House Public Safety Advances More Gun Control This Morning

The House Public Safety Committee met this morning and advanced more gun control bills.  The bills heard and moved forward are:  

HB1622 - Provides that no person shall leave, place, or store a handgun in an unattended motor vehicle, as defined in the bill, when such handgun is visible to any person who is outside such unattended motor vehicle. The bill provides that any person violating such prohibition is subject to a civil penalty of no more than $500 and that such unattended motor vehicle may be subject to removal for safekeeping. Reported from Public Safety (13-Y 9-N) 

HB1869 – Closes so-called “boyfriend loophole.” Adds to the definition of "family or household member," as such definition relates to juvenile and domestic relations district court, a person's intimate partner, defined in the bill as an individual who, within the previous 12 months, was in a romantic, dating, or sexual relationship with the person. Reported from Public Safety and referred to Appropriations (12-Y 10-N) 

HB2064 - Makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor for any licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer any firearm to any person other than a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer unless the transferee is provided with a locking device for that firearm and the firearm is accompanied by a warning, in conspicuous and legible type in capital letters printed on a separate sheet of paper included within the packaging enclosing the firearm, that firearms should be locked and kept away from children and that there may be civil and criminal liability for failing to do so. The bill provides exceptions for law-enforcement and governmental agencies. Reported from Public Safety (12-Y 10-N) 

Both HB1869 and HB2064 were hard in the Firearms Subcommittee Thursday afternoon and reported to the full committee.  There is the practice this year in both House Public Safety and Senate Courts that if a bill before the committee was passed last year, the chairman of the committee is not taking testimony on the bill this year, they are simply moving the bill forward.  HB1869 is one of those bills and they did not take testimony from either side yesterday.  

Also on the docket in yesterday's subcommittee were four pro-rights bills.  All were defeated.  One of those bills, HB2145 had bi-partisan support and the gun ban lobby did not testify against the bill, but the subcommittee did not think the bill would accomplish the stated purpose as it was drafted.  The pro-rights bills defeated on Thursday were:  

HB1559 - Provides that a person who was previously issued a concealed handgun permit is not required to provide any proof of training or demonstration of competence to be issued a renewal permit.
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (5-Y 3-N) 

HB2145 - Removes 30-day date of issue restriction when establishing personal identification and residence in Virginia with a driver's license or an identification card without a photograph for the purposes of purchasing a firearm.  Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 0-N) 

HB2412 - Provides that the prohibition on carrying a firearm or explosive material in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth shall not apply to any highway rest area or government store, as those terms are defined in relevant law.  Subcommittee recommends passing by indefinitely (5-Y 3-N) 

HB2414 - Removes the requirement that an applicant for a concealed handgun permit demonstrate competence with a handgun in person. The bill adds the option for such applicant to participate in certain firearms safety or training courses or classes via a live class conducted using a two-way electronic video and audio communication system.  Subcommittee failed to recommend reporting (3-Y 6-N).

Crossover (last day for each house to act on its own legislation, except Budget Bills) is February 4.  Yesterday was the last Firearms Subcommittee meeting before crossover and today was the last meeting of the full committee for the first half of the session. 

There is one Firearms related bill on the docket for Monday's Senate Courts of Justice Committee, SB1450.  This bill is an attack on the firearms industry and would create standards of conduct for firearm industry members and requires the industry to establish and implement controls regarding the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, and marketing of their as defined in the bill.  This bill passed last year in both the House and the Seante and was vetoed by Governor Youngkin.  A companion bill has already passed the House this session.