Leesburg Weapon Crimes Attorney
For the most part, Virginia has fairly liberal gun laws. However, failing to fully understand those laws can cause you to make a mistake that could impact your rights to own and carry firearms and even lead to serious criminal penalties. Federal criminal laws regarding weapons must be considered as well. At Simms Showers, LLP, our legal background includes prosecuting and defending weapons offenses and other charges in both Virginia and federal courts. If you have been arrested for a gun crime or other weapons charge in Loudoun County, Caleb Kershner and the Leesburg weapon crime attorneys at Simms Showers LLP can help.
Virginia Gun Laws
In most instances, registering gun ownership is not required in Virginia, and one is allowed to open carry without a permit. These liberal gun laws only make it all the easier to neglect technical aspects of Virginia gun laws, and fail to register a firearm when required. Again, it is important to be aware of exceptions in the law. For instance, there is no open carry of assault weapons in Fairfax and Loudoun County, and to open carry in a vehicle, the gun must be properly secured in a container or compartment. A permit is required in order to concealed carry in Virginia, although such a permit shall be issued to anyone who meets the criteria under the law. It is nevertheless important to obtain that permit and carry it with you whenever carrying a concealed weapon.
Firearms aside, Virginia law also prohibits the possession of certain weapons, such as switchblades, ballistic knives, blackjacks, brass knuckles, and throwing stars. Improperly carrying a concealed handgun, knife or other prohibited weapon is a Class 1 misdemeanor, meaning you could be sentenced to up to a year in jail. A second violation of this law is a Class 6 felony, and a third violation is a Class 5 felony, with a sentence of up to ten years in prison if convicted. Our gun attorneys in Loudoun can help today.
Federal Gun Laws
Federal gun laws cover every aspect of gun ownership, including use, possession, receipt, sale, transfer, shipping, transport, manufacture, or making false statements in connection with a firearm. In addition to the weapons laws themselves, numerous federal offenses include additional prison time (sentencing guidelines enhancements) when a gun is involved in the commission of offenses such as assault, kidnapping, stalking, theft, burglary, robbery, trespass, drugs, fraud and more.
Help is Available for Virginia and Federal Weapons Charges
Violations of weapons offenses often rest on technical interpretations of complicated laws, or on subjective opinions such as whether a gun was “brandished” or not. Caleb Kershner and the Leesburg weapons charges attorneys at Simms Showers, LLP conduct a thorough investigation into the offense you are charged with and provide a strong, effective defense designed to keep you from being prosecuted, convicted or sentenced to jail. In Leesburg, Loudoun County and northern Virginia, call 703-997-7821 to talk to a gun attorney in leesburg with the knowledge, skills and experience to help you.
