For the Virginia folks (and really, anyone else interested 
), here is a good spot to discuss all the bills in the current legislative session.
As you should hopefully know by now, Last November’s election yielded a slight Republican majority in the house, and Republicans in Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General. However, the Senate is still a slight Democrat majority. So while the goal is to repeal the bad gun laws, prevent more bad gun laws, and add good gun laws, there is still a significant hurdle in that it must pass both houses before going to the governor for final approval.
That’s why we need all the help we can get to push not only Republican representatives, but if we can push a Democrat representative here and there then that is how we can succeed today instead of waiting and hoping for the next election cycle.
We did a FANTASTIC job of this in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, the Democratic majority in House, Senate, and Governorship all promised to remake Virginia and came in hot with enough gun-control to make CA and NY jealous and would potentially have made Virginia one of the most anti-gun states in the country. But thanks to not only Lobby Day 2020, but a massive amount of emails, letters, calls, and in-person lobbying we managed to hold off the most egregious bills and only a few gun-control bills passed. 2021, very little gun-control was pushed as many Dems saw it as a non-electable position considering all the chaos of 2020. And now here we are, and we must press on.
I will post in here alerts from VCDL as I see them, but I encourage other Virginians to also post VCDL alerts, or any other news, articles, alerts that are relevant for this session.
For FASTEST notifications you should get them direct from the VCDL. They only send 2A related items, and (IMO) they do a good job of not overloading you with a ton of emails. If you get a lot of emails, its because there is a lot going on.
Sign up for VCDL alerts here → https://vcdl.org/page/va-alert
Here is the link to the latest newsletter. There are TWO links in there for a “one click” (actually some typing and then at least two clicks) submission to send to your Senator which ones you want them to vote “yes” and which ones you want them to vote “no”. You do have a chance to edit before sending if you want to.
https://vcdl.org/mpage/VCDLLegislativeAlert012522
Below is a copy/paste from the newsletter with more information about the bills:
Bills VCDL Strongly SUPPORTS
SB 74, Senator Chase, repeals the authority for localities to have an ordinance banning firearms in local government buildings, parks, recreation and community centers, and at events that are permitted, or should have been permitted. While only 16 out of 194 localities have such an ordinance, it still creates a web of laws that can trip up gun owners as they move around in the Commonwealth. No other civil right varies based on location. Because of the seriousness of gun-law penalties, gun laws should be uniform across the Commonwealth, as they had been from 2004 to 2020. None of the 16 localities could show a need for such an ordinance, but many claimed it would lower crime and make their locality safer. In reality, violent crime is up over 20%. In Alexandria, crime committed using a firearm skyrocketed 40% starting the very month that their ordinance went into effect and has stayed up. Richmond’s violent crime is now back to the highs of decades ago. Disarming citizens in parks, which cannot be secured, puts citizens at unnecessary risk. The ban on guns at permitted, or should have been permitted, events is vague as to exactly what locations “open to the public” are included. Richmond has abused that part of the law by leaving signs up permanently on some streets, giving citizens the impossible task of determining if there is an event in the area that is permitted, or worse, should have been permitted. The 2020 change to the firearm preemption law was a classic example of fixing something that wasn’t broken, and we need to restore the law as it was in 2019.
SB 330, Senator Reeves, “Constitutional Carry” bill, allows someone without a concealed handgun permit, but who would qualify for one, to carry a concealed handgun anywhere they could lawfully open carry a handgun. Twenty-one states now have Constitutional Carry, none have repealed it, and more states are expected to follow suit this year. Neighboring Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia are Constitutional Carry states.
SB 364, Senator Reeves, repeals Virginia’s One Handgun a Month arbitrary gun-rationing scheme. Federal law already requires gun dealers to report to the BATFE any repeated handgun-sales made to the same individual during any five-day period.
SB 644, Senator Hackworth, exempts CHP holders from Universal Background Checks.
SB 763, Senator Obenshain, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from local gun-control ordinances.
Bills VCDL Strongly OPPOSES
SB 61, Senator Hackworth, exempts certain retired and active government employees from gun laws that better-trained concealed handgun permit holders are not exempted from. The bill exempts retired or active Commonwealth Attorneys, Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys, and judges or justices of the Commonwealth from: local-government gun prohibitions, the Capitol Square and state agency gun prohibition (rest stops, General Assembly Building, DMV, ABC, etc.), the prohibition against loaded rifles or shotguns in a vehicle, guns in non-secure areas of airport terminals, on school property, and the prohibition against carry within 40 feet of a polling place. Retired and active Commonwealth Attorneys, judges, and justices have NO requirement for training, while concealed handgun permit holders DO have training. CHP holders have an exemplary record of carrying and using guns in a responsible and legal manner. There is no valid reason that CHP holders should not be allowed to carry in the same places and with the same exemptions as retired and active Commonwealth Attorneys, Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys, judges, and justices. SB 61 sets up a caste system with an entitled class of princelings with special privileges not afforded to “commoners.” VCDL does support the LEOSA training provision in the bill.
SB 310, Senator Ebbin, makes the possession, transfer, sale, or manufacture of a homemade gun a crime, unless at some point federal law requires a frame to be serialized and a federal firearms importer or a federal firearms manufacturer has serialized the frame. This bill would make existing homemade guns illegal and would make 80% receivers illegal, turning innocent citizens into criminals overnight, with no compensation for the loss of their previously legal gun or 80% frame. Like the proverbial “bull in a china shop,” this bill is tinkering with extremely complicated gun laws.
SB 487, Senator McClellan, creates a Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention. The sole focus in firearms and the description of the proposed center make it clear this is political and not about finding solutions. Violence is violence. The violent person is the problem, not whatever tool that is used.
