Virginia House Public Safety Firearms Subcommittee Killing Pro-Gun Bills

 

The House of Delegates continues passing restrictions on firearms in Virginia, including on Monday, with a bill banning guns on Capitol grounds and a bill prohibiting people convicted of assaulting a family member from possessing firearms. But the House has killed or stalled four pro-gun bills that would have walked back firearms restrictions.

In 2020, the newly-Democrat-controlled House of Delegates passed gun laws, including a key bill that allows localities to ban firearms under certain circumstances. Critics say this creates a complex network of gun laws that differ as you travel throughout the Commonwealth. Several of the Republican pro-gun proposals would have walked back those restrictions.

HB1773

Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) introduced this bill, which would have allowed concealed carry of handguns without a permit in Virginia, as long as the person carrying could meet the legal requirements to get a permit.

In subcommittee on January 26, Freitas said, “Law abiding citizens are permitted to open carry in Virginia. ”

He added, “It wouldn’t completely remove the permitting process. What it would say is if someone wants to go through the permitting process in order to get licensed or reciprocity in other states they may continue to do so,but it would no loner be illegal to conceal carry in Virgina, provided you don’t have any sort of criminal record that would prevent you from otherwise open carrying.”

The bill was passed by indefinitely in the Public Safety Firearms subcommittee, effectively killing the bill for the 2021 session.

HB1793

Sponsored by Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach), this bill would have exempted concealed carry permit holders from gun bans passed by Virginia localities. If Freitas’ bill had also passed, the two together would have effectively allowed anyone to carry concealed in cities with a gun ban, as long as they met the requirements for a permit.

“The legislation last year that Democrats passed created a patchwork of different laws that now are different by locality. So you can imagine, driving from one locality to the next and all of the sudden having a different set of laws for having a concealed firearm,” Davis told The Virginia Star in January.

“The entrapment environment that the Democrats have created is frightening, and you have a patchwork set of gun control laws that differ every time you cross a city line,” Davis said. “I don’t support these gun control measures, but if the Democrats really felt that this was the right thing to do, then they should have at minimum had the courage to do this at the state level.”

The Public Safety Firearms subcommittee also voted to pass by HB1793 indefinitely.

HB2285

Delegate Buddy Fowler (R-Spotsylvania) introduced this bill, which would would have added another exemption to the one-firearm-per-month purchase restriction passed in 2020. The exemptions already include people who possess Virginia Concealed Carry Handgun permits; Fowler’s bill would have also exempted people with permits from other states recognized by Virginia.

The bill would also have exempted retired law enforcement officers.

The Public Safety Firearms subcommittee voted to pass by the bill indefinitely.

HB1757

Delegate John McGuire, III’s (R-Henrico) bill would remove sovereign immunity from localities that enact gun bans. Sovereign immunity is a legal principle limiting how much governments and their representatives can be liable for lawsuits. McGuire’s bill would expose a city with a gun ban to lawsuits from personal injury.

“In gun-free zones, citizens are giving up their Second Amendment right of self-protection and are entirely dependent on the State or locality to keep them safe. If gun-free zones are so effective, then there should not be a constraint on suing the government if an injury does occur,” states a McGuire press release from a similar bill he introduced in 2020.

McGuire’s bill has been referred to the Committee for Courts of Justice. However, it hasn’t even been referred to a subcommittee, which would force the subcommittee to consider the bill. Instead, the committee can ignore the bill indefinitely. A staffer told The Virginia Star that the delay could be caused by the Committee for Courts of Justice’s large docket, and that there’s a chance the bill will still be considered.

Bonus Bill: HB961

This 2020 bill, sponsored by Delegate Mark Levine, would have enacted sweeping bans, including the sale of assault firearms. Although the bill passed the Virginia House, it was continued in Committee in the Senate, giving the current Senate the chance to consider the bill.

“Remember, House Bill 961 was only carried over to 2021, not killed. This means by a simple majority vote in the State Senate Judiciary Committee, Northam’s Gun Ban will be on its way to pass….unless you stop it,” the Virginia Constitutional Conservatives wrote in a January 11 email. “Here is the deal, just like last year, 5, just 5 State Senators can prevent HB961 (Northam’s Gun Ban) from passing.”

But on January 11, Levine told The Virginia Star that due to the short 2021 session, there wasn’t time to consider the bill.

“[It] won’t happen this year,” he said in a text. “Session too short.”

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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network.  Email tips to [email protected]

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One Thought to “Virginia House Public Safety Firearms Subcommittee Killing Pro-Gun Bills”

  1. Robert E Bailey

    Gun owners around the country need to be vigilant. ammo is scarce as hens teeth. They will come at you any they can. they have went after manufactures buying up ammo anything they can to go after to make it hard on them. they go after the 2nd amendment many ways you must watch all fronts. they have tried for many years to destroy it one piece at a time. You think alittle here or there don`t matter .If they keep it up they will have the whole thing .Just like the the Johnny Cash song 1piece at a time and it didn`t cost him a dime .

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