#Virginia

In the past few months, Virginia has quickly become a battleground state in the back-and-forth scrapping over firearms rights. One of the state government’s most recent moves, the reinstatement of universal background checks for firearms sales, has been opposed by Lynchburg Circuit Judge Patrick Yeatts, who ordered state police to stop performing background checks on private sales.

Ahead of the state of Virginia’s impending ban on common semi-automatic firearms, gun sales are *booming* in the state, with more than twice the number of background checks in May of 2026 when compared to the previous year.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is funding a   lawsuit filed against the Commonwealth of Virginia over its newly enacted   HB 217 / SB 749, which the group calls an unconstitutional ban on commonly owned firearms. The suit was filed in Fauquier County Circuit Court on May 15.

Virginians did not wait to find out whether Governor Abigail Spanberger would sign a ban on the sale of popular semi-automatic rifles before heading to their local gun stores. Newly released industry data shows Virginia ranked fourth among all states for overall firearm sales-related background checks in April, and second for long gun sales, despite being only the twelfth most populous state.

Rideout Arsenal, makers of the most innovative pistol of 2025, the Dragon, recently announced their intention to leave their home State of Virginia, citing the passing of new restrictive laws.

A bill sitting on Governor Abigail Spanberger's desk would strip firearms dealers and manufacturers in Virginia of the liability protections that currently shield them from lawsuits when legally sold guns are later used in crimes. House Bill 21, which passed both chambers of the General Assembly, would subject the firearms industry to the same civil liability standards as any other business in the state.

Virginia’s leaders have taken a page from Dianne Feinstein’s 1990s playbook and, surprisingly, passed a new assault weapons ban (their words, not ours). If the state senate gives its approval, big changes are going to come for gun owners in Old Dominion.

It is shaping up to be a battleground year between firearms-restricting legislators and shooters who just want to do their thing without being hassled by The Man. Already, we’ve seen restrictive laws passed against semi-auto firearms in New Mexico, and similar laws in Virginia as well. But it’s not all doom-and-gloom for the 2A believers: Virginia has just backed off from a potentially crippling tax on suppressors.