Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Guns in Schools in Virginia.’ Guns in Public. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 25 April
Relevant contents
Guns in Schools in Virginia
Virginia prohibits the possession of any firearm on:
- Any public, private or religious elementary, middle or high school, including buildings and grounds;
- That portion of any property open to the public and exclusively used for school-sponsored functions or extracurricular activities while such functions or activities are taking place; and
- Any school bus owned or operated by such school.
The law provides exceptions for any person who possesses:
- A firearm as a part of the school's curriculum or activities;
- A firearm as a part of any program sponsored or facilitated by either the school or any organization authorized by the school to conduct its programs either on or off the school premises;
- An unloaded firearm in a closed container in or upon a motor vehicle, or an unloaded shotgun or rifle in a firearms rack in or upon a motor vehicle; or
- A valid concealed handgun permit and a concealed handgun while in a motor vehicle in a parking lot, traffic circle, or other means of vehicular ingress or egress to the school.
In 2010, the Supreme Court of Virginia rejected a challenge to George Mason University's regulation restricting the possession and carrying of firearms inside campus buildings and at campus events. The court pointed out that the regulation was tailored, restricting weapons only in those places where people congregate and are most vulnerable. Individuals could still carry or possess weapons on the open grounds of this public university, and in other places on campus not enumerated in the regulation…
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]