Well, after nearly a decade of ineptitude, the Virginia Republican Party has given us back-to-back Democratic governors. Oh, and the state legislature flipped in the 2019 elections. For the first time in two decades, the Democrats control all in the Old Dominion. They’re liberal. They’re anti-gun. They want to turn Virginia into Maryland. These folks wasted no time getting universal background checks, a ban on so-called assault weapons, one-gun-a-month law, magazine limits, and increasing the age to purchase guns on the docket. Something is going to pass. That’s the bad news. The good news is with enough pressure; Virginia’s Second Amendment supporters and gun owners can hopefully scare lawmakers from some of the more radical measures.
The assault weapons ban died in committee in the Virginia State Senate, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be logrolled into something else. Regardless, one-gun-a-month seems like the one that is likely to be signed into law again. It was repealed under former Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. The National Rifle Association’s lobbying arm has already noted that some of these proposed bills, like banning private sales that don’t pay fees and are done without prior authorization from government authority is totally unenforceable and will have zero impact on fighting crime (via NRA-ILA):
Senate Bill 35, introduced by Senator Scott Surovell, would destroy Virginia’s firearm preemption laws by allowing localities to create new “gun-free zones” in and around public buildings, parks, and permitted events such as farmer’s markets. Criminals would ignore these restrictions, leaving law-abiding citizens unable to defend themselves and their loved ones.
Senate Bill 69, introduced by Senator Mamie Locke, commonly referred to as “one-gun-a-month,” would arbitrarily ration an individual’s right to lawfully purchase a handgun to once within 30 days.
Senate Bill 70, introduced by Senator Louise Lucas, would ban sales between private individuals without first paying fees and obtaining government permission. Firearm sales between friends, neighbors, or fellow hunters, would not be exempted. This proposal would have no impact on crime and is completely unenforceable.
Frankly, it wouldn’t shock me if all these bills passed. They probably will since Democrats are the majority. Elections matter. They have consequences and a decade of shoddy candidate recruitment has landed us here. Republicans use to have a supermajority in the House of Delegates. Those were the days. Now, we’re dealing with multiple attempts by Democrats to shred our Constitutional rights regarding gun ownership, with some openly discussing using the National Guard to confiscate guns. We’re in dark times for sure.