Virginia’s Gun Confiscation Regime: SB749, HB919, and the Systematic Disarmament of Law-Abiding Citizens
Remain Armed
By Jeff Bayard
Virginia Christian Alliance
In my article on Virginia’s Perfect Storm, I documented Virginia Democrats’ coordinated assault on God’s created order. SB749 is the next phase of that assault—this time targeting the God‑given right of self‑defense by disarming the righteous while criminals stay armed.”
If you own a Glock 19 with standard 15-round magazines, an AR-15 with 30-round magazines, a Sig Sauer P320, or a Smith & Wesson M&P, Virginia Senate Bill 749 has a message for you: Surrender your magazines to the government—or face criminal charges.
SB749, which passed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee on January 27, 2026 by a 9-5 vote, doesn’t just restrict future sales. It demands confiscation of magazines you already own.[1][2] Hundreds of thousands of Virginians—possibly more than a million—own firearms with magazines holding more than 10 rounds. SB749 gives them a choice: surrender lawfully purchased property, pay to permanently destroy it, or become criminals overnight.
While Virginia Democrats eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for violent felonies including rape and sexual exploitation of children (HB863), sued police officers for good-faith decisions (HB1314), and shielded sexually explicit books in elementary school libraries (SB19), they now demand law-abiding gun owners hand over their property to the state.[3][4]
This is confiscation. And it targets the righteous while protecting the wicked.
The Perfect Storm: A Pattern of Inverted Justice
SB749 is the latest installment in Virginia Democrats’ coordinated assault on biblical order and my first piece, The Perfect Storm:
HB863: Eliminates mandatory minimums for violent felonies, blunting consequences for rapists, child predators, and other serious offenders.[3][4] When the state protects criminals instead of their victims.
Virginia’s Anti-Police Triple Threat: HB1314, HB7, and HB863 which expose officers to personal lawsuits, strip protections during riots and more.
SB749: Bans so-called “assault weapons” and confiscates standard-capacity magazines from law-abiding citizens.[1][2]
The pattern is unmistakable: government shields the wicked, targets protectors, and disarms the righteous—Romans 13 inverted.
What SB749 Actually Does
SB749, sponsored by Senator Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax), bans what it calls “assault firearms”—defined as any semi-automatic rifle, pistol, or shotgun with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding ten rounds. This sweeps in many common handguns and rifles Virginians have owned for decades.[1][2]
The bill operates through four mechanisms:
First, it prohibits manufacturing, importing, selling, transferring, or possessing these firearms after July 1, 2026. If you don’t own the firearm before that date, you cannot legally acquire it in Virginia.
Second, it grandfathers weapons manufactured before July 1, 2026—but this is a tactical delay, not genuine protection. Senator Salim has openly described this as a strategy to “gradually” remove these firearms from circulation through attrition as grandfathered owners die, move, or sell—confiscation by time.[2][5]
Third, SB749 creates a novel three-year firearm prohibition for anyone convicted under its provisions—even for a first-time Class 1 misdemeanor. This means a single violation doesn’t just result in fines or jail time; it strips your Second Amendment rights for three years.[1]
Fourth, when Senator Ryan McDougle (R-Hanover) offered an amendment to exempt firearms used for self-defense, Democrats rejected it, signaling that even core self-defense uses are not spared.[6]
No Grandfather Clause: Your Magazines Must Go or You Will
Here’s what most Virginians don’t know: SB749 doesn’t just ban future sales of magazines holding more than ten rounds. It demands confiscation of magazines you already own.[1][2][7][8]
If you own a Glock 19 and standard 15-round magazines—purchased legally, stored responsibly, never used in a crime—SB749 makes you a criminal on July 1, 2026 unless you:
- Surrender them to government authorities,
- Permanently modify them to accept only ten rounds (through riveting, welding, or blocking the follower), or
- Face Class 1 misdemeanor charges (up to one year in jail, up to $2,500 in fines).
There is no grandfather clause for magazines. Existing magazines over 10 rounds must be surrendered, permanently altered, or they make you a criminal. Period.[1][2][7][8]
This affects hundreds of thousands—possibly more than a million—Virginians. Virginia has issued over 700,000 concealed carry permits in recent years.[10] The Glock 19 is the most popular concealed carry pistol in America—it comes standard with 15-round magazines. Even if only half of Virginia’s concealed carry permit holders own Glocks or similar pistols, that’s 350,000 Virginians targeted by SB749’s confiscation provision. And that doesn’t count AR-15 owners (30-round magazines are standard), home defenders with extended magazines, or competition shooters who need specific magazine counts.
Proverbs 22:28 warns: Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. When government confiscates property lawfully acquired and held for years, it moves the landmark. This isn’t regulation—it’s theft under color of law.
Three Classes of Virginians: Police Keep Theirs, You Surrender Yours, Criminals Ignore the Law
Under SB749, Virginia creates three classes of people:[1][6][11]
Class 1: Police Officers
Police officers keep their 30-round AR-15 magazines and 15-round Glock magazines. They’re exempted from SB749’s provisions. Virginia Democrats believe officers need standard-capacity magazines to stop violent criminals.
Class 2: Law-Abiding Citizens
Law-abiding citizens must surrender their magazines or face criminal charges. You comply or you’re prosecuted. If you own a Glock 19 with 15-round magazines or an AR-15 with 30-round magazines, you have until July 1, 2026 to surrender them—or become a criminal.
Class 3: Criminals
Criminals ignore the law completely. They don’t surrender anything. They don’t comply with magazine capacity laws any more than they comply with laws against robbery, assault, or murder. SB749 has zero impact on criminals who already operate outside the law.
Now run the scenario:
It’s 3am. Two criminals kick in your door in Richmond. They have stolen firearms with standard-capacity magazines (didn’t surrender them), no fear of SB749 (they’re already committing armed home invasion), and superior firepower (30-round magazines vs. your forced 10-round limit).
You have a legally owned Glock with a 10-round magazine (you complied with SB749), two armed invaders between you and your children, and 8-12 minutes before police arrive.
Who wins?
SB749 doesn’t disarm criminals. Criminals don’t obey magazine capacity laws any more than they obey laws against breaking into your home. SB749 disarms YOU—the law-abiding citizen who complied, who surrendered your property, who trusted Virginia Democrats when they said this was about public safety.
Meanwhile, under HB863, those same home invaders face reduced mandatory minimum sentences. And under HB1314, the officers who finally arrive can be sued for making good-faith decisions to stop the criminals.[3][4]
Virginia Democrats have effectively endowed criminals with superior firepower while disarming citizens, protected criminals by reducing sentences, targeted police with lawsuits, and stripped citizens of adequate defensive tools.
Ecclesiastes 8:11: Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
When you reduce sentences for violent crime AND disarm law-abiding citizens, you’re not creating safety. You’re creating a criminal’s paradise.
When Government Arms Itself and Disarms You
If Virginia Democrats truly believed 30-round magazines are weapons of war, that magazines holding more than ten rounds create excessive danger, that these magazines cause mass shootings, that nobody needs more than ten rounds—then why are police exempt?[1][6][11]
Are criminals less dangerous when facing police? Do police face fewer threats than a single mother in Richmond at 2am?
The exemption proves this isn’t about safety. It’s about control.
SB749 creates two tiers: government agents who can defend themselves with effective tools, and citizens who must surrender their property and defend their families with inferior capacity.
This is tyranny. When government disarms citizens while keeping agents armed, it’s no longer about safety—it’s about creating subjects instead of citizens.
First Samuel 13:19-22 records the Philistines’ weapon ban against Israel: Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears. The Philistines disarmed the Israelites to keep them subjugated. Only Saul and Jonathan—the leaders—had weapons.
SB749 is Virginia’s Philistine weapon ban. Police have swords. You must surrender yours.
HB919: Taxing Ammunition and Pricing Out the Poor
As if banning weapons and confiscating magazines weren’t enough, House Bill 919 imposes an 11% excise tax on all firearms and ammunition sold in Virginia.[12][13] This makes self-defense expensive and prices poor families out of their constitutional rights.
Amos 8:4-6 condemns those who oppress the poor through economic manipulation: Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end… that we may buy the poor for silver. When you tax ammunition, you ensure wealthy Virginians can afford to practice and defend themselves while poor families cannot.
The single mother working two jobs to support her children already struggles to afford a firearm. Now Virginia Democrats want to add an 11% tax to every box of ammunition she buys for practice or home defense. This isn’t about revenue—it’s about making the Second Amendment a rich person’s right.
A Coordinated Agenda: The Full Package
SB749 and HB919 are part of a broader legislative assault:[12][13]
HB916 expands concealed carry permit curriculum requirements, adding barriers to lawful carry.
HB901 expands Virginia’s red flag law, allowing more confiscations based on accusations without due process.
SB272, sponsored by Senator Creigh Deeds, bans campus carry—a bill Governor Youngkin has vetoed three times but which Democrats keep reintroducing.
Together, these bills show a comprehensive strategy: ban the weapons, confiscate the magazines, tax the ammunition, expand red flag confiscations, and prevent carry in more locations.
What Scripture Says About Self-Defense
Scripture establishes clear principles about defending life:
Self-defense is stewardship of life God gave. Genesis 9:6 establishes that human life bears God’s image: Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. When you defend your life or your family’s lives, you’re stewarding what belongs to God.
God permits lethal force in home defense. Exodus 22:2-3: If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him. God doesn’t just permit home defense—He removes guilt from those who use lethal force against invaders. SB749 ensures homeowners are outgunned by the criminals God permits them to stop.
Disarming the righteous enables wickedness. Proverbs 25:26: Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. When SB749 forces the righteous to surrender their defense while criminals keep theirs, the result is justice perverted, government corrupted, the righteous defenseless, and the wicked emboldened.
Jesus commanded His disciples to arm themselves. Luke 22:36: Let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. If Jesus told His followers to prioritize self-defense over clothing, how much more should Christian families maintain effective tools to protect their children?
Nehemiah 4:17-18 shows God’s people working with weapons in hand: Each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. Building requires defending. Families require protecting. Virginia Democrats say you must do both with inadequate tools.
Romans 13 Inverted: When Government Becomes the Tyrant
Romans 13:4 establishes government’s purpose: He is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
Government bears the sword to punish evil and protect the innocent. But as we’ve already seen with HB863, HB1314/HB7, and SB749, Virginia Democrats have turned Romans 13 on its head:[3][4]
HB863 eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for violent criminals—rapists, child predators, armed robbers, carjackers. The sword is dulled against evildoers.
HB1314 and HB7 exposed police officers to personal lawsuits for good-faith decisions and banned protective masks during riots. The sword-bearer is targeted and exposed.
SB749 demands law-abiding citizens surrender their magazines while criminals keep theirs and police remain armed. The innocent are disarmed, the wicked remain armed, government agents retain superiority.
The result: Evil is armed and protected. Righteousness is disarmed and punished. Government punishes good and shields wicked.
This is Romans 13 completely inverted. When government refuses to punish criminals, sues officers for doing their jobs, and disarms citizens while keeping agents armed, it has become the tyranny the Second Amendment was designed to resist.
Dear Pastor: Will You Defend Biblical Self-Defense?
For years, you have faithfully preached God’s Word, shepherded your flock, and taught biblical principles. Your congregation trusts your leadership, looks to you for wisdom, and follows your example in navigating cultural battles.
But there is a gap between the threats Virginia Democrats are creating and the response from Virginia pulpits. SB749 demands that Christians surrender the tools God permits them to use for defending their families—yet in many churches, defending the biblical right to self-defense is avoided because it’s considered politics.
Your congregation includes single mothers in Richmond who keep Glocks with 15-round magazines because home invaders don’t attack alone—and SB749 forces them to limit capacity to ten rounds while criminals keep 30. It includes elderly couples whose only equalizer against young, violent criminals is adequate ammunition—and SB749 strips that equalizer while criminals remain fully armed. It includes fathers who recognize their biblical duty to protect their families (1 Timothy 5:8)—and SB749 ensures criminals have superior firepower.
The cost of silence is measurable: When two armed criminals break into a home at 3am with 30-round magazines they refused to surrender, and the homeowner has a 10-round magazine because he obeyed SB749, and police are ten minutes away—who wins? That’s not a hypothetical. That’s Virginia under SB749.
Scripture is explicit: Exodus 22:2-3, Luke 22:36, and Nehemiah 4:17-18 all affirm the legitimacy of self-defense and bearing arms. Will you teach that self-defense is biblical stewardship—even when it requires adequate ammunition? Or will you remain silent while Virginia ensures criminals have superior firepower to God’s people?
Will you equip your congregation to understand that when government disarms citizens while keeping agents armed, it has created tyranny? Or will you avoid politics while hundreds of thousands of Virginia gun owners become criminals for refusing to surrender lawfully owned property?
The time for silence has passed. Your congregation needs to hear that defending their families is biblical, that SB749 creates a criminal’s paradise, and that Christians have a responsibility to resist laws that punish righteousness and protect wickedness.
The lie that “we shouldn’t talk politics in church” is powerful—but SB749 is not about partisan labels. It is about life, justice, and the God‑given duty to protect our families. When the state attacks biblical principles, silence is not neutrality; it is disobedience. God calls His people to stand, not sit on the sidelines, when evil advances
Spiritual Warfare: Satan’s Strategy Exposed
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us: We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
SB749 is not just bad policy. It’s spiritual warfare.
SB749 and its companion bills follow a spiritual pattern: disarm the righteous, shield evildoers, and target those who bear the sword—exactly opposite of God’s design in Romans 13.[3][4] God’s design is clear: the righteous bear arms (Nehemiah 4:17-18), the wicked face consequences (Romans 13:4), families defend themselves (Exodus 22:2-3), and government punishes evil and protects good.
Virginia Democrats have inverted every element. The result is a state where criminals operate with superior firepower, citizens are disarmed and defenseless, police are targeted for doing their jobs, and government punishes good while shielding evil.
This is demonic. And it requires a response rooted in spiritual warfare—prayer, fasting, bold preaching, and organized resistance.
What You Can Do Before SB749 Becomes Law
First, understand what SB749 really does.
It doesn’t disarm criminals. Criminals don’t obey magazine capacity laws. They don’t surrender their 30-round magazines any more than they surrender their stolen guns or obey laws against home invasion. SB749 disarms law-abiding Virginians who comply with the law, who trust government, who surrender their property when ordered.
The result: Criminals with 30-round magazines. Citizens with 10-round magazines. Police ten minutes away.
Second, contact your state senator immediately.
SB749 passed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee on January 27, 2026 and now sits in Senate Finance and Appropriations.[1][2] If it passes both chambers, Governor Youngkin will likely veto it—but Democrats may try to override.
Call your senator’s office. Email them. Visit their office if possible. Say this:
I’m calling about SB749. I will not surrender my lawfully owned magazines while criminals keep theirs. You’re creating a two-tier system—armed criminals and disarmed citizens. Meanwhile, HB863 reduced sentences for the same criminals SB749 ensures will outgun me. Vote NO on SB749.
Third, mobilize other gun owners.
Virginia has over 700,000 concealed carry permit holders in recent years.[9][10] If even 10% contact their senators this week, that’s 70,000 phone calls and emails. Democrats can ignore 100 calls. They cannot ignore 70,000.
Share this article with every gun owner you know. Print it. Email it. Text it. Post it on social media. Tag your church’s men’s ministry. The only way hundreds of thousands of Virginians learn about confiscation is if we tell them.
Fourth, demand your pastor address this from the pulpit.
Self-defense is not politics—it’s biblical stewardship. When Virginia Democrats demand Christians surrender the tools God permits them to use for defending their families, that’s spiritual warfare.
Ask your pastor to preach on Exodus 22:2-3, Luke 22:36, Nehemiah 4:17-18, and Romans 13:1-4. Ask him to explain that SB749 inverts God’s design by disarming the righteous while criminals remain armed. Ask him to mobilize the congregation to contact senators.
Fifth, prepare for long-term resistance.
If SB749 passes, we believe Virginians will have to weigh conscience before God and the Constitution, even if that means non-compliance. Civil disobedience has a long and honored history when government demands you violate biblical principles or surrender what God permits you to own. The same Virginians who resisted Northam’s gun control will resist Salim’s confiscation.
Finally, pray.
Pray that God would convict Virginia senators to vote NO on SB749. Pray that pastors would preach boldly on biblical self-defense. Pray that Christians would mobilize in massive numbers. Pray that this bill dies in committee or on the Senate floor.
And pray that if it passes, Virginians would have the courage to resist.
The Line in the Sand
SB749 is not about assault weapons or public safety. It’s about control—creating two classes of Virginians (armed government agents and disarmed citizens), ensuring criminals have superior firepower to law-abiding families, and punishing righteousness while protecting wickedness.
Hundreds of thousands of Virginians—possibly more than a million—own magazines holding more than ten rounds. SB749 demands they surrender them or face criminal charges. This is confiscation, plain and simple.
Scripture is clear: Self-defense is stewardship (Genesis 9:6), God permits lethal force in home defense (Exodus 22:2-3), Jesus commanded His disciples to arm themselves (Luke 22:36), and disarming the righteous enables wickedness (Proverbs 25:26).
The time for action is now.
Contact your senator. Mobilize your church. Prepare to resist tyranny.
SB749 is the line in the sand. Will Virginia Christians stand firm, or will we surrender our God-given right to defend our families?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Bayard serves as Content Manager for Virginia Christian Alliance, providing analysis of legislation and cultural issues from a biblical worldview.
TAKE ACTION
Contact your Virginia state senator: https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/senate/members/members.php
Track SB749: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?261+sum+SB749
Virginia Christian Alliance: https://vachristian.org
References
[1] Virginia General Assembly. (2026). SB749 – 2026 Regular Session. https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB749 [2] NRA-ILA. (2026, January 27). Virginia: Multiple Gun Control Bills Advance in Senate. https://www.nraila.org/articles/20260127/virginia-multiple-gun-control-bills-advance-in-senate [3] Fox News. (2026, January 22). Virginia Democrats propose removing minimum prison time for violent crime, expert warns. https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-democrats-frustrate-law-enforcement-bill-axing-prison-time-violent-crime-expert-warns [4] WSET. (2026, January 18). A look at bill proposals in the Virginia state legislature. https://wset.com/news/local/virginia-state-legislature-richmond-mandatory-minimum-sentences-offense-dui-felony-assault-intellectually-disabled [5] American Bazaar Online. (2026, January 28). Virginia considers tougher gun laws in public safety push. https://americanbazaaronline.com/2026/01/28/virginia-considers-tougher-gun-laws-in-public-safety-push-474114/ [6] WHRO. (2026, January 27). Virginia Senate panel advances gun safety bills once vetoed by Youngkin. https://www.whro.org/virginia-government/2026-01-27/virginia-senate-panel-advances-gun-safety-bills-once-vetoed-by-youngkin [7] Resist.bot. (2026, January 29). Amend SB749 to Include a Grandfather Clause for Lawfully Owned Magazines. https://resist.bot/petitions/PPRHXK [8] Facebook – VASRC. (2026, January 26). Gun owners beware! If you possess a magazine that holds 10 rounds or more… https://www.facebook.com/vasrc/posts/1322238396 [10] VPM. (2019, July 23). PolitiFact Virginia: Stanley Rates False on Concealed Carry Statement. https://www.vpm.org/news/2019-07-23/politifact-virginia-stanley-rates-false-on-concealed-carry-statement [11] Cato Institute. (2026, January 29). State-sponsored Homicide in Minneapolis and the New Gun Rights Debate. https://www.cato.org/blog/state-sponsored-homicide-minneapolis-new-gun-rights-debate [12] NRA-ILA. (2026, January 15). Virginia: More Gun Control Introduced in General Assembly. https://www.nraila.org/articles/20260115/virginia-more-gun-control-introduced-in-general-assembly
Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
