Two senators from Virginia have erased any doubt about whether gun control measures at the state level have anything to do with public safety. On April 20, Senators Kaine and Warner introduced a measure to federalize the contentious gun control measures that have been passed into law in the first quarter of this year in Virginia, and to bring the state’s disarmament agenda into the national forum.
The “Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2026” has not yet been assigned a public bill number, but closely resembles measures passed by the Virginia legislature, some of which have been signed into law by the governor.
Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) have previously collaborated on a similarly titled gun control measure in 2020, 2021, and 2024. Kaine described himself on his 2018 campaign site as, “…a gun owner and supports the Second Amendment, but he also believes we must take concrete steps to reduce gun violence.” He has an F rating from the NRA. Warner’s campaign site has a link to an op-ed penned in 2018 for the Washington Post in which he stated that he voted against an “assault weapons” ban before he voted for it.
Their newest collaboration in disarmament is divided into five parts:
- Title I – Firearm Sales
- Title II – Extreme Risk Protection Orders
- Title III – Firearm Safety Requirements
- Title IV – Domestic Violence Relinquishment
- Title V – Other Matters
It is remarkably similar to the Biden-era “Office of Gun Violence Prevention” in that it earmarks federal funding to enforce a number of its initiatives. In broad terms, the measure would implement the following laws and restrictions:
- Outlaw private firearms transfers and require all transfers to go through a licensed dealer (FFL) with narrow exceptions only for close family gifts/loans, estate transfers, temporary emergency transfers, range/hunting transfers.
- Limit handgun purchases to one every 30 days for individuals who don’t hold a state certificate based on an “enhanced background check”.
- Ban “ghost guns” by criminalizing the manufacture/import/sale/possession/transfer of any firearm not detectable by metal detectors or X-ray (after removing grips/stocks/magazines or major components), including any unfinished frame or receiver without a serial number. (This measure would effectively stifle innovation and end the home firearms manufacturing tradition.)
- Broadly defines “assault weapons” in a way that would encompass the most popular semi-automatic, center-fire rifles and adds “assault weapon” prohibitions to existing machinegun prohibitions, while also creating a new federal regulation banning “assault weapons” possession for anyone under 18.
- Create a national framework for Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) funded through a federal grant, which would provide resources to states that enact that legislation.
- Penalizes individuals for not reporting a lost or stolen firearm; imposes “secure storage” requirements if a minor is present; prohibits firearms possession by someone convicted of a “stalking” misdemeanor; creates a new crime of “causing or enabling a child to gain possession of a firearm.”
- Creates a federally funded “National Domestic Violence Firearm Relinquishment” program forcing an individual to surrender firearms upon “qualifying orders.” The law is vaguely written and likely to be abused as a means of disarmament.
- Creates and extends “gun-free” zones at the federal level to include institutions of higher education and areas surrounding mental health facilities.
- Disqualifies firearm possession for anyone convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime.
The bill provides exceptions for law enforcement with regard to the prohibitions on transfers and limitations on handgun sales.
At its core, the bill is punitive and largely designed to chill the exercise of Second Amendment liberties by enacting stiff penalties for non-compliance.
