Manufacture, assembly, importation, etc., of plastic or other nondetectable firearm prohibited; penalty
Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-308.5
in effectA. It is unlawful for any person to knowingly manufacture or assemble, cause to be manufactured or assembled, import, purchase, sell, offer for sale, transfer, or possess (i) any plastic firearm or (ii) any firearm that, after removal of all parts other than a major component, is not detectable as a firearm by the types of detection devices, including X-ray machines, commonly used at airports, government buildings, schools, correctional facilities, and other locations for security screening.
B. As used in this section:
"Frame" and "receiver" have the same meanings attributed to them in 18 U.S.C. § 921 et seq. and regulations issued pursuant thereto.
"Major component" means (i) the slide or cylinder, or the frame or receiver, of the firearm or (ii) in the case of a rifle or shotgun, the barrel of the firearm.
"Plastic firearm" means any firearm, including machine guns and sawed-off shotguns as defined in this chapter, containing less than 3.7 ounces of electromagnetically detectable metal in the barrel, slide, cylinder, frame, or receiver that, when subjected to inspection by the types of detection devices, including X-ray machines, commonly used at airports, government buildings, schools, correctional facilities, and other locations for security screening, does not generate an image that accurately depicts its shape.
C. A violation of this section is punishable as a Class 5 felony.
1989, c. 663; 2004, c. 995 ; 2026, cc. 531 , 532 .
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/18.2-308.5/Fetched: 10/16/2026