                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

PURCHASE, POSSESSION, OR TRANSPORTATION OF FIREARM FOLLOWING AN ASSAULT AND
BATTERY OF A FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBER; PENALTY (§ 18.2-308.1:8)

A. Any person who knowingly and intentionally purchases, possesses, or
transports any firearm following a misdemeanor conviction for an offense that
occurred on or after July 1, 2021, for (i) the offense of assault and battery of
a family or household member or (ii) an offense substantially similar to clause
(i) under the laws of any other state or of the United States is guilty of a
Class 1 misdemeanor.

B. For the purposes of this section, &#8220;family or household member&#8221;
means (i) the person&#8217;s spouse, whether or not he resides in the same home
with the person; (ii) the person&#8217;s former spouse, whether or not he
resides in the same home with the person; or (iii) any individual who has a
child in common with the person, whether or not the person and that individual
have been married or have resided together at any time.

C. Any person prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm
pursuant to subsection A shall be prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or
transporting a firearm for three years following the date of the conviction at
which point the person convicted of such offense shall no longer be prohibited
from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm pursuant to subsection A.
Such person shall have his firearms rights restored, unless such person receives
another disqualifying conviction, is subject to a protective order that would
restrict his rights to carry a firearm, or is otherwise prohibited by law from
purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm.

HISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 555.