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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>60469</law_id><section_number>19.2-386.29</section_number><catch_line>Forfeiture of certain weapons used in commission of criminal offense</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-386.27</reference><reference>19.2-386.28</reference><reference>30-34.2:2</reference><reference>52-11.5</reference><reference>52-25.1</reference><reference>59.1-148.4</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="22.2">Miscellaneous Forfeiture Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>All pistols, shotguns, rifles, dirks, bowie knives, switchblade knives, ballistic knives, razors, slingshots, brass or metal knucks, blackjacks, stun weapons, and other weapons used by any person in the commission of a criminal <span class="dictionary">offense</span>, shall be forfeited to the Commonwealth by <span class="dictionary">order</span> of the <span class="dictionary">court</span> trying the case. The <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall dispose of such weapons as it deems proper by entry of an <span class="dictionary">order</span> of record. Such <span class="dictionary">disposition</span> may include the destruction of the weapons or, subject to any registration requirements of federal <span class="dictionary">law</span>, sale of the firearms to a licensed dealer in such firearms in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 22.1 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Commencing an action of forfeiture" href="/19.2-386.1/">19.2-386.1</a> et seq.) regarding sale of property forfeited to the Commonwealth.
		The <span class="dictionary">court</span> may authorize the seizing <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency to use the weapon for a period of time as specified in the <span class="dictionary">order</span>. When the seizing agency ceases to so use the weapon, it shall be disposed of as otherwise provided in this section.
		However, upon <span class="dictionary">petition</span> to the <span class="dictionary">court</span> and notice to the attorney for the Commonwealth, the <span class="dictionary">court</span>, upon good cause shown, shall return any such weapon to its lawful owner after conclusion of all relevant proceedings if such owner (i) did not know and had no reason to know of the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture and (ii) is not otherwise prohibited by <span class="dictionary">law</span> from possessing the weapon. The owner shall acknowledge in a sworn <span class="dictionary">affidavit</span> to be filed with the record in the case or cases that he has retaken <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the weapon involved.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 18.1-270; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15, &#xA7; 18.2-310; 1986, cc. 445, 641; 1988, c. 359; 1990, cc. 556, 944; 2004, c. 995; 2007, c. 519; 2012, cc. 283, 756; 2020, c. 1000.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
