Permit to Purchase Firearm Bill Drops at General Assembly

House Bill 1359, a bill creating and requiring a permit to purchase a fiream was filed yesterday at the Virginina General Assemlby.  The bill would not allow anyone below the age of 21 to purchase a firearm because they are not eligible for a permit, and the bill requires fingerprinting, and firearm training certified by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).  Gun owners would be required to apply to the State Police for the permit and the state police would have 45 days to process the application.  There is no delayed enactment clause in the bill to give the state police time to set up the mechanisim for approving applications, nor giving DCJS time to certify training courses that would qualify.  There is also no exemption for people that have a valid concealed handgun permit from the permit to purchase requirement as currently exists with Deleware's permit to purchase requirement.  Does anyone really think government agencies can create a system to handle this process in the matter of a couple of months?

Call you member of the House of Delegates now and politely let them know that you oppose this bill. Even if you think your delegate will vote for this bill anyway, they need to hear from you.

More Gun Control Bills Introduced in House of Delegates

Now that the session has started, bills are starting to drop in bunches.  At least 6 more gun control bills appeared on the Legislative Information Service (LIS) and have been posted on the VSSA Bill Tracking Form.

The latest list of new bills, courtesy of Bearingarms.com are

HB 871, which "[r]equires any person who possesses a firearm in a residence where such person knows that a minor or a person who is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm is present to store such firearm and the ammunition for such firearm in a locked container, compartment, or cabinet that is inaccessible to such minor or prohibited person," or else face a misdemeanor charge. 

HB 901, which expands the state's "red flag" law to allow a "licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed clinical psychiatrist, licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychiatric physician assistant, psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, certified evaluator, designee of the local community services board, immediate family or household member, intimate partner, or school administrator or a school administrator's designee of any school in which the person against whom the order is sought is currently enrolled or has been enrolled in the six months preceding the filing of such petition" to file an Extreme Risk Protection Order petition. 

HB 916, which expands the requirements for a Virginia concealed carry permit to include "a handgun shooting class or course that teaches (i) efficient, effective, and responsible use of a concealed handgun for self-defense outside of the home; (ii) state laws pertaining to handguns; and (iii) proper handgun storage techniques".

HB 919, which imposes an 11% tax on the sale of all firearms and ammunition "by a dealer in firearms, firearms manufacturer, or ammunition vendor," with the proceeds going to the "Virginia Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund."

HB 969, which establishes the "Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center" with a mission of serving as "the primary resource for research, best practices, and strategies for the implementation of firearm violence intervention, community-based intervention, and group violence intervention programs designed to reduce violence in communities."

HB 1094, which imposes another 11% tax on firearms and ammunition on "the gross receipts from the sale and distribution of any firearm or ammunition by a firearms or ammunition manufacturer."

There will be more bills on the way.  We're still waiting to see the Senate's version of a ban on so-called "assault firearms", as well as a possible "permit-to-purchase" that's been discussed by Democrats, even participating an a webinar hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solution on the topic. 

Keep checking the VSSA Legislative Tracking page for updates.  January 23rd is the last day to introduce legislation.

Five Day Waiting Period Bill Drops at General Assembly

More firearm related bills dropped at the General Assembly yesterday ahead of today's opening at noon. One of those bills is HB700, which would create a five day waiting period before an individual can take possession of a firearm after they complete the background check form. 

Provides that no person shall sell a firearm unless at least five days have elapsed from the time the prospective purchaser completes the written consent form to have a licensed dealer obtain criminal history record information, with exceptions enumerated in relevant law. The bill provides that any person who willfully and intentionally sells to another person or purchases from another person a firearm in violation of this prohibition is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Additionally, the bill provides that any dealer who willfully and intentionally sells, rents, trades, or transfers a firearm in violation of such prohibition is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Be sure to check the VSSA Legislative Tracking Form for up-to-date information about this year's session.

A Cautionary Tale from Deleware on Permits to Purchase

Virginia gun owners could be facing the prospect of being required to possess a permit before they can purchase a firearm in Virginia.  Legislators have yet to introduce the bill but they recently paticipated in a webinar hosted by Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Violence Solutions.  In this webinar Senator Scott Surovell, Chairman of Senate Courts and Delegate Patrick Hope talk about the path forward for such a scheme in Virgnia. Last year, Delegate Hope introduced HB1424 which would have established a firearm purchaser licensing law. The bill would have required an individual to provide proof of training, be fingerprinted, pass a background check, and for approval of the license before they can purchase a firearm. The bill was referred to the Virginia Crime Commission for study. The Crime Commission presented the findings of their study which basically paved the way for the gun ban majority to move forward in this year's session of the assembly.

The State of Deleware recently passed a "Permit to Purchase" law to purchase a handgun (we don't yet know if Virgnia's would just be for handguns of for all firearms) that took affect in November. Bearingarms.com reported yesterday that their system does not appear to be ready for primetime.

The state police say the agency is taking an average of three days to process permit-to-purchase applications, well below the 30 days its given under the permit-to-purchase law. That's good, but the system still isn't operating like it's supposed to, despite the fact that Delaware had 18 months to get the new system up and running before the law took effect. 

The Crime Commission told legislators that if Virginia enacted such a law, it would require a delayed effective date to give the state police time to set up the system.  That is likely to create a surge in buying ahead of the effective date of the new law.

But after the law took affect in Deleware, some FFLs have seen a marked decline in sales:

If the state police have been able to deal with FFLs having to call in and verify that purchasers can legally get a gun without too many delays, it's only because the volume of sales had declined dramatically since the law took effect. Delaware Spotlight spoke to one gun store owner who said handgun sales have dropped by 60% to 65% since November, during what is typically some of the busiest months of the year for gun stores. 

That aligns with the 66% in Delaware from November to December 2025 recorded by the anti-gun website The Trace, and stands in stark contast to what happened nationally in those months. The National Shooting Sports Foundation reports there were 1,408,230 background checks performed on firearm transfers in November 2025, and that number ticked up to 1,587,049 in December. 

Even if Delaware's permit-to-purchase scheme was operating flawlessly, sales would still be down significantly. In order to buy a handgun in Delaware these days, a purchaser must first go through an eight-hour firearms training course which includes firing 100 rounds at a range. Between the cost of the training and the $85 fingerprinting fee, buying a handgun in the state now costs about $200 to $300 dollars more than it did this time last year.  

That is the real purpose of schemes like the permit to purchase - increasing the cost and burden of buying a firearm so that less are sold.  Hopefully, the legislature will at least exempt people with a concealed handgun permit from having to aquire permit to purchase, but that has not been the case with other laws passed by Virginia's gun ban majority.

All Gun Owners Need to Attend Lobby Day January 19th

The 2026 Session of the General Assembly will convene on Wednesday, January 14, and the gun ban lobby has a trifecta in state government to do their bidding this year.  We have already seen a bill dropped that will ban the most commonly owned firearms, impose a $500 tax on suppressors, and a bill that creates a code of “responsible conduct” for members of the firearm industry, including manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. The bills require these businesses to establish and implement vague and subjective “reasonable controls” over the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, and marketing of firearm-related products. This is only the beginning.  We expect between now and January 23rd, the last day to introduce legislation, that we will see at least 30 gun control bills.  Not introduced as of today, but expected, is a bill that will create a permitting scheme that will be required before you can purchase a firearm.  This scheme will include the requirement to be fingerprinted as well as complete costly training that will likely require a live fire component before you can purchase a firearm, even if you have owned firearms for years.

VSSA, along with the NRA, is encouraging all gun owners to attend this year's VCDL Lobbying Day at the Virginia General Assembly on January 19th, 2026 in Richmond.  NRA-ILA Executive Director, John Commerford, will be speaking at the event.  Please show your support for the Second Amendment and for your rights as a Virginia gun owner. This is your right – no, a DUTY – as a citizen of the United States AND as a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia who believes in the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms.  Here's what you need to do:

1. If you can, ATTEND Lobby Day on Monday, January 19th. It’s a Federal holiday, so you may not have to work that day. Also, street parking in downtown Richmond is free on public holidays. The Virginia Citizens Defense League’s (VCDL’s) Lobby Day website at https://www.vcdl.org/LobbyDay has all the information you will need to make a visit to Richmond. A detailed schedule of events can be found here.
2. Physical presence is SO important in persuading legislators to see your point-of-view, or at least understand what they’re getting themselves into.
3. If you don’t want to drive to Richmond, you may be able to sign up to ride buses chartered by VCDL to take you there, depending on where you live. VCDL’s Lobby Day bus site at https://www.vcdl.org/LobbyDayBus has all the information on getting a seat on the bus. (DEADLINE: Wednesday, January 14th)
4. At the very least, as a citizen and a resident of this Commonwealth, you owe it to yourself to stay informed on the pending legislation affecting our 2A rights AND to contact your legislators in Richmond on how you feel regarding those bills. The 2026 VSSA Legislative Tracking Tool (https://www.myvssa.org/legislation) is up and running – here you can find the status of pending 2A-related bills during this year’s session.
5. If you’re not sure who your legislators are, use the “Who’s My Legislator?” tool (https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/) to find out. (You will have a Delegate (House) and a Senator representing you in their respective bodies.)

In 2020, tens of thousands of gun owners and supporters of the Second Amendment arrived on a chilly Monday morning in January 2020 to show the Governor and the General Assembly that the rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Article 1, Section 13 of the Constitution of Virginia were important to them. Despite several onerous bills being passed into law, the so-called “assault weapon ban” died in Senate committee that year, thanks in no small part to the work of the tens of thousands who showed up on Lobby Day to make their voices heard.
 
Today we find ourselves in an even worse situation – as mentioned above, many gun-control bills have been proposed that would further restrict the hard-fought and -won rights of Virginians, for example: 

• A ban on so-called “assault rifles” and magazines holding more than 10 rounds;
• A special tax of $500 on the sale of suppressors (even though the Federal transfer tax has been eliminated);
• Revoking the recognition of out-of-state concealed handgun licenses from many States (which will inevitably result in Virginia handgun licenses not being recognized in those States);
• Restrictions on your ability to keep a firearm in your vehicle for self-defense.

In addition, the Virginia State Crime Commission recently reported their findings on the feasibility of implementing a “permit-to-purchase” system for Virginians who want to purchase a firearm (similar to laws in States such as Illinois and New Jersey) – a bill is expected to be introduced soon in the General Assembly to impose such a program on Virginians.
 
Finally, while Gov. Youngkin vetoed many bills restricting your Second Amendment rights, he is leaving office on Saturday, January 17th. The incoming Governor got her start as an advocate for gun control with Moms Demand Action and has promised to sign any gun-control legislation presented to her.
 
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW! Don’t expect the courts to stop these bills – it has been over three (3) years since the Supreme Court issued the Bruen decision. Since then, many cases seeking relief as a result of that decision have made their way through the judicial system, with no resolution in sight.

VSSA's lobbying team is ready to advocate for your rights at the General Assembly. But we need you to let your voice be heard too.  Be sure to check the VSSA blog, the VSSA website, and if you have an X (formerly known as Twitter) account, be sure to follow @VSSA for updates.

First Gun Ban Bill Drops

Delegate Helmer has filed the first bill to ban modern sporting rifles, also erronously referred to as "assault weapons. If this bill becomes law, law-abiding Virginians who already own an AR-15 or other semi-automatic rifles covered by the bill would not become criminals simply for possessing them. There is no blanket possession ban for current adult owners.

What HB 217 does do is:

• Ban the future sale, purchase, manufacture, importation, or transfer of defined “assault firearms” after the law takes effect.

• Grandfather current owners by omission — meaning continued possession by adults 21+ remains lawful under the introduced text.

• Impose criminal penalties only for new transactions, not past lawful ownership.

There is no pistol magazine capacity ban in this bill. It is likely other versions will be filed, but this is the first look at what Democrats will do in 2026 related to semi automatic rifles.

General Assembly Bill Introduced to Impose $500 Tax on Suppressors

The gun ban majority has introduced a bill in the House of Delegates to impose a $500 tax on the sale of suppressors in Virginia.  House Bill 207 reads:

§ 58.1-664. Firearm suppressor tax.

A. In addition to all other taxes and fees of every kind now imposed by law, beginning on July 1, 2026, an excise tax is hereby imposed upon dealers in firearms at the rate of $500 per retail sale in the Commonwealth of any firearm suppressor. No discount under § 58.1-622 shall be allowed for the fee imposed under this chapter.

B. The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to the retail sale of any firearm suppressor to any federal, state, or local agency or to a law-enforcement officer for use in the normal course of his employment.

C. The Department shall distribute the proceeds received from the tax imposed by this chapter to the general fund.

This is 150% higher than the now repealed federal NFA tax that had been imposed on suppressors and is clearly intended to discourage the purchase of the firearm accessory.

While some gun control has been introduced ahead of the start of the session, this is the first of the really bad bills that are expected to be introduced this session.  The Democrats have held off on the gun ban and licensing schemes they plan to implement hoping to lull gun owners into a sense of complacency ahead of the annual VCDL Lobby Day on January 19.  VSSA is encouraging all gun owners to attend Lobby Day and make your voice heard.

2025 Annual Raffle Winners

 The drawing for the 2025 Annual Member Raffle was held on Saturday durin the Annual Meeting.  The winners are as follows:

1st Prize: EAA MC P35 OPS 9mm with a 15 round magazine - James M. of Broadway, VA

2nd Prize: $200 Cabela's Gift Card - Joe P. of King George, VA

3rd Prize: $100 Cash: Greg L. of Alexandria, VA

Thanks to all members who supported this year's raffle.

Save the Date: NRA Virtual Virginia Election Meeting

NRA-ILA will host a virtual election meeting on Tuesday, September 23^rd, at 7:00 p.m.  This important virtual meeting will cover:

1. Volunteer Opportunities – Learn how you can get involved and make a difference in our election efforts right here in Virginia.
   
   
2. Our Candidate Endorsement Process – Understand how the NRA evaluates and supports candidates who stand strong for our Second Amendment rights.

You can have a real impact this election season. Whether you're a seasoned volunteer or just looking to get started, this meeting is the perfect place to plug in.  To register, click here.

2A Groups, State AGs Ask Scotus to Take Magazine Ban Case

 Cam Edwards over at BearingArms.com has the story.

More than half of the attorneys general in the United States are adding their support to a lawsuit challenging Washington State's ban on "large capacity" magazines that can hold more than ten rounds, as well as the National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Association for Gun Rights. 

Four separate amicus briefs from the various organizations and individuals have been filed with the Supreme Court ahead of the justices' consideration of Gator's Custom Guns, Inc. v. State of Washington, which is on appeal from the Washington Supreme Court. Earlier this year a majority of state Supreme Court justices ruled in favor of the state's ban on commonly-owned magazines that can hold more than ten rounds, holding that they're not even arms protected by the text of the Second Amendment. As the plaintiffs pointed out in their cert petition, the court's position would allow the state of Washington to ban detachable magazines altogether, rendering almost every semi-automatic handgun a single shot pistol at best. 

While all four of the amicus briefs hit on the idea that magazines are, in fact, bearable "arms" protected by the Second Amendment and that SCOTUS should grant cert in order to put a circuit court split on the issue to rest (with a ruling favorable to the plaintiffs, of course), they each come with a different approach. 

For Virginians, it is really important that the court take this case because a standard capacity magazine ban will be just one of the things the gun ban Demorcrats in the General Assembly will pass if they win this year's House and Governor's elections.  Let's hope the Court takes this case.

Can Trump's DOJ Ban Gun Ownership for Trans Individuals.

On Thursday, this Daily Wire article reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was looking at banning the right to own firearms for transgender people.  This is an apparent reaction to the latest school shooting, where the attacker identified as transgender.

The DOJ’s discussions center on the fact that those who identify as transgender suffer from gender dysphoria, a mental disorder, the DOJ source familiar with the conversations shared with The Daily Wire. Gender dysphoria describes the sense of unease that a man or woman may feel if he or she thinks that their biological sex is mismatched with their so-called gender identity.

Podcaster Ben Shapiro briefly touched on this during his Friday program.

I'm not a lawyer but it is my understanding that the only way the government can take away the gun rights of someone with a mental health issue is if they are adjudicated mentally ill or have been involuntarily confined to a mental facility.  Gender dysphoria is a mental illness.  It is a condition defined as significant psychological distress arising from a mismatch between what a person believes their sex is and their biological sex. Most children with gender dysphoria do not continue to experience the condition into adulthood.

Shapiro mentioned red flag laws in his comments.  Most in the pro-rights community are opposed to red flag laws because of the way they are crafted.  They take away an individual's rights without due process.

Preventing school shootings is a difficult task.  I don't know that taking away the rights of individuals because they have a condition that in many cases goes away with proper treatment (which is not "gender affirming care" as it is  euphimistically known to the left) is the correct response to the latest school shooting.

Election 2025: Californication of Virginia is on the Ballot

The last time the Democrats gained complete control of Virginia government, the Commonwealth took a sharp turn toward policies already in place in California.  Even when they did not have complete control last year and this year, they introduced legislation, especially gun legislation, that gave a glimpse of what they will do if they get full control again by way of the 2025 statewide and General Assembly election.  Look at what is happening now in Los Angeles and you see what years of lax enforcement of criminal laws and sanctuary city legislation will do to a state.  As radio host Erick Erickson said yesterday"

What’s going on in Los Angeles is what happens when progressive governance collides with reality. The city is overrun with violent protests, organized theft, homelessness, and gang activity. Years of lax enforcement, defunding the police, and permissive prosecution have created a powder keg—and now the federal government has to step in.

If gun owners don't take action this year, and make sure that we elect either a pro-rights majority in the House of Delegates, or at defeat Abigail Spanberger's run for governor Virginia will continue the lurch toward Californication that began in 2020.  And if you need a reminder of what gun restrictions will become law, take a look at this list:

• Age restrictions for certain firearm transfers.
• Restrictions on young adults between 18 and 21 from being able to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns.
• Bans on 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 and possession of an unserialized or plastic firearm would be prohibited. This legislation would also penalize individuals who lawfully purchased unfinished frames and receivers before the bill’s effective date.
• Mandatory, five-day waiting period before a law-abiding citizen may take possession of a legally purchased firearm.
• Expansion of "gun-free" zones  where law-abiding persons would be prohibited from lawfully carrying. 
• Mandatory firearm storage laws. 
• Allowing frivolous lawsuits against the firearms industry by eroding the protections afforded to them via federal law. 
• Expansion of prohibiting categories for certain misdemeanor crimes.
• Bans on certain semi-automatic firearms including many semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns and arbitrarily limits on magazine capacities. 
• Ending concealed handgun recognition and reciprocity agreements. 
• Prohiting people from storing, placing, or leaving a handgun in their parked vehicle. 

That's a long list but it is a list of bills that passed over the last two years, and vetoed by Governor Youngkin. Gun owners need to get involved not. Contact Andrew Brown with NRA-ILA to see what you can do to get involved in this year's election.

What the 9-0 SCOTUS Decision in S&W v. Mexico Means for Assault Weapons Bans

Last week, gun owners had a mixed week at the U.S. Supreme Court with the court denying cert in Snope vs Brown, the Maryland "assault weapons" ban case as well as Ocean State Tactical vs. Rhode Island, a challenge to the state's standard capacity magazine ban, but issuing a unanimous decision shooting down Mexico's lawsuit against U.S. firearms manufacturers. Mark Smith, a constitutional attorney who hosts the 4 Boxes Diner Podcast on YouTube Tube broke down the decision and the implications it has for a positive ruling in the future related to so called assault weapons bans. Smith notes that this opinion was written by one of the most liberal justices on the Court so it is a big deal that it ws unanimous and there is some nuggets that are good for gun owners looking for a positive ruling on so called "assault weapons".

Merging ATF with DEA is a Really Bad Idea

In the budget outline that President Trump submitted to congress last week, one of the "government efficiency" proposals presented was to merge ATF with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).  During his Gun Talk Radio program on Sunday, Tom Gresham said during the third hour of the program that is a "horrific idea".  

A horrific idea horrible idea. The DEA is famous for violation of civil rights, of individual constitutional rights. They're all about asset forfeiture breaking in taking your stuff baby shooting you in the process. We need SIMP to get rid of the ATF gone.

You don't need to fold it into anything else, and certainly not the DEA. So I'm hoping that the White House gets enough feedback just says this is a terrible idea, and we, as gun owners who helped you get elected, do not want this. We don't want to be dealing with the DEA on firearms related issues.

On yesterday's Bearingarms.com's Cam and Company, senior vice president and general counsel Larry Keane for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) told Cam Edwards that NSSF is strongly opposed to merging the two agencies. 

NRA-ILA Weighs in On SCOTUS Denial of Cert in Maryland AWB Case

On yesterday's Bearingarms.com Cam and Company, NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford joined Cam for a wide ranging conversation that hits on the Supreme Court's denial of cert in the Snope case challenging the Maryland "assault weapons" ban, as well as the latest on suppressor deregulation in the budget reconciliation bill.  The decision to not take up the Snope case has very important implications for Virginia gun owners because the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, of which both Maryland and Virginia are a part, said that the ban was constitutional.  That opens the door for such a ban to become law in Virignia if Abigail Spanberger is elected Governor and the Democrats keep their majority in the House of Delegates this year.

Shotguns for Self Defense

On Sunday's Gun Talk Radio, host Tom Gresham spoke with Ken Campbell from Gunsite Academy.  Ken detailed what makes shotguns so effective and how to use them.

The New Marlin Model 95 Dark Series

When Remington purchased Marlin in 2007, the quality of the Marlin brand suffered greatly.  When Remington filed for bankruptcy and went out of business in 2020, Ruger purchased the Marlin brand.  Ruger has slowly been rolling out Marlin firearms and the quality has really taken a step up toward what Marlin was producing before it went out of business.  In this video, Greg Kinman, known online as Hickok45, reviewed the new "tactical" Marlin Model 95 Dark Series in .45-70.

Democrat AG Candidate Ad Touts How She Took on the NRA

Henrico Commonwealth Attorney and Democrat Candidate for Attorney General Shannon Taylor has launched her first primary ad touting how she will take on President Trump and Elon Musk, and how she has taken on the NRA as Commonwealth Attorney.  She is running against Jay Jones for the Democratic nomination for attorney general.  We can expect to hear some of her themes from Gubanatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger in the general election. It is clear from this ad that gun owners will also be in the sites of Taylor if she becomes Attorney General. 

  The ad will be running in Richmond, Roanoke and Charlottesville media markets.

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. 

Trump Wins!

It's not hyperbole to say that President Donald J. Trump pulled off the biggest political comeback in history when he won the 2024 election over Vice President Kamala Harris.  Winning a landslide Electorial College Victory and what looks to be a popular vote victory, he pulled together the most diverse coalition for a Republican in modern history.  As radio host Erick-Woods Erickson wrote earlier today,"Black and Hispanic men broke in disproportionate numbers for Trump from The Bronx to Miami".  Erickson continued:

Democrats lost racial and ethnic minorities because they treated them as demographic blocks who were more interested in the power dynamics of historical grievances than how to afford groceries and keep boys out of their daughters’ bathrooms.

Last night's victory is good news for gun owners.  It means that President Trump will likely have a chance to solidify the right of center majority on the U.S. Supreme Court for a generation.  He will have the opportunity to appoint lower court positions which are also important to our rights.  And, it likely means the end of President Biden's White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, or at least the end of it in its current form.

Last night was a good night for freedom.  Now, for those of us in Virginia, we need to prepare for next year's statewide elections where we will elect a new Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attoney General.  We saw last year just how radical Virginia's gun ban Democrats are.  We will have our work cut out for us.