Wrong again.

Oh good, so we have some verification. So this guy that sold the gun but didn't have a bill of sale; he was charged for not keeping a bill of sale, and photographs of two pieces of ID right? What part of VA code was he charged with?

I'm not telling the OP to do, or not do anything. He can get ID, a stool sample, finger prints and a retina scan for all I care. He asked what the requirements were (in a section of the forum called "the laws". Sort of suggests he was looking for the legal requirements doesn't it???) None of those are, unless you know something I don't. If so, please provide a cite so that I can learn of these new secret laws.

This man's post is worth reading again:



Keeping records is not required.

What are preemtive laws for then.

It is required when you buy your gun at a gunshop.

Thanks for this i will check thhis out for sure.

You mean preemption, not preemptive. Virginia's preemption law keeps localities from enacting more stringent regulations than the state has, unless expressly permitted.

Code § 15.2-915 states that "No locality shall adopt ... any ordinance ... governing the purchase ... of firearms ...."

Virginia does not require record-keeping, as in zero records. No locality may require any more records than zero records.

0+0=0

I'm confident you can take it from here...

Yes, but the original question was for private sales and that's what we are all talking about.

When you buy a $1000 TV that has a 1 year warranty you are given a receipt. Its nice to have that receipt handy if the TV were to break within a year and you need to return it for repair or replacement.
No receipt and you'll be buying a new TV.


It will be nice to have that bill of sale if the law comes knocking and they tell you that a gun registered to you was found at a murder scene. I'd sleep much better that night if I had a bill of sale to hand over to them and say "go ask this guy, I sold the gun to him".

to each his own

Ok, fine, i see the light now, but bill of sell with name and adress for sure.

Some of us have answered the original question.

Another member made statements that weren't true about what the law requires. We have shown and pointed him and others in the correct direction.

What makes you or others comfortable and sleep better at night isn't a part of the equation.


No one is saying don't get a BOS.
No one is saying don't ask for a blood sample.
No one is saying don't ask for a drug test.

We are just stating it isn't required by law.

Seller is free to make whatever rules they want, but their rules may not be required by the law.

Buyer's are only obligated to meet what the law requires, they are free to accept sellers extra legal terms or move on.


Hopefully the seller is smart enough to state what hoops they want folks to jump through before hand as not to waste anyones time and money.


I can't make it any more clear for anyone to understand.



Comparing getting a reciept from a store bought TV and a private firearm sale makes very little sense.
Why not compare FFL sale to private firearm sale?

For me if I have to go the extra steps for a private FTF firearms transaction I might as well buy from an FFL holder.

if the price is right why not.
But i will still riquire a bos, if i ever sell a firearm to an individual.

To each its own

Why are you even weighing in on this discussion then?

because i can and i want too.

what is it to you, its a free world isnt it.

"A month from now the ATF shows up at your door and wants to know why an AR registered yo you was found at a crime scene in New York"

Don't mean to muddy up this thread, just a comment/question.

If a firearm is origially purchased and stays in Virginia, it's never "registered" to anyone, is it?

Likethelake,
Speaking primarily about new guns here.
My experience has been alot of people refer to the records a selling dealer keeps as "registered" because it is traceable to you. Meaning said firearm is traced back to the manufacturer, then to the distributor(if one) and on the the selling dealer. Dealer then looks it up in his records and gives Law Enforcement your information, then they knock on your door. This process would be much more difficult on used firearms because of unknown number of transfers.

I'm surprised fairfax county didn't tell you can't even take your AR-15 out of you resience. (just kidding- sort off). Not a very gun friendly gun jurisdiction.

Some of you probably remember that it took the Va. Circuit or Supreme Court back in the later 1990's to FFX to eliminate their own additional county fee (100 bucks or something) and abide the state reqt. of 45 days (instead of taking 6 or more months) on issuing CHPs.

You are correct their is no registration of firearms in the Commonwealth. Just a paper trail back to the original buyer at the place of original purchase. What the advocates of BOS are advocating is private sellers agreeing to form their own continuing paper trail. This is not REQUIRED by law despite lies to the contrary by these advocates and certain police departments. They continually repeat how you will be required or need to "have answers for law enforcement" if a gun you sell ends up at a crime scene. That is the biggest lie in the world, you NEVER have to talk to law enforcement .

Perfect example of law enforcement agencies lying to a citizen and creating imaginary law where none exists . By the way most law enforcement personnel don't know the law very well and asking them questions about law is foolhardy.

The one big rule is you shall not sell a firearm to a person you know to be prohibited from possessing a firearm. Obey that rule and you will stay out of prison. By the way...there is no magic bullet to let you know whether a person is prohibited or not. Whether a person is sane or not. A person with domestic violence convictions can still vote and may very well have a voter id. Someone failed to surrender their ccw when they were arrested on a felony warrant. The guy may have just been released from Saint Elizabeths. Often a convicted felon will have their voting rights restored but never got their firearm rights restored. You are the final arbiter of who you will sell to. Use your bs detector. In life there are no guarantees.

I've wondered why some sellers on here ask for a voter reg card, since it doesn't prove eligibility. I had a seller refuse to sell to me because I couldn't show that. He said he didn't think I could legally own a gun, even though I showed a receipt for a gun bought from a shop just two weeks before. The range I belong to accepted that as proof of my eligibility, so I wonder if I'm missing something here.

I guess the voter card shows that you were not a felon at one point.

Or got your voting rights restored, which is MUCH easier in this state than getting your gun rights restored. In fact, with some felonies it's automatic once you're done with your time and any parole.

https://commonwealth.virginia.gov/judicial-system/restoration-of-rights