ACTION ITEM: Gun bills to be heard in House subcommittee on Tuesday, 2/4/20 at 8:30 am!
Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 4, at 8:30 am the House Firearms subcommittee is going to consider eleven gun bills. The meeting will be in the 300-A Subcommittee Room in the Pocahontas Building (temporary General Assembly Building) at 900 East Main Street in Richmond.
HB78, Kory, takes away a person's firearms rights for a misdemeanor conviction of domestic violence. The bill allows for the restoration of the person's firearms rights after 2 years if the person petitions the circuit court and the judge and Commonwealth Attorney agree the right should be restored. VCDL is neutral.
HB459, Sullivan, takes away a person's right to purchase, possess, or transport a firearm if they are guilty of certain misdemeanor assault and battery convictions. The bill has a provision to petition the court for rights restoration after two years have elapsed since the conviction. Misdemeanors should never strip away a person's civil rights. It is bad enough that misdemeanor domestic violence takes away a person's right to possess firearms. VCDL strongly OPPOSES this bill.
HB900, Levine, takes away a person's right to purchase, possess, or transport a firearm if they are guilty of certain misdemeanor assault and battery convictions. The bill has a provision to petition the court for rights restoration after two years have elapsed since the conviction. Misdemeanors should never strip away a person's civil rights. It is bad enough that misdemeanor domestic violence takes away a person's right to possess firearms. VCDL strongly OPPOSES this bill.
HB1288, Murphy, takes away a person's firearms rights for a misdemeanor conviction of domestic violence. The bill allows for the restoration of the person's firearms rights after 5 years if the person petitions the circuit court and the judge and Commonwealth Attorney agree the right should be restored. VCDL is neutral.
HB142, Davis, removes the online training option for those wishing to get a concealed handgun permit. VCDL strongly opposes this bill as written, but there is expected to be new language that might mitigate the opposition.
HB264, Lopez, removes the online training option for those wishing to get a concealed handgun permit. HB 264 is a solution to a non-existent problem and would hurt those who might be in a hurry to get their concealed carry permit due to an unanticipated and immediate threat to their life. VCDL strongly OPPOSES.
HB224, Freitas, Constitutional Carry. 16 other state have Constitutional Carry. VCDL strongly SUPPORTS.
HB600, Hope, requires family day homes to have firearms unloaded and locked up separate from any ammunition during hours of operation, making the firearms useless for self-defense or defense of the children. An unjustified restriction on law-abiding gun owners. VCDL strongly OPPOSES.
HB1409, Rush, Prohibits the General Assembly and the executive branch of government from considering the Second Amendment sanctuary status of any locality in the Commonwealth in making any appropriation decisions. VCDL strongly SUPPORTS.
HB1499, Bourne, creates a "Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund" to provide money to various organizations and local government agencies for the purpose of reducing gun violence. This is just another effort to villainize and single out firearms, not reduce crime. Take the words "Gun" and "Firearms" out of the bill and make it about any illegal violence. A person killed by someone misusing a knife is just as dead as a person killed by someone misusing a firearm. VCDL strongly OPPOSES as written.
HB1689, Campbell, R.R., protects the People's right to keep and bear arms under Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution by invalidating any gun laws that infringe on that right. VCDL strongly SUPPORTS.
2. ACTION ITEM: "Assault Weapon" ban bill to be heard on Friday, 2/7/20 at 8 am!
On Friday morning, February 7 at 8 am, the House Public Safety committee is going to meet for the last time before cross over (when bills that passed one house, heads to the other house for consideration).
The remaining "Assault Weapon " ban bill, HB 961, will either be heard on Friday or it will be dead. We have to assume it will be heard and need a strong turnout to oppose this monstrosity:
HB 961, Delegate Levine, makes the following things illegal: carrying a loaded shotgun that holds more than 7 rounds in public; possession, sale, etc. of "assault firearms," with a definition so broad as to catch almost all centerfire semi-automatic firearms; magazines that hold more than 10 rounds; suppressors; and "trigger activators." A person who owns an "assault firearm" on July 1, 2020, can keep the gun if they register it. HB 961 turns law-abiding citizens who own a perfectly legal and constitutionally protected product on June 30, into a felon on July 1. The Virginia Tech massacre commission concluded that the killer having 10-round magazines would have made no difference in the outcome. The Virginia Beach Chief of Police said such a magazine limitation would have made no difference in the massacre in their Building #2. Studies have shown that for self-defense larger magazines are beneficial. It is extremely rare for a suppressor to be used in a crime, as it makes the firearm much longer than usual. The vast majority of crimes committed with suppressor deals with the unlawful possession of a homemade suppressor. There is nothing in HB 961 that would lower crime. Its sole purpose is to disarm the public. Grandfathering existing "assault firearms" owners disarms the next generation and does not make this bill more palatable. This bill is rife with unjustified restrictions and is nothing short of a full-fledged attack on law-abiding gun owners. VCDL strongly OPPOSES this bill, which has no redeeming language in it.
If you haven't seen it, here is a video of Delegate Mark Levine explaining HB 961. Do you laugh, cry, or just run into the night screaming? He has absolutely no idea what he is talking about, but this man's efforts could turn YOU into a criminal overnight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlimCLccxpQ&feature=emb_logo
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