Possessing a Firearm in a Courthouse in Virginia
February 20, 2015 by Jean Humbrecht
Virginia prohibits carrying firearms and other weapons into specific places, even with a concealed carry permit. One of these prohibited places is a courthouse. For more information on Carrying a Firearm into a Courthouse in Virginia under Va. Code §18.2-283.1, see below.
Carrying a Firearm Into a Courthouse in Virginia
To convict an offender of Carrying a Firearm into a Courthouse in Virginia under Va. Code §18.2-283.1, the Commonwealth must prove that the person:
- possessed in or transported into
- any courthouse in the Commonwealth
- a
- gun (or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile or projectile of any kind)
- pistol
- revolver
- other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind by action of an explosion of any combustible material
- other dangerous weapon, or
- any weapon of like kind
A firearm is an instrument that was designed, made, and intended to expel a projectile by means of an explosion. The Commonwealth does not need to prove that the weapon was operable, capable of being fired, or had the actual capacity to do serious harm in order to prove that it was a firearm.
A handgun is any pistol or revolver or other firearm, except a machine gun, originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile by means of an explosion of a combustible material from one or more barrels when held in one hand.
A pistol is a weapon originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile from one or more barrels when held in one hand, and having: a chamber as an integral part of, or permanently aligned with, the bore and a short stock designed to be gripped by one hand at an angle to and extending below the line of the bore(s).
A revolver is a handgun with a revolving cylinder and is operated by pulling the trigger which rotates the cylinder andcocks the hammer, causing the gun to fire.
An offender can also violate this statute by carrying a frame, receiver, muffler, silencer, missile, projectile, or ammunition designed for use with a dangerous weapon into a courthouse or by possessing any of these items in a courthouse.
Penalty for Carrying a Firearm in a Courthouse in Virginia
Any weapon possessed will be seized by a law-enforcement officer.
Carrying a firearm into a courthouse in Virginia is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punished with up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500.
Certain people are exempt from being charged under this statute, including police officers, sheriffs, law-enforcement agents or officials, conservation police officers, conservators of the peace, magistrates, court officers, judges, city or county treasurers, or commissioners of deputy commissioners of the Virginia Worker’s Compensation Commission while in the conduct of such person’s official duties.