Senate Judiciary Kills All Pro-2A Bills

In an almost four hour meeting Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee defeated all of the pro-rights bill on today's docket on party line votes.  There were two bad bills on the docket, one was referred to sub-committee and one was passed by for the day and will likely be heard either Monday or Wednesday of next week.  Below is a breakdown of today's committee votes.

Pro Second Amendment
Senate Bill 74 would have repealed the ability for localities to pass local ordinances restricting lawful carry. It would also have prohibited the ability for localities to file lawsuits against the firearm industry for lawful activities. It would not have prohibited lawsuits for breach of contract or negligence from firearms or ammunition purchased by localities. The bill would also have required localities to sell any firearms they receive in compensated confiscation schemes, so-called “gun buybacks”, to licensed dealers. This bill was Passed by Indefinately (killed) on a 9-6 vote.

Senate Bill 330 This bill would have added Virginia to the other 21 states with "Constitutional Carry" by allowing any law-abiding adult who is legally eligible to obtain a carry permit, to carry a handgun without first having to obtain government permission. The bill was Passed by Indefinitely on an 8-6 vote.

Senate Bill 364 would have repealed handgun rationing (one handgun-a-month). The bill was Passed by Indefinitely on an 8-6 vote.

Senate Bill 644 This bill would have exempted concealed handgun permit (CHP) holders from the ban on private sales of firearms. The bill was Passed by Indefinitely on a 9-6 vote.

Senate Bill 763 This bill would have exempted CHP holders from local ordinances that restrict possessing or carrying firearms, ammunition, or components. This bill was rolled into SB61 which as introduced would have only exempted active an law-enforcement officer, (ii) qualified retired law-enforcement officer, (iii) attorney for the Commonwealth or assistant attorney for the Commonwealth, (iv) qualified retired attorney for the Commonwealth or retired assistant attorney for the Commonwealth, (v) judge or justice of the Commonwealth, or (vi) retired judge or retired justice of the Commonwealth from local ordinances that restrict possessing or carrying firearms, ammunition, or components. VSSA had opposed SB61 as introduced but as mentioned in yesterday's legislative alert would support the bill if it was amended to include all CHP holders. When SB763 was rolled into SB61, VSSA supported the bill. It was Passed by indefinitely on a 9-6 vote

Anti-Gun
Senate Bill 310 This bill would end the ability for an individual to build their own firearm for personal use (so called "ghost guns"). The bill was passed by for the day and will likely be taken up at one of the two scheduled meetings next week.

Senate Bill 487 This bill would create a Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention to, among other things, conduct “research” and make policy recommendations. The focus of this proposed Center and fund is firearms. The issue is crime, and firearms are only a tool for criminals. Criminals should be the focus of crime prevention, not the tools they use. This bill was referred to sub-committee. VSSA will keep members updated on this bill and any hearings it will have in sub-committee.

There is one bill on the docket of today's Public Safety Subcommittee #1 meeting scheduled for 4:00 PM. The bill is HB827 - Control of firearms by localities. This bill is like SB74 which was defeated in Senate Judiciary today and removes the authority for a locality by ordinance that prohibit the possession or carrying of firearms, ammunition, or components or any combination thereof in certain buildings or property owned by the locality. This bill will likely meet a better fate in the House subcommittee tomorrow but please contact members of the subcommittee and urge them to support HB827. You can find members of the subcommittee here. You can find their contact information by clicking their names.

Only One Firearm Related Bill on Senate Judiciary Docket Wednesday

The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet on Wednesday, 1/2 hour after adjournment.  There is only one firearm related bill on the docket, SB207, which  removes the requirement that a sworn law-enforcement officer be employed in a full-time capacity at the time of his retirement to purchase his service handgun.  This bill has no impact on non-law enforcement gun owners.

It's a New Day in Virginia

A pro-rights majority took the reigns of control in the House of Delegates as the General  Assembly gaveled into session last Wednesday.  Not much legislative work took place as the Assembly waited for the new statewide office holders to be sworn into office.  That happened on Saturday and if Governor Glenn Youngkin's actions live up to the rhetoric of his inaugural address, good things are ahead for Virginia.  The Daily Wire described Youngkin's address as a "Rousing Speech" that championed "Liberty" and a "New Day for Virginia".   While not mentioning gun rights, it was clear from his remarks that Youngkin believes deeply in the rights of individuals and that government needs to get out of the way and let the individual flourish.

In the General Assembly, there are a number of bills that have been introduced in the House and a couple in the State Senate to undo the restrictions placed on gun owners in 2020 and 2021.  Many of those bills are awaiting assignment to committee. There are very few gun ban bills as of today and the last day to introduce legislation is January 21.  There is a bill to eliminate the ability of private citizens to build their own firearms (so-called "ghost gun" legislation").  VSSA's legislative team will be at the Assembly everyday of the session working to pass the many bills restoring our rights and defeating what are now less than a handful of bad bills.  There were no firearm related bills on the docket in yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee.  VSSA will keep members informed of what is going on at the Assembly.  You can track legislation by clicking here, and by following VSSA's Facebook, Twitter, and Gettr feeds.

2022 Legislative Session Starts January 12

Happy New Year!  We are a little over a week away from the start of the 2022 General Assembly.  Prefiling of bills has begun and there are a handful of firearm related bills already in the hopper - all pro-rights - and all in the House of Delegates.  Most of the bills so far have been introduced by newly elected Delegate Timothy Anderson.  You may recognize that name as he is an attorney in the tidewater area and he posted a number of videos about various gun ban bills throughout the 2020 session.  He is also a certified gun safety instructor. According to his website, he has "organized and sued entities over the infringement of Virginian’s Second Amendment right". His bills include:

HB 10 - Resident concealed handgun permits; fees (Eliminates the fees that may be charged for the processing of an application for or issuing of a resident concealed handgun permit,); 

HB 11 - Concealed handgun permits; penalties (Changes the penalty for carrying a concealed firearm without a permit from a felony to a civil fine for  the first offense and reduces the criminal charges fro subsequent violations from felony to misdemeanor) ; 

HB 14 - Handguns; limitation on purchases; and, (Repeals handgun rationing)

HB 26 - Firearms; control by localities of possession or carrying. (Repeals law passed in 2020 that allows localities to pass gun ban ordanances)

Delegate Wendall Walker has introduced:

HB 23 Dangerous weapons; carrying to place of religious worship (Repeals the prohibition on the carrying of dangerous weapons in a place of worship without good and sufficient reason while a meeting for religious purposes is being held).

The likelihood of additional gun control passing and becoming law in Virginia over the next four years pretty much ended with the November election of Glenn Younkin as Governor.  VSSA will be working to pass legislation to repeal the gun ban bills passed in 2020.  With Democrats still controlling the State Senate, full repeal may not be until after the 2023 legislative elections but it's clear the at least two members of the House of Delegates aren't waiting.