Duty Arms Index
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What guns do Virginia police carry?

Short answer: most Virginia police carry a Glock (80% of duty pistols). The Glock G17 is the most common primary duty pistol (6 of 14 agencies, 42.9%), ahead of the Glock G45 (4), and 92.9% of duty pistols are 9mm. The Remington 870 is the most common shotgun (10 of 11). For every agency's current loadout, see the Virginia agency list.

Data coverage: Based on 21 Virginia agencies in the Duty Arms Index with a current, sourced pistol, rifle or shotgun entry: 14 with a primary duty pistol, 4 with a patrol rifle and 11 with a duty shotgun (SWAT/tactical-unit guns and 1033 military-surplus rifles excluded). Agencies that authorize several primaries count once for each. Counts include only current entries with a public source; agencies not yet in the index, or without a sourced entry for this item, are not counted, so treat shares as a picture of the Duty Arms Index, not of every agency. Data last updated Oct 10, 2026.

21
Agencies with sourced entries
14
With a duty pistol
4
With a patrol rifle
11
With a duty shotgun

Most common duty pistols: Virginia police

Primary duty pistol, counted once per agency per model family.

  1. 1Glock G17who uses it6 (42.9%)
  2. 2Glock G45who uses it4 (28.6%)
  3. 3Glock G19who uses it2 (14.3%)
  4. 4SIG Sauer P320who uses it2 (14.3%)
  5. 5Glock G22who uses it1 (7.1%)
  6. 6Heckler & Koch VP91 (7.1%)

Share is of 14 agencies with a sourced primary duty pistol. Generations and optic-cut variants are combined per model family.

Pistol brands

Of 15 agencies with a sourced primary duty pistol maker (incl. entries that name the maker but not the model).

  • Glock12 (80%)
  • SIG Sauer2 (13.3%)
  • Heckler & Koch1 (6.7%)

Pistol calibers

One primary duty pistol per agency, 14 agencies.

  • 9mm Luger13 (92.9%)
  • .40 S&W1 (7.1%)

Nationally, the Glock G17 leads at 27.1% of 623 agencies. Here it is at 42.9%.

Patrol rifles: only 4 Virginia agencies have a sourced patrol rifle so far, too few to rank (so far: Bushmaster XM15 M4A3, Colt AR-15, Colt M4 Carbine). See the national patrol rifle ranking.

Most common shotguns: Virginia police

Duty shotguns (patrol, less-lethal and authorized), counted once per agency per model family.

  1. 1Remington 870who uses it10 (90.9%)
  2. 2Benelli SuperNova1 (9.1%)
  3. 3Mossberg 590 / 590A11 (9.1%)

Share is of 11 agencies with a sourced duty shotgun. Generations and optic-cut variants are combined per model family.

Top duty pistol by agency type

  • Local police · 9 agencies

    Glock G17 (5, 55.6%)

  • Sheriff's office · 3 agencies

    Glock G17 (1, 33.3%)

  • State police / highway patrol · 2 agencies

    SIG Sauer P320 (2, 100%)

What major Virginia agencies carry

Agencies among the nation's largest by sworn officers first, then statewide agencies, sheriffs and local police A–Z. Primary duty pistol and patrol rifle as sourced on each agency page (or the agency's other current pistol / rifle entry where no primary is sourced).

AgencyDuty pistolRifle
Virginia State PoliceSIG Sauer P320SIG Sauer M400
Virginia Conservation PoliceGlock G23not yet sourced
Virginia Division of Capitol PoliceSIG Sauer P320not yet sourced
King George County Sheriff's OfficeGlock G22not yet sourced
Madison County Sheriff's Office (Virginia)Glock G45Colt AR-15
Stafford County Sheriff's OfficeGlock G17not yet sourced
Alexandria Police DepartmentGlock G17Bushmaster XM15 M4A3
Arlington County Police DepartmentGlock G17not yet sourced
Bridgewater Police Department (Virginia)Glock G45not yet sourced
Chesterfield County Police DepartmentGlock G17Smith & Wesson M&P15
Dublin Police Department (Virginia)Glock G45not yet sourced
Falls Church Police DepartmentHeckler & Koch VP9Colt M4 Carbine

Every Virginia agency and its loadout →

Frequently asked

What handgun do Virginia police carry?
The Glock G17 is the most common primary duty pistol among Virginia agencies in the Duty Arms Index: 6 of 14 agencies with a sourced duty pistol (42.9%), ahead of the Glock G45 (4) and the Glock G19 (2).
What brand of pistol do Virginia police use most?
Glock: 12 of 15 agencies (80%), then SIG Sauer (2) and Heckler & Koch (1).
Do Virginia police carry 9mm?
Mostly. 13 of 14 Virginia agencies with a sourced primary duty pistol (92.9%) issue a 9mm; the rest include .40 S&W (1).
What shotgun do Virginia police use?
The Remington 870: 10 of 11 Virginia agencies with a sourced duty shotgun (90.9%), then the Benelli SuperNova (1).
What gun does the Virginia State Police carry?
The Virginia State Police issues the SIG Sauer P320 as its primary duty pistol, per the sourced entries on its agency page.

Agency head to head

What police carry in other states

California · Federal agents · Florida · Connecticut · Maryland · Texas · Michigan · North Carolina · Georgia · Missouri · New York · Wisconsin · duty pistol in every state