zoom6zoom wrote:
The only state law in Virginia regarding NFA is that full auto be registered with the State Police.
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Yes, that's the notorious Virginia "Uniform Machine Gun Act." It's past time for that to be repealed.
The requirement for registration is not the worst aspect of that law. After all, the registration is "after the fact" (within 24 hours after actually receiving the weapon), is free, needs only a notarized application, and doesn't have to be renewed.
The worst part of the law is the vague notion of "offensive or aggressive purpose" (a Class 4 felony) which is presumed if the weapon is found off your business or residence premises, or if empty or loaded ammunition is found nearby. Theoretically, you could be prosecuted for a violation if you simply took the gun to a public range. Now, I've never heard of anyone actually being prosecuted, but this is a tool that an overzealous prosecutor
could abuse. This needs to be taken off the books.
https://vacode.org/2016/18.2/7/5/
Ironically, Virginia has one of the highest per capita rates of machine gun ownership in the country. Machine gun owners tend to maintain a low profile, however, so their issues don't get addressed.