In 2026, Virginia enacted ghost gun legislations; unless otherwise stated, the provisions of this law will go into effect on January 1, 2027.

First, the law prohibits the importation, purchase, sale, offer for sale, or transfer of ownership of any completed or unfinished frame or receiver unless (i) the item is deemed to be a “firearm” under federal law and (ii) is imprinted with a valid serial number.¹ The federal definition of “firearm” includes “a weapon parts kit that is designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive.”² This means that, under Virginia law, unfinished frames and receivers, like those included in ghost gun kits, are either subject to federal regulations, such as background checks, or are prohibited.

Additionally, the new law prohibits manufacturing, assembling, importing, purchasing, selling, offering for sale, or transferring ownership of any firearm not imprinted with a valid serial number.³ The law will also prohibit knowingly possessing these items beginning July 1, 2027.⁴ New residents moving into Virginia will have 90 days to serialize a firearm, completed or unfinished frame or receiver, remove the weapon from the Commonwealth, or otherwise comply with the law.⁵

A federal firearms licensee (FFL) may serialize firearms, frames, and receivers by imprinting a serial number that begins with the licensee’s abbreviated license number, followed by a hyphen and a unique identification number. The number must be imprinted in accordance with federal regulations, including minimum size and depth. The FFL must also maintain records of transactions involving the serialization of firearms, frames, and receivers.⁶

The law also limits the sale and transfer of privately made firearms. Someone without a federal license to manufacture firearms may not sell or transfer ownership of a firearm that they made, or that they know was made, without such a license, except to law enforcement or someone with a federal firearms license.⁷

Virginia law also prohibits the knowing manufacture, assembly, importation, purchase, sale, transfer or possession of plastic firearms, or any firearm that, after removal of all parts other than a major component, is not detectable as a firearm by the types of X-ray machines commonly used in locations like airports, government buildings, and schools.⁸ “Plastic firearm” means any firearm containing less than 3.7 ounces of electromagnetically detectable metal in the barrel, slide, cylinder, frame or receiver that when subjected to X-ray inspection does not generate an image that accurately depicts its shape.⁹