WE OPPOSE SB 749 AND HB 217

THIS DIRECT ATTACK ON LAWFUL GUN

OWNERSHIP MUST BE STOPPED

We oppose Senate Bill 749 because it is not a focused gun-safety measure, but a broad expansion of government control over lawful firearm ownership. Rather than concentrating on violent criminals or illegal gun use, SB 749 targets ordinary citizens who have followed existing law. It reclassifies widely owned firearms and standard magazines as prohibited for future sale and transfer, sharply limiting what Virginians may buy, sell, or pass down to family members. While recent amendments avoid immediately criminalizing people for what they already own, the bill still works to phase out lawful ownership through regulatory pressure rather than addressing crime.

In the 2026 General Assembly, both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate have now passed significant gun-related legislation as part of a broader package of measures. The House passed a suite of bills, including House Bill 217 and other proposals that restrict certain semi-automatic firearms, limit magazine capacities, expand civil liability for gun industry members, regulate ghost guns, and tighten secure-storage requirements. This package moved forward over Republican objections. The Senate has since approved its own version of the assault-style firearm restrictions along with expanded oversight of ghost guns and related regulations, sending the bills toward the Governor’s desk.

SB 749 does not regulate automatic weapons, which have long been tightly restricted under federal law and are effectively unavailable to the public. Instead, it focuses on semi-automatic firearms that are commonly owned and widely used for lawful purposes such as self-defense, training, hunting, and sport shooting. By using the label “assault firearm,” the bill places many ordinary civilian firearms into a prohibited category based on appearance or design features rather than on how they are actually used.

The scope of the ban is driven by mechanical characteristics, not by criminal behavior. Many rifles, pistols, and shotguns that have been legal for decades would become unavailable for purchase or transfer in Virginia. Law-abiding residents would be barred from acquiring firearms that remain legal in much of the country, simply because of cosmetic or functional features that have no clear connection to violent crime.

Recent amendments also impose new limits on magazine capacity. Under the current language, newly sold magazines would generally be limited to a maximum of 15 rounds, while magazines holding more than 15 rounds may be retained only if already owned before the law takes effect and may not be sold or transferred later. Over time, this effectively removes standard-capacity magazines from lawful circulation. This change affects many of the most common firearms in civilian use, since popular handguns and rifles are routinely sold nationwide with 17-, 20-, or 30-round magazines as standard equipment.

In addition, SB 749 changes long-standing age-based rules by prohibiting anyone under the age of 18 from possessing or transporting handguns and designated semi-automatic firearms. This restriction applies and expands criminal liability to teenagers who have traditionally been permitted to use firearms for supervised training, organized sport shooting, hunting, and family instruction. Activities that families and youth organizations have relied on for generations could now expose young people and their parents to legal risk, regardless of responsible supervision or safety practices. This shift focuses on age rather than on criminal conduct.

In practice, SB 749 establishes a slow, indirect form of prohibition. While the bill avoids openly seizing firearms or immediately punishing current owners, it leaves no legal path for future purchase, normal resale, or inheritance. Firearms and magazines may be kept only as long as they remain with their current owners. Once transferred, sold, or inherited, they become illegal. Over time, lawful ownership is reduced through attrition rather than enforcement against criminals.

This approach is reinforced by House Bill 217, which advances similar restrictions on semi-automatic firearms, magazine capacity, and age-based possession, and which has likewise passed both chambers as part of the broader legislative package. Working in parallel, these bills narrow the legal market for common firearms and standard equipment while tightening age eligibility rules. The result is not a targeted response to criminal misuse, but rather a broad restructuring of what lawful ownership means in Virginia.

As lawmakers and the public debate these measures, the central question is not whether gun violence is a serious issue — it is. The question is whether restricting widely owned firearms, limiting magazine capacity to 15 rounds, and prohibiting firearm possession by minors in supervised settings meaningfully addresses violent crime, or whether it primarily burdens citizens who have followed the law. The distinction between punishing misconduct and restricting lawful conduct is the line lawmakers are now being asked to redraw.

Senate Bill 749

SB749 Vote: 2026 Regular Session

House Bill 217

HB217 Vote: 2026 Regular Session

Contact Your Local Virginia Legislator

Virginia Carry Information

Gun Owners of America

National Rifle Association

Virginia Citizens Defense League

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