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Possession of a Firearm in Arlington

There are a variety of different reasons why a person might want to own a gun, and most of them are for perfectly legitimate reasons. Hunting is plentiful in the state of Virginia and across the river in Maryland. There are a lot of people that love going to the target range and shooting targets. For many people, shooting is a passion. Some individuals might be concerned about their personal well-being and may want a gun to prevent anything bad from happening to them in the event of a home invasion.

There are many different, but completely legal reasons for a person to possess a firearm. Guns, however, are the most used weapons in violent crimes, and if an individual is convicted of an offense related to a gun, the penalties can be harsh. For these reasons, an experienced Arlington gun lawyer that is familiar with Virginia gun laws and the jurisdiction should be contacted immediately whenever someone is accused of a gun-related offense.

Legal Gun Ownership

It takes little for a person to legally possess a firearm in Arlington. There are no registration laws, therefore, if a person does not intend to possess a firearm in a manner that is concealed from public view while it is on their person from the persons outside of their home, they do not have to do anything. From a legal perspective, however, the most important thing that a citizen of Virginia must remember is that they cannot and should not conceal a weapon without the permit to do so; that is a crime.

If someone does intend to obtain a concealed carry permit in Virginia, that, in contrast to legally possessing a firearm, will be a challenge. They will have to file paperwork with the circuit court in the jurisdiction where the person resides.

Again, the simple possession of a firearm in Arlington is easy as long as an individual does not have a criminal history. They do not have to have any documentation to support where they got it, and they also don’t need documentation to support the registration of your firearm.

Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

If a person is convicted as a felon, he or she cannot own a gun. However, there are other things that could happen to a person which would render them ineligible to possess a firearm. That ineligibility might be temporary or permanent.

For example, if an individual is the subject of a restraining order or a protective order as it is called in Virginia for family abuse, he or she is not going to be allowed to legally possess a gun during the pendency of that protective order and doing so is considered to be a criminal act.

If the individual that is attempting to attain a firearm legally has a felony record, whether or not it is a violent felony, the individual is not allowed unless they get both their civil rights and their rights to possess a gun restored. The process of doing this can be quite challenging.

Ultimately, if an individual has no criminal record and no intention to conceal their weapon while they are outside of their home, they do not have to do anything in Arlington to possess a firearm.

Concealment Laws

Concealment of a weapon is a crime; that is the case regardless of how many people do or do not do it. There is a good reason why concealing a weapon can be considered a crime and that is because no one wants people walking around with concealed weapons.

There are a lot of good reasons for this. Whether or not they use them is immaterial; whether or not they commit crimes with them does not matter. The crime statistics do not play a role in the legislature determining what is or is not considered legal in terms of concealing a weapon.

Brandishing A Firearm

Showing a gun in a manner that is considered threatening to someone is illegal. Brandishing a firearm is illegal. Carrying it down the street without gesturing at someone or acting in any kind of threatening manner is legal. The perception that the individual carrying a firearm poses a threat to an individual or a group of people must be reasonable for the person to be convicted of brandishing a firearm.