With all of the crazy things flying around the internet these days, we decided we would try and make sense of the upcoming / current and proposed gun law changes in Virginia.
What Is Happening To Gun Rights In Virginia?
First, let’s start with a little bit of a background. In the last election, Democrats took over the Congress in Virginia. They also won the governorship by getting Ralph Northam re-elected even though it emerged that he had worn “black face” or dressed like a clansman during a party he attended early in his career. (He never did say which one in the picture was him.)
With a Democratic Governor in office, Virginia was completely in the hands of the Democrats for the first time in a long time. Let’s just say they wasted no time trying to start curbing people’s 2A rights.
Their strategies for gun safety include: expanding background checks and banning “assault firearms”.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/us/politics/virginia-elections.html
Northam Gun Confiscation
Northam’s first step was to request $4.8 million to form an 18 person team to enforce his proposed “assault weapons” ban.
In response, 91% of the counties in Virginia have declared themselves “gun sanctuaries” that will not enforce the proposed gun ban and confiscation scheme. These are modeled after the “sanctuary city” declarations that the left declared when they didn’t want to enforce federal immigration laws in their communities for political reasons.
Local sheriffs have stated that they would go as far as deputizing thousands of people in their county in order to get around the proposed gun confiscation.
Ironically, the legislation is having the opposite effect right now. Many gun store owners in Virginia cannot keep AR-15s in stock. Also, they are selling out of things like silencers and high capacity magazines.
Source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/virginia-governors-call-for-18-person-gun-ban-force-comes-under-fire
What Kind of Guns Are Going To Be Confiscated in Virginia?
Well, the proposed legislation is as follows:
* Assault Firearms
* Certain Magazines
* Trigger Activators
* Silencers
Violations would be a Class 6 Felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess or transport anything that meets the definition of an “Assault Firearm”.
Also, you cannot carry a shotgun that with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which the shotgun is chambered.
Anyone who currently owns one of these treasures as of November 1, 2019 may continue to do so until July 6, 2020 at which time they must either:
* render the device inoperable
* remove it from the state
* transfer the arm to someone outside the state
* surrender the arm to the state
Source: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?192+sum+HB4021
HB 569 Out-of-state concealed handgun permits; reciprocity
According to the recent legislation introduced for the 2020 Session, there will be reciprocity in Virginia for concealed carry provided the following:
* Holder is at least 21
* The issuing state has a 24 hour a day means of verification of the validity of the permit
* The issuing state has requirements and qualifications that are adequate to prevent possession of permit by persons who would be denied a permit in Virginia
Currently, the Virginia law states:
“The holder of an out-of-state concealed handgun permit who is at least 21 years of age is authorized to carry a concealed handgun in Virginia if:
(a) the other state has a means of verification of the validity of the permits issued in that state, accessible 24 hours a day, if available;
(b) the person carries a government-issued photo identification and displays it upon demand of a law-enforcement officer; and
(c) the person has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked.”
You can read more about the proposed concealed carry legislation below:
Source: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=201&typ=bil&val=Hb569
