Virginia, which has a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, along with a Democrat governor, appears poised to push major gun control initiatives with the release of its 2026 legislative agenda.
The NRA-ILA (National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action) serves as one of the most respected gun rights watchdogs when it comes to tracking legislation aimed at gun control. On January 15, they reported on 15 different pieces of proposed legislation that could directly impact gun owners, the most significant of which we outline below.
In 2025, Virginia held special elections for governor and the legislature, electing Abigail Spanberger (Democrat), the state’s first female governor, who was sworn into office on January 17, 2026. All 100 House seats were also up in 2025, resulting in a Democrat majority in the House and a slight edge in the Senate, meaning the gun control bills outlined below have a very good chance of passing.
Proposed Legislation
This list is not exhaustive, but includes the most concerning bills due to their facially unconstitutional nature.
- HB 1094 imposes a separate and additional 11% excise tax on all firearms and ammunition sales from the tax imposed by HB 919.
- HB 700 creates a five-day mandatory waiting period on the sale and transfer of firearms.
- HB 871 creates a mandatory storage requirement for homes where minors or prohibited persons are present.
- HB 926 allows localities to prohibit outdoor shooting on private property unless certain conditions are met, including lot size requirements.
- HB 907 establishes punitive fines for federally licensed firearms dealers that do not strictly comply with the state’s security measures.
- HB 969 establishes a “Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center” with the stated goal of being “the primary resource for research, best practices, and strategies for the implementation of firearm violence intervention, community-based intervention, and group violence intervention programs designed to reduce violence in communities.”
We call the reader’s attention specifically to HB 969 because this is the very blueprint used by Democrats when they held the Presidency under the Biden-Harris administration, and its so-called “Office of Gun Violence Prevention.” As we reported, not only did this office serve as the propaganda platform of the Democrat party in its attempt to sway the narrative on firearms and gun control, it also utilized billions of taxpayer dollars to fund these initiatives – something that the newly proposed office in Virginia is also likely to do.
Although we primarily report on Second Amendment news, in this context, it’s also worth noting that Virginia’s legislative agenda includes a new confiscatory tax. HB 378 introduces a new net investment income tax of 3.8% on individuals, trusts, and estates beginning in 2027.
We’ll continue to cover these legislative initiatives.
