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Virginia statute

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-83 — Threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.; punishment; venue

Current through 2026 Regular Session

Part of Article 1: Arson and Related Crimes, Code of Virginia.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-83

Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the text of the Code of Virginia from the official Virginia Law Portal API published by the Virginia General Assembly's Division of Legislative Automated Systems; it is not the official Code of Virginia.

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-83Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
A. Any person (i) who makes and communicates to another by any means any threat to bomb, burn, destroy, discharge a firearm within or at, or in any manner damage any place of assembly, building or other structure, or means of transportation or (ii) who communicates to another, by any means, information, knowing the same to be false, as to the existence of any peril of bombing, burning, destruction, discharging of a firearm within or at, or damage to any such place of assembly, building or other structure, or means of transportation is guilty of a Class 5 felony, provided, however, that if such person is under 18 years of age, he is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. B. A violation of this section may be prosecuted either in the jurisdiction from which the communication was made or in the jurisdiction where the communication was received.

Official sources

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by § 18.2-83 a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

Causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by § 18.2-83 is a class 5 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-84.

What are the penalties for causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by § 18.2-83 in Virginia?

As a class 5 felony, causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by § 18.2-83 carries 1 years to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $2,500 (no mandatory minimum) under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-10 (current).

Which Virginia statute covers causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by § 18.2-83?

Causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by § 18.2-83 is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-84 (Causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by § 18.2-83).

Is threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

It depends on the circumstances: threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 5 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-83.

Threat to bomb, damage, or discharge firearm; or false information — adult offender: class 5 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-83A) · Threat to bomb, damage, or discharge firearm; or false information — juvenile offender: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-83A)

Which Virginia statute covers threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation?

Threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-83 (Threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.; punishment; venue).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.