Two House Bills Switch Senate Committees

VSSA has been informed that two bills originally referred to the Senate Local Government Committee will be rereferred to Courts of Justice. The bills are HB 108 and HB 109. It is not known whether this is an attempt to kill the bills, as at least one of the bills (HB 108) was reported out of Local Government when it was passed in 2009 before being vetoed by Governor Tim Kaine. When the Courts of Justice docket becomes available today any firearm related bills will be noted on this blog.

The bills being rereferred are listed below. Delegate Mark Cole is the patron of both bills.
HB108 - Provides that no locality may participate in any program in which individuals are given a thing of value in exchange for surrendering a firearm to the locality unless the governing body of the locality has enacted an ordinance authorizing the participation of the locality. The ordinance shall require that such firearms shall be sold by public auction or sealed bids to a person licensed as a dealer.

HB 109 - Repeals local authority to impose a license tax of not more than $25 on persons engaged in the business of selling pistols and revolvers. Also, a recordkeeping requirement for such persons is deleted and the clerk of the circuit court shall destroy any such existing records.

Senate Local Courts Defeats Attack on Preemption

Yesterday, the Senate Local Government Committee defeated SB268 by a vote of 9 to 6. This bill would have created a patchwork of local gun restrictions by allowing local governments to pass ordinances banning firearms on property owned or leased by the locality. It would have also applied to access roads and parking areas for those facilities.

Please contact the following members of the Senate Local Government Committee and thank them for defeating SB268.

State Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. (R-24)
(804) 698-7524
mailto:district24@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Mark R. Herring (D-33)
(804) 698-7533
mailto:district33@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Stephen H. Martin (R-11)
(804) 698-7511
mailto:district11@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Mark D. Obenshain (R-26)
(804) 698-7526
mailto:district26@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Frederick M. Quayle (R-13)
(804) 698-7513
mailto:district13@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Wm. Roscoe Reynolds (D-20)
(804) 698-7520
mailto:district20@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. (R-15)
(804) 698-7515
mailto:district15@senate.virginia.gov%20

State Senator Ralph K. Smith (R-22)
(804) 698-7522
mailto:district22@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Richard H. Stuart (R-28)
(804) 698-7528
district28@senate.virginia.gov