For many years the Virginia Nonresident Concealed Handgun Permit has been one of the most popular concealed carry permits. However, due to a pending law change the Virginia State Police have announced that December 2020 is the last month you will ever be able to take an online class to obtain the Virginia permit. Read below for more information on the Virginia permit and the upcoming law change.
No matter where you live in the United States, the Virginia permit is available to you. Obtaining the Virginia permit allows you to carry in all of the below red states (30 states in total).
Given the large number of states that honor the Virginia permit, it is the perfect permit for people in at least two situations.
- First, for those who live in a state who’s permit has low reciprocity and want to carry in more states. For example, Oregon’s permit is only valid in 24 states. Someone from Oregon who obtains a Virginia permit on top of their Oregon permit will pick up an additional 8 states where they can carry, including hard to get Nevada.
- Second, a Virginia permit is ideal for someone who lives in a state where it is either very difficult, or impossible, to obtain a permit (i.e. California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, etc.). Someone from California who obtains a permit from Virginia won’t be able to use it to carry in California, but they can use it to carry in 30 other states including almost every Western State (plus a Californian could take our online Oregon & Virginia combo class and pick up almost all of the Western States).
It should be noted, however, that the Virginia permit should not be relied upon as a replacement for your home state permit. Some states (like Utah for example) will allow its residents to carry with only a Virginia permit, but others (like Georgia or New Mexico for example) do not allow that. To be safe, the Virginia permit should be used as an additional permit to increase the number of states where you can carry.
Unfortunately due to an upcoming law change the time to obtain the Virginia permit by taking an online course is running out. This past week the Virginia State Police sent instructors (such as ourselves) the following notice via email:
This means if you ever want to obtain the Virginia permit, now is the time. By completing the online class and applying for your permit prior to January 1, 2021 you will be grandfathered in under the old law and will not be required to complete any additional training.
Legal Heat’s online Virginia permit course has already helped many thousands of people obtain their permit and is guaranteed to exceed the current training requirements. The course was designed by nationally recognized firearm law attorney Phil Nelsen. It is not only convenient, but also extremely informational and easy to navigate. You can take the course from any device and you will be issued your certificate of completion immediately upon completion.
