Virginia’s new firearm law leads to more than 1,000 denials

New gun laws go into effect in Virginia

An array of new laws are going into effect in Virginia today - including new restrictions on firearms.

RICHMOND, Va. - More than 1,000 people have been denied the purchase of a firearm under a new law in Virginia that limits purchases to one handgun a month.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Tuesday that 1,102 people were denied under the law last month. There were more 1,800 denials overall in the state for the month of July.

The high number of denials is partly attributed to confusion among gun dealers and customers about how the monthly restriction period is calculated. Many believed the law would not apply to purchases made the month before the law took effect on July 1.

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Jerry Cochran, owner of Trader Jerry’s, said the state made the law “retroactive and did not tell us.”

Gun sales in Virginia set new records in June

Gun sales are surging nationally, and right here in Virginia -- they're shattering records amid the coronavirus pandemic, nationwide protests over police brutality, and in the Commonwealth, just before new gun control measures went into effect.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said the law “prohibits someone from purchasing a handgun after June 30, 2020, if that same individual also bought one within the previous 30 days — unless the purchaser is covered by an exemption to this statute.”