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Legal Information: Virginia

State Gun Laws

Laws current as of July 8, 2024

What is the definition of a felony?

Throughout these gun law pages, we will refer to gun laws that make it illegal for someone convicted of a felony to have a gun. A felony is a more serious crime than a misdemeanor. A felony under Virginia state law is an offense that is punishable by death or confinement in a state correctional facility.1 However, you cannot always tell if someone was convicted of a felony only by looking at the amount of time s/he actually served in prison since sentences are often reduced or pled down. If you are unsure if the abuser was convicted of a felony, you might want to talk to the prosecutor who handled the criminal case against the abuser to find out or go to the local criminal courthouse and try to search the records.

A felony under federal law is a crime that is punishable by a prison sentence of more than one year.2

1 Va. Code § 18.2-8
2 18 USC § 3559

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