Virginia concealed carry laws and reciprocity

Virginia does not require volunteering that one has a permit, but a permit holder carrying concealed must display the permit and photo ID on demand by a law enforcement officer (§ 18.2-308.01); out-of-state permit holders must do the same (§ 18.2-308.014).

Without a permit, a person who may lawfully possess a firearm may carry a handgun in a personal, private vehicle only if it is secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle (§ 18.2-308(C)(8)); permit holders may carry concealed. A 2026 law requires a handgun left in an unattended vehicle to be stored in a locked hard-sided container.

Carrying a concealed handgun without a permit is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Va. Code § 18.2-308(A), subject to listed exceptions such as a handgun secured in a container or compartment in a private vehicle.

Under Va. Code § 18.2-308.04(C) the circuit court shall issue a permit to an applicant 21 or older within 45 days of a complete application unless the applicant is disqualified.

Va. Code § 18.2-308.06 lets non-residents 21 or older apply to the Virginia State Police for a five-year concealed handgun permit.

State Police state that a firearm may be carried openly in Virginia except where prohibited by statute. A 2026 law (Chapters 1025 and 1101) will ban carrying assault firearms in public places statewide from July 1, 2027; until then § 18.2-287.4 restricts carrying certain loaded high-capacity rifles and shotguns in listed localities.

Va. Code 18.2-308.01(C) states that a concealed handgun permit does not authorize carrying where possession is prohibited by the owner of private property, but Article 6.1 attaches no penalty to ignoring a posted sign. A person who goes upon or remains on premises after being forbidden orally, in writing or by posted signs commits trespass under Va. Code 18.2-119.

A permit holder may carry a concealed handgun in a restaurant or club licensed for on-premises alcohol consumption but may not consume alcohol there (§ 18.2-308.012(B)); carrying in public while under the influence is a separate offense.

The state parks firearms regulation (4VAC5-30-200) was repealed in 2012, so park rules do not bar carry on park grounds, but § 18.2-283.2 prohibits firearms in buildings owned or leased by the Commonwealth when notice is posted.

Va. Code § 18.2-283 makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to carry a gun to a place of worship while a religious meeting is being held there without good and sufficient reason.

Since July 1, 2026, the ban on firearms in buildings owned or operated by the Commonwealth applies to buildings of public colleges and universities when notice is posted, except for institution-approved curricular or organizational uses (§ 18.2-283.2). The K-12 school-property ban in § 18.2-308.1 does not cover colleges.

Virginia statutes bar weapons on K-12 school and child day center property (§ 18.2-308.1; permit holders may keep a handgun in a vehicle in the lot), in courthouses (§ 18.2-283.1), in Capitol Square and state-owned or leased buildings when posted (§ 18.2-283.2), in air carrier airport terminals (§ 18.2-287.01), and, since July 1, 2026, in posted hospitals providing mental health or developmental services (§ 18.2-283.3) and within 100 feet of polling place entrances. Carry to a place of worship during a religious meeting without good and sufficient reason is also an offense (§ 18.2-283).

Virginia has no stand-your-ground statute; under long-standing Supreme Court of Virginia case law (Vaiden's Case, 53 Va. 717 (1855); McCoy v. Commonwealth, 125 Va. 771 (1919); Perkins v. Commonwealth, 186 Va. 867 (1947)), a person who is without fault in bringing on the fight (justifiable self-defense) need not retreat but may stand their ground and repel the attack with force, including deadly force if necessary. A person who is even partly at fault (excusable self-defense) must retreat as far as safely possible before using deadly force.

Blocked by a court

A 2026 law (Va. Code § 18.2-309.1) makes it a misdemeanor to import, sell, barter, transfer or purchase a feeding device holding more than 15 rounds; possession is not prohibited. A circuit court preliminary injunction extended statewide in July 2026 blocks enforcement while litigation proceeds.

Blocked by a court

A 2026 law (Va. Code § 18.2-287.4:1) bans importing, selling, manufacturing, purchasing or transferring assault firearms, but not possessing them. Its enforcement has been blocked since July 2026 by circuit court preliminary injunctions, one extended statewide, while constitutional challenges proceed.

Virginia Code Title 18.2, Chapter 7 (Crimes Involving Health and Safety, including the firearms articles and the Sawed-Off Shotgun and Rifle Act) contains no provision prohibiting possession of firearm silencers or suppressors; the word 'silencer' appears only in the courthouse and airport-terminal weapon bans (18.2-283.1, 18.2-287.01) and in assault-firearm definitions. The value rests on the absence of any state suppressor prohibition; federal NFA rules apply separately.

Virginia's Sawed-Off Shotgun and Rifle Act does not prohibit possessing a short-barreled rifle possessed in compliance with federal law (§ 18.2-303.1).

Virginia's Sawed-Off Shotgun and Rifle Act does not prohibit possessing a short-barreled shotgun possessed in compliance with federal law (§ 18.2-303.1).