. Watching a portion of your inventory become unsellable in your own state is a real business problem, and we sympathize with that too.

Cash for Arms exists to be a straightforward option for owners who want to sell. We're a licensed dealer, we pay competitively, and we handle the process from start to finish. 

If selling makes sense for you before July 1, we're here. If it doesn't, we hope this guide to the Virginia gun ban was at least useful.