SB727 • 2026

Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, exceptions, penalty.

An Act to amend and reenact § 18.2-287.4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.

Crime Firearms

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Jones
Last action: 2026-04-22
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, exceptions, penalty.

Carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited in the Commonwealth; penalty.

What This Bill Does

Carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited in the Commonwealth; penalty.
Prohibits the carrying of certain semi-automatic center-fire rifles, pistols, and shotguns or any firearm modified to be operable as an assault firearm on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, or public right-of-way or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public, with certain exceptions.
Under current law, the prohibition on carrying certain shotguns and semi-automatic center-fire rifles and pistols applies to a narrower range of firearms, only in certain localities, and only when such firearms are loaded.
A violation of this prohibition is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SB727G

2026-04-11 • Governor

Governor's Recommendation

Plain English: (SB727) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION I approve the general purpose of this bill, but I am returning it without my signature with the request that the attached Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26110179D) be accepted.

(SB727) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION I approve the general purpose of this bill, but I am returning it without my signature with the request that the attached Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26110179D) be accepted.

SB727S3

2026-04-14 • Governor

Governor Substitute

Plain English: 2026 SESSION SENATE SUBSTITUTE 26110179D SENATE BILL NO.

2026 SESSION SENATE SUBSTITUTE 26110179D SENATE BILL NO.
727 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the Governor on April 11, 2026) (Patron Prior to Substitute—Senators Jones and Ebbin [SB 312]) A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-287.4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1.
That § 18.2-287.4 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows: § 18.2-287.4 .

Bill History

2026-04-22 Governor
Governor's recommendation adopted
2026-04-22 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-04-22 Senate
Signed by President
2026-04-22 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 1025 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled bill text (SB727ER2)
2026-04-22 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1025)
2026-04-22 Senate
Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A)
2026-04-22 House
House concurred in Governor's recommendation (59-Y 38-N 0-A)
2026-04-11 Governor
Governor's recommendation received by Senate
2026-03-14 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026
2026-03-14 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-12 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-12 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-12 Senate
Enrolled
2026-03-12 Senate
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB727ER)
2026-03-12 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB727)
2026-03-06 Senate
House substitute agreed to by Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-03-04 House
Read third time
2026-03-04 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-03-04 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-03-04 House
Passed House with substitute (55-Y 41-N 0-A)
2026-03-04 Public Safety
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB727)
2026-03-03 House
Read second time
2026-03-02 Public Safety
Committee substitute printed 26108968D-H1
2026-02-27 Public Safety
Reported from Public Safety with substitute (14-Y 8-N)
2026-02-12 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-12 House
Read first time
2026-02-12 Public Safety
Referred to Committee on Public Safety
2026-02-12 Finance and Appropriations
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB727)
2026-02-09 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-02-06 Senate
Read second time
2026-02-06 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote)
2026-02-06 Courts of Justice
Courts of Justice Substitute rejected
2026-02-06 Finance and Appropriations
Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to
2026-02-06 Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-02-05 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-05 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-05 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-05 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-05 Finance and Appropriations
Committee substitute printed 26106399D-S2
2026-02-05 Finance and Appropriations
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/5/2026 4:42 pm)
2026-02-04 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N)
2026-01-29 Courts of Justice
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/29/2026 4:37 pm)
2026-01-28 Courts of Justice
Committee substitute printed 26106280D-S1
2026-01-28 Courts of Justice
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB727)
2026-01-26 Senate
Incorporates SB312 (Ebbin)
2026-01-26 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 5-N)
2026-01-23 Senate
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/23/2026 11:55 am)
2026-01-19 Senate
Presented and ordered printed 26104545D
2026-01-19 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited in the Commonwealth; penalty.
Prohibits the carrying of certain semi-automatic center-fire rifles, pistols, and shotguns or any firearm modified to be operable as an assault firearm on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, or public right-of-way or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public, with certain exceptions. Under current law, the prohibition on carrying certain shotguns and semi-automatic center-fire rifles and pistols applies to a narrower range of firearms, only in certain localities, and only when such firearms are loaded. A violation of this prohibition is a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill incorporates SB 312.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend and reenact §
18.2-287.4
of the Code of Virginia, relating to carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
18.2-287.4
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
18.2-287.4
. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.
It
shall be
is
unlawful for any person to carry
a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered
an assault firearm as defined in §
18.2-308.2:2
on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public
in the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William
.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to law-enforcement officers
, licensed security guards

in the performance of their official duties
, military personnel in the performance of their
lawful
official
duties,
or any person having a valid concealed handgun permit
any member of a cadet corps who is recognized by a public institution of higher education while such member is in the performance of sanctioned military training or such member is participating in an official ceremonial event for the Commonwealth,
or
to
any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting activities at an established shooting range or shooting contest. Any person violating the provisions of this section
shall be
is
guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The exemptions set forth in
§§
§
18.2-308
and
18.2-308.016
shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the provisions of this section.
2. That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment. Pursuant to §
30-19.1:4
of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities; therefore, Chapter 725 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025 requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to assign a minimum fiscal impact of $50,000. Pursuant to §
30-19.1:4
of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.