Virginia State Police - Multiple Handgun Purchase

Purchase of Multiple Handguns in Virginia

The 1993 Virginia General Assembly amended and reenacted §18.2-308.2:2, Code of Virginia , making it unlawful for any person who is not a licensed firearms dealer to purchase more than 1 handgun within any 30-day period. The Virginia State Police is responsible for accepting and processing the Multiple Handgun Purchase Application and Multiple Handgun Purchase Certificate, when purchases in excess of one handgun within a 30-day period can be justified.

A Certificate is Not Necessary in the Following Circumstances:

Replacement of a handgun for a handgun that is stolen or irretrievably lost when it is deemed that the handgun be replaced immediately. Such person may purchase another handgun provided the person provides the firearms dealer with a completed form SP-194, Lost/Stolen Handgun Report. The SP-194 is a supplemental report completed by law enforcement officers as verification of a lost or stolen handgun to authorize replacement of one handgun, which was purchased within the last thirty-day period, pursuant to §18.2-308.2:2. This form can be viewed, downloaded and/or printed by visiting the Virginia State Police Forms page.
Trade-in of a handgun at the same time a handgun is purchased and as a part of the same transaction, provided that no more than one transaction of this nature is completed per day.
Exchange or replacement of a handgun by a seller for a handgun purchased from such seller by the same person seeking the exchange or replacement within the thirty-day period immediately preceding the date of exchange or replacement.
Purchase of multiple handguns by a private security company licensed to do business within the Commonwealth.
Purchase of multiple handguns by a law-enforcement agency or agency duly authorized to perform law-enforcement duties.
When in possession of a valid Virginia permit to carry a concealed handgun.
When purchasing handguns in a private sale. A private sale means purchase from a person who makes occasional sales, exchanges or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection of curios or relics as herein defined, or who sells all or part of such collection of curios and relics.
Purchase of antique firearms. An antique firearm is defined as:
- Any firearm (including any firearm with a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system) manufactured in or before 1898;
- Any replica of any firearm described in subdivision 1 of this definition if such replica (i) is not designed or redesigned for using rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition or (ii) uses rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition that is no longer manufactured in the United States and that is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade;
- Any muzzle-loading rifle, muzzle-loading shotgun, or muzzle-loading pistol that is designed to use black powder, or a black powder substitute, and that cannot use fixed ammunition. For purposes of this subdivision, the term "antique firearm" shall not include any weapon that incorporates a firearm frame or receiver, any firearm that is converted into a muzzle-loading weapon, or any muzzle-loading weapon that can be readily converted to fire fixed ammunition by replacing the barrel, bolt, breech-block, or any combination thereof; or
- Any curio or relic firearm that is of special interest to collectors by reason of some quality other than is associated with firearms intended for sporting use or as offensive or defensive weapons. To be recognized as curios or relics, firearms must fall within one of the following categories: (1) Firearms that were manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, which use rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition that is no longer manufactured in the United States and that is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade, but not including replicas thereof; (2) Firearms that are certified by the curator of a municipal, state, or federal museum that exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; and (3) Any other firearms that derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event. Proof of qualification of a particular firearm under this category may be established by evidence of present value and evidence that like firearms are not available except as collectors' items, or that the value of like firearms available in ordinary commercial channels is substantially less.

Law Enforcement Officers

Law Enforcement Officers are not subject to the handgun purchase restriction of Section 18.2-308.2:2, Code of Virginia. A law-enforcement officer means any employee of a police department or sheriff's office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof, and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth.

Application

Virginia residents may apply for a Multiple Handgun Purchase Certificate at any State Police Division Headquarters, any State Police Area Office, or State Police Administrative Headquarters. You may also consult with your local police or sheriff’s department to determine if they are certified by the Virginia State Police to process these applications. Additionally, licensed firearms dealers may retain these applications for their customers.

Applications will be accepted at all State Police offices between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except when offices are closed for official holidays.

The applicant will be required to complete a Multiple Handgun Purchase Application (Form SP-207) providing the following:

name, sex, race, height, weight, date of birth, place of birth, and citizenship or immigration status;
current address, and all residence addresses within the last 5 years;
number of pistols or revolvers to be purchased;
a brief statement of the circumstances requiring additional handguns to be purchased; and
an acceptable primary and secondary form of identification.

If the handgun(s) to be purchased is a gift, the applicant shall also provide the name, sex, height, weight, race, all residence addresses within the past five years, date of birth, place of birth, and citizenship of the person or persons to whom the further transfer is to be made.

Form SP-207A, Multiple Handgun Purchase Application Supplement, has been developed to capture additional information from an applicant requesting a multiple handgun certificate. The information shall be utilized solely to evaluate applications submitted for collection purposes.

Upon completion of the application, the applicant’s signature must be notarized (applications may be notarized by State Police personnel during normal business hours). The applicant will be provided a telephone number and the hours in which the issuing agency can be contacted.

Primary Identification

The primary form of identification shall consist of a valid photo-identification form issued by a governmental agency of the Commonwealth or of the prospective purchaser’s home state that denotes the purchaser’s name, sex, date of birth, and address. Where the primary form of identification is a photo-identification issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, the date of issuance must exceed sixty (60) days from the date of new issue or duplicate issue unless the prospective purchaser also presents a copy of his/her Department of Motor Vehicles driver's record showing that the original date of issue exceeds sixty (60) days.

A State Department Driver’s License is an acceptable primary form of identification: a photo-identification issued by a [Federal] governmental agency which indicates the individual’s name, address, race, sex, and date of birth.

Social security cards and birth certificates ARE NOT acceptable forms of identification.

Secondary Identification

The secondary form of identification, for Virginia residents and residents of other states, must show an address identical to that shown on the primary form of identification. Some acceptable forms of secondary ID are:

a current lease
evidence of currently paid personal property tax or real estate tax
a current utility or telephone bill
a current voter registration card
a current bank check
a current passport
a current automobile registration
a current hunting or fishing license

Military Personnel identification

Active military personnel permanently stationed in Virginia are treated as Virginia residents for the purchase of a handgun. Identification and residency are established by the following:

A military photo-identification card issued by the United States Department of Defense and proof that Virginia is the permanent duty station via "signed and current" military assignment orders is acceptable identification and residency documentation to establish military personnel as residents of Virginia.

A member of the United States Armed Forces, serving on active duty, whose permanent duty station is located within Virginia, but who dwells in another state, is a “resident” of the Commonwealth of Virginia for purposes of purchasing a firearm.

If permanently assigned to a mobile unit in Virginia, and the homeport is listed as Virginia, the transaction may be processed as a Virginia resident the same as any other permanent military assignment to Virginia supported by military assignment orders. The individual is treated as a non-Virginia resident if the homeport is listed as any place other than Virginia.

Individuals retired from military service are subject to the same identification and residency requirements as any other person wishing to purchase a firearm; i.e., a primary and secondary form of ID.

State Police Processing of Applications

The completed applications will be forwarded to the Firearms Transactions Center (FTC) via electronic means. The FTC will conduct an enhanced criminal history record information check to determine approval or non-approval of the application. The enhanced criminal history record information check will include research of the following databases:

National Crime Information Center maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (warrants of arrest maintained at the national level);
Interstate Identification Index maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (individual states’ criminal history record information files);
Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services
Virginia Criminal Information Network maintained by the Virginia State Police (warrants of arrest maintained at the state level, and restraining or protective orders in instances of domestic violence);
Central Criminal Records Exchange maintained by the Virginia State Police (Virginia criminal history record files and individual’s adjudicated mentally incapacitated, legally incompetent, or involuntarily committed to a mental institution).
Communication with the following agencies will take place to determine any pending charges or indictments or any other criminal history information or documented mental illness:
Local Police Department(s) or Sheriff’s Department(s) of the jurisdiction in which the applicant, and gift recipient, resides.
Local and out-of-state Police Department(s) or Sheriff’s Department of the jurisdiction in which the applicant, and gift recipient, has resided during the last 5 years.
State Police office of the jurisdiction in which the applicant, and gift recipient, resides.
State Police office of the jurisdiction in which the applicant, and gift recipient, has resided during the last 5 years.

Certificate Approved

Once it is determined that the Multiple Handgun Purchase Application is approved, the FTC will notify, via electronic means, the agency accepting the application of authorization to issue the Multiple Handgun Purchase Certificate (Form SP-208). One telephone call will be made to the applicant to advise of the issuance of the certificate.

The certificate is valid for 7 days from the date of issuance.

The buyer of the multiple handgun(s) must surrender the certificate to the licensed firearms dealer prior to consummation of the firearms sale and the dealer shall retain the certificate on file at his place of business for inspection for a period of not less than 2 years.

Purchases of handguns shall not exceed the number of handguns listed on the certificate.

Certificate Denied

Any person denied a certificate for the purchase of more than 1 handgun within any 30-day period may appeal such denial to the Superintendent of the State Police. Such appeal must be in writing, setting forth any grounds which the applicant wishes to be considered. The Superintendent of the State Police shall consider each such appeal, and notify the applicant in writing of his decision within 5 business days after the day on which the appeal is received.

Persons seeking additional information about the purchase of multiple handguns in Virginia may contact either the Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Virginia State Police, Post Office Box 27472, Richmond, Virginia 23261-7472, (804) 674-2147; or, the Firearms Transactions Center, Virginia State Police, Post Office Box 85608, Richmond, Virginia 23285-5608, (804) 674-2675.