This week, committees in both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly will be hearing an array of bills that are part of Governor Ralph Northam’s agenda to impose sweeping gun control in the Commonwealth. The Senate Committee on Courts of Justice will be holding hearings on January 16th and the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee – Subcommittee #1 will be holding hearings on January 17th. Please contact committee members and urge them to OPPOSE Gov. Northam’s gun control bills. Click the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members.
Below is a sampling of the many gun control bills being proposed:
Senate Committee on Courts of Justice:
Senate Bill 1008, sponsored by Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30), and Senate Bill 1163, sponsored by Senator Richard Saslaw (D-35), contain very broad and overreaching language to ban items that increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic rifles, but do not fundamentally alter the way they operate. It could be interpreted to ban firearm modifications such as match grade triggers, muzzle brakes, and ergonomic changes that are commonly done by law-abiding gun owners to make their firearms more suitable for a variety of lawful purposes.
Senate Bill 1084, sponsored by Senator David Marsden (D-37), would impose a vague and unpredictable standard of firearm storage upon law-abiding citizens and make them civilly liable for injury resulting from actions by a criminal who acquires a firearm stored in a non-compliant manner.
Senate Bill 1096, sponsored by Senator Janet Howell (D-32), would restrict the ability of young people to use firearms for lawful purposes and increase penalties on adults who violate it.
Senate Bill 1162, sponsored by Senator Richard Saslaw (D-35), would criminalize private firearm transfers and deny adults under the age of 21 their Second Amendment rights by prohibiting them from purchasing firearms.
Senate Bill 1164, sponsored by Senator Saslaw, and Senate Bill 1454, sponsored by Senator Louise Lucas (D-18), would criminalize private firearm transfers.
Senate Bill 1303, sponsored by Senator Edwards (D-21), would allow local governments to prohibit law-abiding citizens from carrying firearms for self-defense at meetings of the local government body.
Senate Bill 1324, sponsored by Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-9), would further victimize law-abiding gun owners who suffer loss or theft of their firearms if they do not report them within a certain time.
Senate Bill 1446, sponsored by Senator Mamie Locke (D-2), would reinstate a handgun rationing law that was in place from 1993 until it was repealed in 2012. It would limit handgun purchases to one per 30 day period.
Senate Bill 1458, sponsored by Senator George Barker (D-39), would allow for individuals to be stripped of their Second Amendment rights without due process on baseless accusations.
Senate Bill 1473, sponsored by Senator Creigh Deeds (D-25), would allow local governments to suspend Second Amendment rights at public events.
Senate Bill 1482, sponsored by Senator Deeds, would add Albemarle county and the City of Charlottesville to the jurisdictions in which law-abiding citizens are not allowed to carry certain firearms without a concealed carry permit.
House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee – Subcommittee #1
House Bill 1654, sponsored by Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-11), would prohibit law-abiding citizens from carrying long guns in certain jurisdictions without a concealed carry permit.
House Bill 1856, sponsored by Delegate Delores McQuinn (D-70), would allow local governments to prohibit law-abiding citizens from defending themselves while visiting public libraries.
House Bill 1992, sponsored by Delegate Cia Price (D-95), would allow local governments to enact their own gun control ordinances, potentially resulting in a patchwork of laws and the Second Amendment not being equally protected across the state.
House Bill 1644, sponsored by Delegate Jeffrey Bourne (D-71), would further victimize law-abiding gun owners who suffer loss or theft of their firearms if they do not report them within a certain time.
House Bill 1691, sponsored by Delegate Marcus Simon (D-53), is a vaguely worded attempt at banning “undetectable firearms” already banned under federal law. It would likely ban many commonly owned firearms made with modern materials that are not actually undetectable.
House Bill 1763, sponsored by Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-48), would allow for individuals to be stripped of their Second Amendment rights without due process on baseless accusations.
House Bill 1899, sponsored by Delegate John Bell (D-87), would remove the option for conceal carry permit applicants to use an online or video instruction course to satisfy the training requirement.
House Bill 1956, sponsored by Delegate David Toscano (D-57), would allow local governments to suspend Second Amendment rights at public events.
House Bill 1957, sponsored by Delegate Toscano, would allow courts to restrict the self-defense rights of parents who have a child in their household found to be needing services or who is a status offender.
House Bill 2244, sponsored by Delegate Sullivan, would expand the misdemeanor offenses that would result in a loss of Second Amendment rights.
House Bill 2285, sponsored by Delegate Cliff Hayes (D-77), would restrict the ability of young people to use firearms for lawful purposes and increase penalties on adults who violate it.
House Bill 2372, sponsored by Delegate Patrick Hope (D-47), would impose a one-size-fits-all set of firearm storage requirements for family day homes, including requiring that firearms and ammunition be locked separately.
House Bill 2399, sponsored by Delegate Alfonso Lopez (D-49), would allow state police to delay firearm transfers up to five business days to process instant background checks instead of the current end of business day requirement.
House Bill 2479, sponsored by Delegate Kenneth Plum (D-36), would criminalize private firearm transfers.
House Bill 2492, sponsored by Delegate Kathy Tran (D-42), would ban many commonly owned semi-automatic rifles and handguns as well as ammunition magazines greater than ten rounds in capacity, encompassing most standard capacity magazines in use by law-abiding citizens. In addition, it would ban the carrying of certain shotguns by individuals who do not have a concealed carry permit.
House Bill 2604, sponsored by Delegate Jeion Ward (D-92), would reinstate a handgun rationing law that was in place from 1993 until it was repealed in 2012. It would limit handgun purchases to one per 30 day period.
Again, please click the “Take Action” button above to contact committee members and urge them to OPPOSE Gov. Northam’s gun control bills.
In addition, the following pro-gun bills will also be heard by the committees:
Senate Bill 1158, sponsored by Senator Black, would ensure that law-abiding adults may conceal carry handguns to defend themselves without first having to go through government red tape.
House Bill 2253, sponsored by Delegate Brenda Pogge (R-96), would require that the state police issue nonresident concealed carry permits in the same timeframe that the counties currently follow with resident permits.
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