Virginia Gun Control Bills Are Coming. Here's What to Expect.
By Cam Edwards | 8:30 AM | November 16, 2025
Bills for the 2026 legislative session in Virginia can be pre-filed starting on Monday, November 17, and in the coming days we're going to see dozens of pieces of anti-gun legislation introduced by Democrats in the House and Senate. Now that Democrats will soon have complete control of state government there is no check on their anti-2A impulses (save for their own political calculations), and the upcoming session is going to be an absolute nightmare for gun owners and Second Amendment supporters.
What can we expect to see this week? It's possible that Democrats will hold off on introducing their onslaught of anti-gun legislation until we're closer to the session's start for tactical purposes (i.e., to try to keep gun owners from mobilizing and re-starting the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement), but before the 2026 session is gaveled in we're definitely going to see a ban on so-called assault weapons. In fact, I expect several different versions of an "assault weapon" ban with varying components will be introduced. There are a lot of rumors floating around that one bill won't have any exceptions for current owners, who would be forced to turn their guns in, remove them from the state, or risk criminal charges.
In 2020, then-Gov. Ralph Northam pushed for a semi-auto ban that would have affected current owners, but ultimately backed off in the hopes of bringing rural Democrats on board. Instead, a handful of Democrat state senators objected to any gun ban bill, and Democrats had to settle for a score of smaller victories, including the establishment of a "red flag" law, "universal" background checks, and a weakening of the state's firearm preemption laws.
https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2025/11/16/virginia-gun-control-bills-are-coming-heres-what-to-expect-n1230615#google_vignette
