Spanberger signs into law, amends major gun control proposals
Gov. Abigail Spanberger this week signed into law a package of new gun control measures that the former Republican governor had vetoed for years. She also proposed changes to the proposed assault weapons ban and to legislation regarding safe storage of guns.
Spanberger said in a statement: “I support the Second Amendment. But gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in America, and that should motivate all of us to ask ourselves what we can do to mitigate this harm.”
She signed into law a measure to ban unserialized firearms, known as “ghost guns,” and the parts to them. She also signed into law a measure that will make it a class 4 misdemeanor to leave an unsecured handgun in an unattended vehicle.
Spanberger offered a slight change to the proposed ban on assault weapons to clarify the types of firearms included under the proposed ban and to protect the use of certain semi-automatic shotguns used for hunting. The legislation would prohibit the future sale of assault firearms and the possession of a magazine that can accept more than 15 rounds.
Governor Abigail Spanberger speaks at the "Expanding Freedom" ribbon cutting at Main Street Station from the Shockoe Institute in Richmond, VA., on Thursday on April 9, 2026.
She also offered an amendment to a proposal to require safe storage of firearms in homes where minors are present, requiring that firearms be kept in “a locked container, compartment, or cabinet that is inaccessible” to minors. In Spanberger’s proposed change, a gun owner with a child in the house could meet the legal requirements by using a gun lock.
Several gun safety groups called Spanberger’s actions on gun legislation this week a major win.
“Today is proof that elections matter. Less than six months after we helped elect former Moms Demand Action volunteer Governor Spanberger, she’s signing a historic package of gun safety bills,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “It speaks volumes about the changing political calculus around gun safety that the (National Rifle Association's) home state just cemented its status as a national leader when it comes to keeping guns away from people who have no business being armed.”
At the same time, the NRA criticized both the new laws and the proposed changes.
“Governor Spanberger’s last-minute amendments to these gun control bills—slipped in during the dead of night—are nothing more than a desperate ploy to prop up her radical redistricting referendum by delaying action until after Election Day,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of the NRA's Institute for Legislation Action.
“These changes don’t fix the bills; they merely attempt to rebrand blatant violations of law-abiding Virginians’ Second Amendment rights. Such cynical political maneuvers reveal not only her contempt for constitutional freedoms, but also her disregard for the hundreds of thousands of responsible gun owners across the Commonwealth. Our message to the Governor remains the same. We’ll see you in court.”
The General Assembly will meet April 22 to consider Spanberger's proposed amendments and vetoes.
Anna Bryson (804) 649-6922
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