Virginians did not wait to find out whether Governor Abigail Spanberger would sign a ban on the sale of popular semi-automatic rifles before heading to their local gun stores. Newly released industry data shows Virginia ranked fourth among all states for overall firearm sales-related background checks in April, and second for long gun sales, despite being only the twelfth most populous state.According to an NSSF analysis of FBI NICS data reported by The Outdoor Wire, sales-related background checks in Virginia jumped by nearly 79 percent year over year in April. The state also saw a surge in checks for National Firearms Act items, with 18,538, trailing only Texas.The surge extends a trend that began shortly after Democrats took trifecta control of the Virginia government following the 2025 elections. The legislature passed more than a dozen gun-control proposals this session, touching on safe storage, expanded carry restrictions, and an enhanced red flag law. Most have already become law, including the assault firearm and magazine ban Spanberger signed on May 14.Virginia was not the only state where pending legislation drove a sales spike. NSSF’s Mark Oliva noted that Connecticut, which is considering a ban on some popular striker-fired handguns, saw background checks rise more than 28 percent year over year. Rhode Island, where lawmakers have proposed confiscating Modern Sporting Rifles, saw a 54 percent increase.Nationwide, adjusted NICS checks rose about 1.6 percent year over year to 1,193,428 in April. That leaves April 2026 just off the post-pandemic low set in April 2025.It is worth remembering that adjusted NICS checks are a proxy for sales, not a perfect count. The NSSF excludes permit checks and other non-sales transactions from the FBI’s raw data, but as the group cautions, state laws and purchase scenarios mean a background check does not always equal a single firearm sale.Still, the Virginia numbers are striking. The threat of hardware bans continues to be one of the most reliable drivers of consumer demand in the firearms industry. TFB has followed the legislative battle closely, from the initial passage of the ban to Rideout Arsenal’s decision to leave the state.