State Gun Legislation

Virginia’s Democratic‑controlled legislature has passed a sweeping gun‑control bill sponsored by state Sen. Saddam Salim and sent it to Gov. Abigail Spanberger, while Republican leaders in neighboring West Virginia are considering legislation to allow residents to lawfully obtain machine guns. Introduced in January, the Virginia bill would prohibit the future sale of a wide range of so‑called assault weapons and features, including semi‑automatic center‑fire pistols with magazines over 15 rounds, rifles with detachable magazines, and guns with collapsible or thumbhole stocks or threaded barrels, though it would not retroactively criminalize possession of currently owned firearms. Spanberger’s office said she is “grateful” for lawmakers’ efforts to address gun violence and looks forward to reviewing the bill but has not publicly committed to signing it. Republican lawmakers in Richmond argue the measure sweeps too broadly and unfairly targets law‑abiding gun owners, while in Charleston, GOP supermajorities are moving in the opposite direction with a proposal to loosen machine‑gun restrictions. The dueling measures underscore how former sister states on either side of the old Virginia border are becoming test beds for sharply divergent approaches to the Second Amendment, a split that is already drawing national attention from gun‑rights and gun‑control groups.