Virginia has no law generally requiring the removal of firearms from, or the surrender of firearms by, persons who have become prohibited from possessing them, although a 2020 law provides a process for the surrender of firearms by a person who has become subject to a final criminal protective order (regardless of the relationship between the perpetrator and victim). This law requires the court to order the person subject to a protective order to surrender firearms within 24 hours to a law enforcement agency, a licensed gun dealer, or a person who is not prohibited from possessing guns, and to file a certification with the court that they have done so within 48 hours after being served with the order.1
Another 2020 Virginia law provides for the issuance of substantial risk orders and the temporary removal of firearms by people subject to these orders. See Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Virginia for more information about that law.
A concealed weapon permittee convicted of an offense that would disqualify that person from obtaining a permit is required to forfeit his permit (but not his firearm) and surrender it to the court that issued it.2 Upon receipt by the Central Criminal Records Exchange of a record of the arrest, conviction or occurrence of any other event that would disqualify a person from obtaining a concealed handgun permit, the Central Criminal Records Exchange must notify the court that issued the permit of the disqualifying arrest, conviction or other event. Upon receipt of such notice of a conviction, the court must revoke the permit and promptly notify the State Police and the person whose permit was revoked of the revocation.3 Notably, many of the events that disqualify an individual from obtaining a concealed weapons permit also disqualify the individual from possessing firearms altogether.
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