Today, January 18th, the House Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on several firearm related bills, including HB 2, which we previously reported on. HB2 would ban commonly owned, semi-automatic firearms and place arbitrary limits on magazine capacity. Contact members of the House Public Safety Subcommittee on Firearms today by clicking the take action button below to OPPOSE anti-gun legislation and SUPPORT pro-firearm legislation.
Anti-Gun Bills to be Heard Today:
HB 2 would ban the purchase and possession of so-called "assault firearms" and standard capacity magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
HB 173 ends the centuries-old practice of individuals building lawful firearms for personal use without government interference, by prohibiting the manufacture of firearms without serial numbers. Transfer of an unserialized firearm would be prohibited, with prospective transferors required to have a Federal Firearms Licensee serialize their firearm before transfer. This legislation would also prohibit those who lawfully purchased unfinished frames or receivers prior to the bill’s effective date from using those items to complete a firearm without government interference after the bill goes into effect – diminishing the value of lawfully acquired property. Further, the proposed legislation makes it unlawful to “assemble… any firearm that is not imprinted with a valid serial number." This language could prohibit those who possess lawfully-made or acquired firearms without serial numbers from replacing parts on their guns or even disassembling the firearms for cleaning and maintenance.
Prior to 1968, federal law did not require commercially manufactured firearms to be serialized. This legislation contains no exemption for such firearms, meaning that in order to transfer, or possibly even maintain, these unserialized firearms a person could be required to subject these guns to serialization – potentially diminishing the value of collectible arms.
Gun owners should know, a prohibited individual is already prohibited from owning a firearm regardless of how the firearm is assembled and regardless of whether it is serialized. Additionally, this bill attempts to codify the Federal Undetectable Firearms Act. However, the language in the bill differs in a way that could cause confusion between state and federal law.
HB 466 would diminish opportunities for those with out of state concealed carry permits to carry in the Commonwealth. Currently, Virginia recognizes all out of state valid concealed carry permits. This bill would institute a new standard which could cause some states to lose recognition.
Pro-Gun Bills to Be Heard Today:
HB 390 - allows an individual who has a protective order in place against another individual to carry a concealed firearm for up to 45 days before needing a concealed handgun permit. This allows those who are facing immediate danger the ability to protect themselves from a specified threat beyond a simple piece of paper.
HB 395 - Creates an enhanced concealed handgun permit with additional training requirements, allowing a permit holder to carry in additional locations that are currently prohibited.
Please contact these committee members today ask them to OPPOSE anti-gun bills and SUPPORT pro-gun bills in committee! Please stay tuned to the NRA-ILA website and your inbox for updates as this situation progresses.
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