VA-ALERT: Monday Turnout Needed

Status
Not open for further replies.

Craig_AR

Contributing Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
1,189
Location
Arkansas
1/10/2020 VA-Alert

The Democrat leadership in the General Assembly continues to be in total disarray and/or trying to avoid any kind of transparency in their actions.

Late into Friday afternoon, suddenly a bunch of really bad gun bills were put on the Senate Judiciary Committee for 8 am Monday. They were hoping we wouldn't be able to get a turnout. We need to prove them wrong. Here, again, is the link to send the committee a pre-written email. If you have NOT done this yet, DO IT NOW! And pass that link on to others!

https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/promo/1xp

(source: https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=b28f1d9ea359b104b09836c4c&id=1715901085)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
2) Late into Friday afternoon, suddenly a bunch of really bad gun bills were put on the Senate Judiciary Committee for 8 am Monday.
The bills scheduled for the Monday hearing are the "low hanging fruit" -- UBCs, "red flag," one-handgun-a-month. What are conspicuously missing are AWBs and mag limits, the things that are really getting people riled up. What this tells me is that either they haven't worked out the details yet, or else the AWBs and mag limits were stalking horses to make the rest of their program easier to put through.

Another reason for not bringing these other things up is that they did some nose-counting and found they don't have the votes yet. If that's the case, it's a good sign for us.
 
Last edited:
That makes killing those important as a test of the power of the citizens of VA to stop the Anti legislation.


If VA can stop any one of these "low hanging fruit" bills then the Antis are put on notice.

Here are the gun-control bills that are coming up on Monday, January 13, at 8 am in the Senate Judiciary:

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+doc+S0310113

S.B. 12 (Universal Background Checks)

Patron: Saslaw

Firearm transfers; criminal history record information checks; penalty. Requires a background check for any firearm transfer and requires the Department of State Police to establish a process for transferors of firearms to obtain such a check from licensed firearms dealers. A transferor who fails to obtain a required background check and sells the firearm to another person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts transfers (i) between immediate family members; (ii) that occur by operation of law; (iii) by the executor or administrator of an estate or by the trustee of a testamentary trust; (iv) at firearms shows in accordance with law; (v) that are part of a buyback or give-back program; (vi) of antique firearms; (vii) that occur at a shooting range, shooting gallery, or any other area designed for the purpose of target shooting or for use during target practice, a firearms safety or training course or class, a shooting competition, or any similar lawful activity; or (viii) that are temporary transfers that (a) occur within the continuous presence of the owner of the firearm or (b) are necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The bill removes the provision that makes background checks of prospective purchasers or transferees at firearms shows voluntary.



S.B. 22

Patron: Saslaw (One handgun a month)

Purchase of handguns; limitation on handgun purchases; penalty. Prohibits any person who is not a licensed firearms dealer from purchasing more than one handgun in a 30-day period and establishes such an offense as a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts from this provision (i) persons who have been issued a certificate by the Department of State Police under certain circumstances and with an enhanced background check, (ii) law-enforcement agencies and officers, (iii) state and local correctional facilities, (iv) licensed private security companies, (v) persons who hold a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit, (vi) persons whose handgun has been stolen or irretrievably lost or who are trading in a handgun, (vii) purchases of handguns in a private sale, and (viii) purchases of antique firearms.



S.B. 35

Patron: Surovell (bans guns for parades, marches, etc.)

Control of firearms by localities; permitted events. Authorizes any locality by ordinance to prohibit the possession or carrying of firearms, ammunition, or components or any combination thereof in a public space during a permitted event or an event that would otherwise require a permit. The bill contains technical amendments.


S.B. 69

Patron: Locke (One handgun a month)

Purchase of handguns; limitation on handgun purchases; penalty. Prohibits any person who is not a licensed firearms dealer from purchasing more than one handgun in a 30-day period and establishes such an offense as a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts from this provision (i) persons who have been issued a certificate by the Department of State Police under certain circumstances and with an enhanced background check, (ii) law-enforcement agencies and officers, (iii) state and local correctional facilities, (iv) licensed private security companies, (v) persons who hold a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit, (vi) persons whose handgun has been stolen or irretrievably lost or who are trading in a handgun, (vii) purchases of handguns in a private sale, and (viii) purchases of antique firearms.




S.B. 70

Patron: Lucas (Universal Background Checks)

Firearm transfers; criminal history record information checks; penalty. Requires a background check for any firearm transfer and directs the Department of State Police (the Department) to establish a process for transferors to obtain such a check from licensed firearms dealers. A transferor who sells a firearm to another person without obtaining the required background check is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that a transferee who receives a firearm from another person without obtaining the required background check is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts transfers (i) between immediate family members; (ii) that occur by operation of law; (iii) by the executor or administrator of an estate or by the trustee of a testamentary trust; (iv) at firearms shows in accordance with law; (v) that are part of a buy-back or give-back program; (vi) of antique firearms; (vii) that occur at a shooting range, shooting gallery, or any other area designed for the purpose of target shooting or for use during target practice, a firearms safety or training course or class, a shooting competition, or any similar lawful activity; or (viii) that are temporary transfers that (a) occur within the continuous presence of the owner of the firearm or (b) are necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The bill removes the provision that makes background checks of prospective purchasers or transferees at firearms shows voluntary. The bill also provides that the Department shall have three business days to complete a criminal history record information check before a firearm may be transferred.



S.B. 240 (Red Flag law)

Patron: Barker

Firearms; removal from persons posing substantial risk; penalties. Creates a procedure by which any attorney for the Commonwealth or any law-enforcement officer may apply to a general district court, circuit court, or juvenile and domestic relations district court judge or magistrate for an emergency substantial risk order to prohibit a person who poses a substantial risk of injury to himself or others from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm. If an emergency substantial risk order is issued, a judge or magistrate may issue a search warrant to remove firearms from such person. An emergency substantial risk order shall expire on the fourteenth day following issuance of the order. The bill requires a court hearing in the circuit court for the jurisdiction where the order was issued within 14 days from issuance of an emergency substantial risk order to determine whether a substantial risk order should be issued. Seized firearms shall be retained by a law-enforcement agency for the duration of an emergency substantial risk order or a substantial risk order or, for a substantial risk order and with court approval, may be transferred to a third party 21 years of age or older chosen by the person from whom they were seized. The bill allows the complainant of the original warrant to file a motion for a hearing to extend the substantial risk order prior to its expiration. The court may extend the substantial risk order for a period not longer than 180 days. The bill provides that persons who are subject to a substantial risk order, until such order has been dissolved by a court, are guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor for purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm; are disqualified from having a concealed handgun permit; and may not be employed by a licensed firearms dealer. The bill also provides that a person who transfers a firearm to a person he knows has been served with a warrant or who is the subject of a substantial risk order is guilty of a Class 4 felony. The bill creates a computerized substantial risk order registry for the entry of orders issued pursuant to provisions in the bill.



S.B. 450

Patron: Edwards (bans guns at Board of Supervisor meetings or City Council meetings)

Control of firearms; chambers of local governing bodies. Allows a locality to adopt an ordinance that prohibits firearms, ammunition, or components or a combination thereof at any regular or special meeting of its local governing body, provided that notice of such prohibition is publicly posted and the meeting room is owned, operated or used by the locality.


S.B. 505

Patron: Edwards (Bans guns in local government buildings)

Control of firearms by localities; local government buildings. Authorizes a locality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof in any building owned or used by such locality for governmental purposes. The bill requires such ordinance to include a provision for security measures designed to reasonably prevent unauthorized access of such buildings by a person with a firearm, ammunition, or components or combination thereof. The bill requires a locality to post notice of any such prohibition at all entrances of buildings used for governmental purposes.


S.B. 543

Patron: Edwards (Closes non-existent "Gun show loophole")

Firearms shows; mandatory background check. Requires the Department of State Police to perform a criminal history record information check on the prospective purchaser or transferee prior to the completion of any firearms transaction at a firearms show held in the Commonwealth. Current law requires the Department of State Police to be available at every firearms show held in the Commonwealth to perform criminal history record information checks but does not require such checks to be performed unless requested by a party involved in the transaction.


S.B. 615

Patron: Deeds (bans guns in local government buildings and in parks)

Control of firearms by localities; local government buildings and parks. Authorizes a locality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof in any building owned or used by such locality for governmental purposes and in public parks owned by the locality. The bill requires such ordinance to include a provision for security measures designed to reasonably prevent unauthorized access of such buildings or parks by a person with a firearm, ammunition, or components or combination thereof. The bill requires a locality to post notice of any such prohibition at all entrances of buildings used for governmental purposes and at the main entrances to public parks owned by this locality.
 
Last edited:
What are conspicuously missing are AWBs
The House AWB was introduced on Monday, IIRC. It was a "one feature" bill covering all semi-automatic firearms, with registration of owners. I'll have to look it back up again, but it may have had a "you keep it one generation, but only if registered" rule, rather than SB16's immediate ban.
 
The House AWB was introduced on Monday, IIRC. It was a "one feature" bill covering all semi-automatic firearms, with registration of owners. I'll have to look it back up again, but it may have had a "you keep it one generation, but only if registered" rule, rather than SB16's immediate ban.
Yes, but neither the House nor the Senate AWB bills have been scheduled for committee hearings yet. That was the point I was trying to make.

There are significant differences between the Senate and House bills. The Senate bill (SB 16) does not have a grandfather provision for assault weapons, so presumably that ban would go into effect on July 1. On the other hand, it does not cover suppressors, and magazines would be fully grandfathered without registration. (The ban on magazines would apply only to transfers, starting July 1.)

The House bill (HB 961) would ban suppressors and magazines without grandfathering, effective July 1. Regarding AWs, the bill has a complicated grandfather provision. Currently-owned AWs would be grandfathered until Jan.1, 2021. Thereafter, they could continue to be owned only if registered (at a fee of $50 each). Grandfathered (registered) AWs could not be sold, but could be inherited (provided the heir also registered them).

The House bill is worse than the Senate version, because of the far-reaching implications of the magazine ban with no grandfathering. That would affect many common handguns as well as grandfathered AWs, and also would turn registered machine guns into wall hangers.

The Senate bill would be more tolerable if one word -- "possession" -- were deleted from the list of crimes. That would mean open-ended grandfathering with no registration.
 
bill would be more tolerable
Tolerance does not much appear to be on the table for any of these.

And, there's not a strong minority to call for compromise or "appeasement" modifications to these abominations. And really, would getting an exemption for rimfire be that much of a victory? No anti has ever actually floated a one-feature ban before. And changing the definition to "assault firearms" is also new, for not merely wanting to ban self-loading long arms. They want the lot, the motherlode, "all of them, turn them in." And, it loos like they have the political power to enact just such a thing.
 
Tolerance does not much appear to be on the table for any of these.
The ideal would be for nothing to pass at all. However......
They want the lot, the motherlode, "all of them, turn them in." And, it looks like they have the political power to enact just such a thing.
If they had the power and the intention to pass everything, then we would be helpless, wouldn't we? And there would be no point in having this discussion.

However, it's not clear what they can actually pass, because, for one thing, there is dissension within their own ranks. They agree among themselves on the broad outlines of their antigun program, but they haven't worked out the details yet (as shown by the contradictions in the various bills that they have introduced). We can exploit this dissension. There's going to be some type of AWB. A victory for us would be to maneuver them into passing a toothless AWB. Alas, nobody on the pro-gun side is thinking along those lines. If they even mention this (as I am doing), they risk being branded as traitors or defeatists.
 
Saslaw has just pulled the Senate AWB (SB 16). That means that Levine's HB 961 is now the baseline. This is terrible. Every over-10-round magazine would be a felony.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top