NORFOLK, Va. — A new law aims to keep our streets safer by making it illegal to have or sell a gun with an altered serial number.
We spoke with Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi—who worked on the bill—to learn what will change when the new law takes effect this summer.
All guns have serial numbers on them, but sometimes, criminals will scratch them off or alter them.
"The only reason you would be filing off the serial number on a gun is to make it untraceable," said Fatehi.
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Untraceable guns can make solving crimes more difficult since police use the information found on a gun in their investigations. Fatehi says a gun's serial number can help police trace the original sale of the gun, the date that it was manufactured, and the date that it was first sold at a retail store.
Fatehi says it's always been a federal felony to remove a serial number, possess a gun without a serial number, or sell one with an altered serial number. However, he says he and others saw a loophole in Virginia law.
"Under Virginia law, two of those things are not even illegal," says Fatehi. "It is illegal to remove a serial number from a gun, but it's just a misdemeanor. But to possess a gun with its serial number removed or to sell a gun with its serial number removed is not a Virginia crime."
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During the General Assembly session, Virginia lawmakers passed a new law with bipartisan support. The new law aligns with federal law: possessing any gun—except an antique—that has the serial number removed is a Class 1 misdemeanor and selling a gun without the serial number is a felony.
"We don't see these guns every day, but when we see them, they're a big deal. They're almost always part of some other crime. We need to hold people accountable, the same way as if they were in the federal system," said Fatehi.
This new law takes effect July 1. For more information on the law, click here.
