Virginia Gov. Spanberger signs, makes amendments to gun safety laws

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed and amended a series of gun bills, fulfilling her campaign promise to tighten gun safety.

The measures Spanberger signed into law include a bill requiring guns be locked away when left in vehicles, a statewide ban on so-called “ghost guns” and a bill allowing gun makers to be held legally accountable in certain cases of gun violence.

“It’s a historic win not just for Virginia. … When we elect change-makers that share our values around gun safety, then change happens,” Kelly Johnson with Moms Demand Action told News4.

State Sen. Dave Marsden sponsored the bill making it a Class 4 misdemeanor with a $250 fine if gun owners don’t lock up their handguns on the road, either in a locked glove box, console or specially designed container affixed to the vehicle.

Marsden said criminals, especially teens, are increasingly getting their weapons from vehicles before committing crimes.

“Our cars have become shopping carts for kids,” he said. “To treat this as a criminal offense will send a message out there that you need to be responsible, and if you want a gun in your car, go to the expense of doing it the right way.”

Spanberger also put her mark on several high-profile measures, adding amendments late Monday night.

Her office said she changed an assault weapons ban to exclude certain semi-automatic weapons used for hunting. The assault weapons legislation does not apply to firearms or magazines lawfully owned before July 1, 2026.

She also amended the bill requiring guns be stored and locked in homes with minors to allow a gun locking device that makes the weapon inoperable.

In another bill, Spanberger added language to raise the handgun purchase age from 18 to 21, with exceptions for members of the military or people in law enforcement training.

Gun rights organizations are promising immediate court challenges, hoping to block some of the changes.

In their sites in particular: the assault weapons ban.

“We’ll be ready to meet them at the court steps. The lawsuits are drafted. The support from the Department of Justice, their civil rights division, is there and we’ll look forward to our day in court to right these wrongs,” James Commerford with the National Rifle Association said.

Commerford said the new restrictions hurt Virginians who are already following the law.

“It’s just continuing to put limits on the population in the state that is the most law abiding,” he said. “They’re continuing to focus of reducing the constitutional rights of Virginians across the Commonwealth.”

Lawmakers will decide whether to sign off on Spanbergers’ amendments when they reconvene next week.