Background checks on private Virginia firearms sales to resume in July

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - Lynchburg Circuit Court has ruled to dissolve an injunction that blocks background checks on the private sale of firearms in Virginia, effective July 1, according to Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones.

Wednesday’s decision in Wilson v. Hanley follows litigation involving Virginia’s background check law, which requires background checks on all private firearm sales.

April 22, 2026, Governor Spanberger signed into law HB 1525, which establishes a statutory prohibition against the sale of firearms for 18- 20-year-olds in Virginia. The injunction was based on the law as it existed before HB 1525.

Jones says the bill “resolves the underlying cause of the injunction.”

“For too long, communities across the Commonwealth have lived in fear and been tormented by grief and loss as the result of preventable gun violence. This is especially true for Black and Brown communities who experience gun violence at a disproportionate rate. Background checks keep guns out of dangerous hands and save lives,” said Jones. “My predecessor’s refusal to defend Virginia’s life-saving law was shameful and it put the safety of our communities at risk. The Court’s decision today rights that wrong and puts the Commonwealth back on a path of protecting Virginians and stemming the tide of gun violence in our communities.”

Lynchburg Circuit Court entered a permanent injunction in 2025 and then-Attorney General Jason Miyares chose not to file an appeal in the case, according to Jones’s office. Jones, at the time Attorney General-Elect, filed a motion seeking an opportunity to intervene and defend the law.