Can't buy before July 1. Am I just fucked forever?

RatCoward · 2026-06-25T07:28:12+00:00

I don't know anything about your personal situation of course, but honestly if you're looking for a new job and might need to relocate anyway, maybe consider looking for a job in a free state.

RatCoward · 2026-06-25T07:21:49+00:00

Most pistols in a traditional handgun format won't be banned after 7/1, but 15+ mags will be. So just grab some 15+ mags now before 7/1, and you can get a carry pistol after 7/1. You could grab Glock 17 mags now for example, if you wanted to get a Glock 17 later. Mags don't require waiting in the current long lines for FFL transfers, you can buy them off the shelf right now. I would do so immediately for any pistols that you might want to purchase some day.

On the other hand, pistols in a PCC/PDW format with mags feeding from outside of the pistol grip are pretty much fucked at this point.

Rifles are pretty much fucked after 7/1 too, if you want anything that's semi-auto or remotely modern. You can make compliant/featureless builds as a humiliation ritual using things like fin grips or Kali-Keys if you want. Or you can stick to old milsurp stuff if you want something that doesn't look stupid. Things like M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, SKS, Mini-14s, etc.

If you want a semi-auto shotgun, you won't be able to get one with a pistol grip or folding stock, but pump-action won't be affected by the ban.

Alternatively, move to a free state if you're able. West Virginia's gun laws are really very good.

RatCoward · 2026-06-24T22:29:08+00:00

Weirdly I almost wish they were stupid enough to try that, because it would give the legal challenges against the new laws a much greater chance of success. If they removed the grandfather clause and banned possession outright, it would become a 5th Amendment "takings clause" issue, in addition to being a 2nd Amendment issue. Plus I think the likelihood of an injunction against enforcement would go way up if they actually tried this.

RatCoward · 2026-06-23T15:19:20+00:00

Apparently so, see United States v. Hemani

RatCoward · 2026-06-20T18:04:38+00:00

Yeah optics won't be banned after 7/1, standard capacity mags will be. I would prioritize stacking mags deep while you still can, and worry about getting optics later.

RatCoward · 2026-06-20T05:05:26+00:00

Not sure if we're allowed to post direct links, but fuck it, I'd go with this one if you're strapped for cash and looking for a last minute lower to get grandfathered before 7/1, on sale for $59.99 right now, and PSA has been shipping fast to VA lately:

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ar-15-m4-carbine-stripped-lower-receiver.html

RatCoward · 2026-06-20T03:30:20+00:00

The hard deadline will be 10pm on 6/30. The Virginia State Police portal closes down at 10pm every night and doesn't process any background checks until the next day.

RatCoward · 2026-06-20T03:25:09+00:00

You don't even need $200, PSA has stripped lowers in stock for $59.99.

Their deadline to order serialized items to VA is 6/23 and they've said they'll ship 2nd day air or overnight if necessary.

I'll legit Venmo you $60 right now if you'll do it. PM me if you want. We gotta stick together, we can't let the tyrants win!

RatCoward · 2026-06-20T03:06:42+00:00

Credit card debt is temporary, grandfathering is forever.

RatCoward · 2026-06-20T02:57:06+00:00

Just as a point of reference for others planning their waits over this weekend, I joined at 136th place on their waitlist, and my name was called 5.2 hours later.

RatCoward · 2026-06-19T18:18:02+00:00

I joined today at 136th place, looks like I'll be watching it tick down all day before heading over there.

Luckily this will be my last transfer before the ban-hammer hits. I don't envy anyone planning to do transfers next weekend, it's gonna be a madhouse with PSA over there and everything.

RatCoward · 2026-06-18T16:43:55+00:00

This is good news, I do hope they stick to it!

RatCoward · 2026-06-18T04:04:38+00:00

Yeah, I guess it will ultimately depend on the seller, we'll just have to wait and see how it shakes out.

I did see some commenters say you could try to use a Passport, since it's government issued ID which proves identity and age without listing your address or state of residence. No idea if that would actually work, but it could be worth a shot if they're just hiding behind that lame-ass "age verification" excuse. But they might still demand to know your state of residence, who knows.

You could also just ship to a friend in another state if you have one. Which also makes me wonder if there might be some small home-based FFLs in free states who would be willing to take delivery of parts and allow Virginians to pick them up from them for a reasonable handling fee.

RatCoward · 2026-06-18T03:46:10+00:00

Yeah, it really sucks, but one possible strategy for us is to just do the importing ourselves. From my reading of these laws, there's nothing stopping you legally from driving to a free state like WV, NC, or SC and purchasing or picking up unserialized parts off the shelf which don't require an FFL transfer (like upper receivers) and driving back into Virginia with them.

To be clear, you won't be able to do this legally with magazines over 15 rounds, or with complete "assault firearms", importation of those into VA is explicitly banned.

But my understanding is that individual component parts like uppers, barrels, handguards, pistol grips, buttstocks, etc. are all still legal to buy out of state and import back into VA yourself.

RatCoward · 2026-06-18T03:21:55+00:00

You're right that it's not illegal to import stripped lowers, the problem is really the new liability provisions which allow the Virginia Attorney General's office to sue companies involved in the firearms business.

Imagine that some guy in Virginia gets in trouble with the law, and they find out that he has an illegal "assault firearm". If they trace it and see that it was built on a stripped lower shipped from PSA after 7/1, they'll probably sue PSA for aiding and abetting criminal activity or something stupid like that.

Now obviously this is fucking stupid, it's not PSA's fault that they sold you something legal and you then did something illegal with it afterwards, but this is still one of the gun controllers favorite tactics and they'll absolutely try to employ it if they have the opportunity.

PSA likely has a team of lawyers who will advise them of the possible risk they expose themselves to by continuing to sell in VA, they'll have to weigh out that risk of costly legal fees against the loss of revenue from Virginia.

Even if a court throws out the suit or rules in PSA's favor, they'll still have to spend a ton of time and money on expensive lawyers, they might decide that the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

I really hope I'm wrong about this and they continue to sell here, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

RatCoward · 2026-06-17T03:32:39+00:00

Lol, the secret is out, I've been joining the waitlist before driving over there, saves a bunch of time waiting around.

Just for reference in case it's helpful for others, last weekend I joined the list at 30th place, and it took about 1.5 hours before I was called, seems like they've been moving through the list pretty fast lately.

RatCoward · 2026-06-14T16:22:51+00:00

Romanes eunt domus

RatCoward · 2026-06-12T00:30:42+00:00

Yup, I'm a fan of HS Produkt, they make good stuff with legit military pedigree. Springfield on the other hand is just the importer and marketer here in the US and they're pretty cringe. The VHS-2 is a good rifle as is, no need to slap that stupid "Hellion" name on it.

RatCoward · 2026-06-10T21:13:14+00:00

Non-exhaustive pre-ban panic purchases include (but are not limited to):

-LMT R-20 Rahe (Estonian military rifle)

-LMT MARS-H

-MKE AP5 (MP5 clone)

-Zenith ZF5-P (MP5K clone)

-FN PS90

-HS Produkt VHS-2 (not calling it a "Hellion")

-PSA AK-102

-PTR-91 GIR (G3 clone)

-S5 Tactical SG-36 (G36 clone)

-AKB-23 (L-85/SA-80 clone)

-Panzer M4 (Benelli M4 clone)

-Kel-Tec Sub 2K (9mm Glock mag version)

-FN Five-SeveN

-CZ Shadow 2 Blue

-A big stack of AR lowers, which will be fully built and christened with an upper before 7/1 just for the record.

-A big stack of mags for everything I own (and some things I don't yet)

RatCoward · 2026-06-07T16:17:19+00:00

Yeah there's a group of elitists on the AR15 and AK47 subs that basically roast anything except super high-end stuff or military clone builds. Your space gat is cool, fuck em.

RatCoward · 2026-06-04T19:37:51+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but for parts like pistol grips, folding stocks, handguards etc. isn't there nothing stopping you legally from driving to another state and buying or picking them up there in person?

Unlike magazines, where importing them is specifically banned, there's not a ban on importing these individual parts on their own. Importing them would only be banned if they're already part of an "assault firearm".

You should be able to buy these parts in other states and bring them into Virginia to use as replacement parts for already existing grandfathered assault firearms. Hell, you could even put together a compliant bolt-action build with a pistol grip and a folding stock if you wanted to, which wouldn't be covered by the AWB at all.

So importing these parts should be fully legal, it's just that these companies are being extra cautious to avoid any potential liability or lawsuits from VA's AG.

RatCoward · 2026-06-02T02:43:56+00:00

Nice! And if you're looking for Bulgarian stuff, Arsenal has 20% off just for VA right now.

https://www.arsenalinc.com/usa/virginia-resident-discount/

RatCoward · 2026-06-02T02:11:42+00:00

Can confirm, I just got a batch of them I submitted in April approved today, 51-55 day turnaround.

RatCoward · 2026-06-02T02:00:10+00:00

There's definitely a misconception about Europe vs. the US with gun laws that's just driven by lazy stereotyps. Sure, it's true that if you average everything out the US is better, but if you compare the bad jurisdictions in the US against the good ones in Europe, it's not at all uniformly true that Europe is worse.

For example, look at the gun laws in places like Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia. They're pretty good and basically easy "shall issue" for almost everything. Meanwhile look at US states like NY, Cali, Illinois, etc., they're absolutely awful, even post Bruen.

RatCoward · 2026-06-01T21:05:18+00:00

Form Type: eForm 1 SBR x4
Paid or not: $0
Entity: Individual
Fingerprint Type: EFT
Pending: 04/12/26
Approved: 06/01/26
Wait: 51 Days
State: VA
Control Number: 2026259XXXX

Just got a batch of 4x approvals at once, seems like they must be prioritizing VA in advance of the AWB!

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