According to an annual report by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Virginia has more legally owned machine guns than any other state, with 30,220 fully automatic weapons registered. A spokeswoman for the ATF, Ginger Colbrun, reports that a detailed breakdown of ownership to the public is prevented by privacy laws, although Virginia State Police do maintain a registry by category. This could include machine guns kept as collector items by retired military personnel, a large number of whom reside in the state. The relative wealth of Virginians could also be a contributing factor, since automatic weapons are expensive to purchase. Police departments also sometimes employ the use of military-style instruments.
Daniel Vice, who is the senior attorney with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence says that the stringent guidelines and requirements for owning automatic weapons—much stronger than those in place for owning other types of guns—is evidence of the effectiveness of strong gun laws because very few violent crimes involve these high power weapons. Those wishing to sell machine guns much obtain special licensure from the federal government, and perspective buyers must have photos and fingerprints registered with the ATF, as well as signing documents indicating that the guns will only be used in a lawful manner.
