Virginia legal term
Sawed-off shotgun in Virginia Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Virginia legislative session
In Virginia criminal law, “Sawed-off shotgun” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Virginia criminal code.
What does “Sawed-off shotgun” mean in Virginia criminal law?
"Sawed-off shotgun" means any weapon, loaded or unloaded, originally designed as a shoulder weapon, utilizing a self-contained cartridge from which a number of ball shot pellets or projectiles may be fired simultaneously from a smooth or rifled bore by a single function of the firing device and which has a barrel length of less than 18 inches for smooth bore weapons and 16 inches for rifled weapons. (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-299)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.