Virginia and Rhode Island: New Firearms Restrictions Effective July 1, 2026

Last updated: July 8, 2026. This article is general information for our customers, not legal advice. Firearms laws change quickly and remain subject to court challenges — the situation in Virginia is changing rapidly right now — so the details below may change. Always confirm current requirements with the official state resources cited at the bottom of this page or a qualified attorney before purchasing.

Update — July 8, 2026: injunction extended statewide effective July 21; Virginia ordering resumes

On July 7, 2026, Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell of the Washington County Circuit Court issued a letter opinion in Santolla v. Katz (Case No. CL26-1139) amending his June 29 ruling.^[13] Key points:

• Statewide scope: The preliminary injunction against Virginia's assault-firearm and large-capacity-magazine bans now applies statewide — it enjoins all law enforcement agencies of the Commonwealth and its localities, including law-enforcement officers as defined in Va. Code § 9.1-101 and Commonwealth's Attorneys, from enforcing the bans in every Virginia jurisdiction.
• Why the court extended it: The court warned that limiting the injunction to the named defendants would create a “treacherous patchwork of enforcement,” where the same conduct could be lawful in one county but charged as a crime in the next.
• Effective July 21, 2026: To allow time for formal notice of the injunction to be delivered to law enforcement across the state, the court set the onset of the statewide injunction at July 21, 2026. Until then, the earlier, narrower injunctions — including the June 25 Crump v. Katz order binding the Virginia State Police — remain in place.
• Still contested: The Attorney General's office disputes the statewide scope, and the Commonwealth's appeal remains pending, so this could change on short notice.

What we're doing: We are once again accepting orders from Virginia customers, effective immediately. To align with the statewide injunction, Virginia orders will be held and will ship beginning July 21, 2026. Details under “What this means for your order” below.

What's changing

Two states — Virginia and Rhode Island — enacted new firearms laws with a July 1, 2026 effective date.^[2][6] Both were written to restrict the future sale, transfer, manufacture, and purchase of certain semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines, and Virginia has also enacted a separate firearm-industry liability law.

Status as of July 8, 2026: Rhode Island's ban is in effect. In Virginia, the assault-firearm and large-capacity-magazine ban remains blocked by court orders and is not currently being enforced — and on July 7 the Washington County Circuit Court extended its injunction to apply statewide, effective July 21, 2026 (see the update above). A separate Virginia firearm-industry law did take effect July 1, 2026. The Virginia court fight is ongoing and the status could change on short notice. We are accepting orders from Virginia customers again; Virginia orders will ship beginning July 21, 2026.

The product restrictions are written to let residents keep firearms they already lawfully own — they target new sales and transfers, not simple possession of items you already have.^[3][6]

Virginia — the assault-firearm ban is currently blocked by the courts

Virginia's assault-firearm law was enacted as HB217 and the identical SB749 (Chapter 1106), signed by Governor Abigail Spanberger on May 14, 2026.^[1][2][4] As written, it would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor (punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine) to import, sell, manufacture, purchase, or transfer a defined “assault firearm” or a large-capacity magazine.^[2][3] Key points:

• What the law restricts: Future import, sale, manufacture, purchase, and transfer of covered semi-automatic “assault firearms” — defined largely by military-style features such as the ability to accept a detachable magazine combined with a second handgrip, a folding or telescoping stock, and similar characteristics — and of large-capacity magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.^[1][4]
• What's excluded: Antiques, permanently inoperable firearms, and manually operated firearms (bolt, pump, lever, or slide action) are not covered.^[1]
• Existing owners: Residents may keep firearms they already lawfully possess, and for most people there is no penalty for simply continuing to possess such a firearm. In some cases items may be transferred to immediate family members, and magazines owned before July 1, 2026 may be sold to a licensed dealer or to someone outside Virginia.^[1][3]
• Related measures: A companion law (HB1524) prohibits the public carry of assault-style weapons, and Virginia's broader 2026 gun-law package also raised the purchase age to 21 for certain firearms and added safe-storage requirements.^[5]
• Current status — the ban is ON HOLD: In the days before July 1, courts blocked this law. A Spotsylvania County judge declined to halt it on June 18, 2026 (Curtis v. Katz), but that ruling was quickly overtaken: on June 25, 2026 the Lancaster County Circuit Court granted a preliminary injunction in Crump v. Katz barring the Virginia State Police from enforcing the ban, and on June 29, 2026 the Washington County Circuit Court issued a broader preliminary injunction in Santolla v. Katz, finding the ban likely violates the Virginia Constitution.^[10][11] On July 7, 2026 the Santolla court extended its injunction to apply statewide, effective July 21, 2026 — see the update at the top of this article.^[13] As a result, the assault-firearm and large-capacity-magazine ban is not being enforced. Attorney General Jay Jones has said the Commonwealth will seek a stay and appeal to the Virginia Court of Appeals; no appellate stay had been granted as of July 8, 2026, but this could change on short notice.^[10] A separate federal challenge, McDonald v. Katz (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia), remains at an early stage with no ruling.^[12]

Also new in Virginia — firearm industry “standards of responsible conduct” (SB 27)

Separately, Virginia enacted SB 27 (Chapter 530), which took effect July 1, 2026 and, unlike the assault-firearm ban above, is not affected by the recent court orders. It creates a new “Virginia Firearm Industry Standards of Responsible Conduct” (Code of Virginia §§ 59.1-148.5 through 59.1-148.8). It is not a product ban — it requires firearm industry members to maintain “reasonable controls” over how firearm-related products are sold and marketed, and creates civil and public-nuisance liability (enforceable by the Attorney General, local governments, and individuals who are harmed) for those who fail to do so.^[9]

Update — July 8, 2026: We have evaluated our obligations under this law and, with the courts having blocked Virginia's assault-firearm and magazine ban statewide effective July 21, we are resuming Virginia orders as described in “What this means for your order” below.

Rhode Island — effective July 1, 2026 (in effect)

Rhode Island's law — widely known as the state's “assault weapons ban” and enacted as 2025-S 0359A / companion 2025-H 5436A (codified as Chapter 11-47.2, “Unlawful Sale of Prohibited Firearms”) — was signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 26, 2025 and took effect July 1, 2026. Unlike Virginia's ban, it has not been blocked by any court.^[6][7] Importantly, the version that became law restricts the manufacture, sale, transfer, and purchase of covered firearms — it does not ban possession and does not require registration.^[6][8] Key points:

• What's restricted (“prohibited firearms”): Semi-automatic rifles with a fixed magazine over 10 rounds; semi-automatic rifles able to accept a detachable magazine that also have at least one military-style feature; semi-automatic pistols with a fixed magazine over 10 rounds (or that accept a detachable magazine plus certain features); semi-automatic shotguns with a fixed magazine over 6 rounds; and any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.^[7][8]
• Existing owners: Lawful owners may keep their firearms. They may also sell or transfer them to a federally licensed dealer or to an individual outside Rhode Island who can lawfully possess them.^[6][7]
• Magazines: Rhode Island's separate large-capacity magazine ban (more than 10 rounds), enacted earlier and upheld in court, remains in effect.
• Penalties: Violations can carry up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $10,000, and forfeiture of the firearm.^[6][7]
• A note on the Virginia rulings: Although Virginia's similar ban is currently on hold because of court injunctions, those Virginia rulings do not apply to Rhode Island — Rhode Island's law is fully in force. As of July 1, 2026 no lawsuit challenging Chapter 11-47.2 had been filed.

What this means for your order

• If your shipping or billing address is in Virginia: we are accepting Virginia orders again as of July 8, 2026. Because the statewide injunction in Santolla v. Katz takes effect July 21, 2026, Virginia orders will be held and will ship beginning July 21, 2026. If a court stays or narrows the injunctions before then, affected orders may be delayed, modified, or refunded — we will contact you if your order is affected.
• If you live in Rhode Island: our ordering cutoff for affected firearms and magazines shipping to RI addresses was June 19, 2026, and now that the law is in effect as of July 1, 2026 covered items cannot be sold or shipped to Rhode Island addresses.
• Manually operated firearms, compliant configurations, and most accessories remain available in other states — but coverage depends on the specific item and its features.
• If you're unsure whether a specific product is affected, or you need to reach us about a Virginia order, contact our team and we'll help you confirm.

All sales remain subject to your state and local laws, applicable background checks, and transfer through a licensed dealer (FFL) where required. Centerfire Systems is committed to full compliance with state and federal firearms law.

Sources & official resources

1. Virginia Legislative Information System — HB217 / SB749 bill text and status: lis.virginia.gov
2. Richmond Sunlight — HB217 summary (Chapter 1106; effective July 1, 2026): richmondsunlight.com
3. NBC4 Washington — penalties and possession details: nbcwashington.com
4. Patch (Fairfax City) — magazine threshold, bill sponsors, NRA lawsuit: patch.com
5. Insurance Journal (AP) — litigation, local prosecutors, July 1 effective date: insurancejournal.com
6. Rhode Island Governor's Office — press release on the signed law: governor.ri.gov
7. Rhode Island General Assembly — enacted bill text 2025-S 0359A: rilegislature.gov
8. Giffords Law Center — Rhode Island prohibited-firearm definitions and effective date: giffords.org
9. Virginia Acts of Assembly — SB 27, Chapter 530 (2026), “Virginia Firearm Industry Standards of Responsible Conduct” (Code of Virginia §§ 59.1-148.5–148.8): lis.virginia.gov
10. Office of the Attorney General of Virginia — statement following the ruling in Crump v. Katz (June 25, 2026; State Police enjoined; appeal and stay request to the Court of Appeals): oag.state.va.us
11. NRA-ILA — preliminary injunction against Virginia's “assault firearm” and magazine bans (Santolla v. Katz, June 29, 2026): nraila.org
12. Second Amendment Foundation — McDonald v. Katz (federal challenge, Eastern District of Virginia): saf.org
13. Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit of Virginia — letter opinion of Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell, Santolla, et al. v. Katz, et al., Washington County Circuit Court Case No. CL26-1139 (July 7, 2026), amending the June 29 letter opinion to give the injunction statewide application effective July 21, 2026; summarized by NRA-ILA: nraila.org

Questions about your order or whether an item ships to your state? Reach out to our customer service team — we're happy to help.