From VCDL
ETA
ETA 1-23-2017
.1. Gun bills voted on in the Senate Courts of Justice committee 2. Coverage of Lobby Day in the media
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1. Gun bills voted on in the Senate Courts of Justice committee
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Your emails helped get the following BAD gun bills KILLED today:
SB 809, Favola, requires lost/stolen gun to be reported within 24 hours. This punishes the victim of a theft and not the criminal
SB 1112, Edwards, severely damages firearms preemption, allowing for patchwork of localities who can ban guns at government meetings. A solution in search of a problem
SB 1185, Dance, requires lost/stolen gun to be reported within 24 hours. This punishes the victim of a theft and not the criminal
SB 1194, Lucas, Universal Background Check bill, will not lower crime rates, raises the cost of a firearm, and creates a gun registration system
SB 1266, Ebbin, makes the state, and not parents, arbiters of when a child is old enough to be allowed to shoot a firearm or a pneumatic gun
SB 1267, Ebbin, takes away the right of a person openly carrying a firearm to have a drink with dinner and adds another penalty for being intoxicated in public. A solution in search of a problem
SB 1439, Surovell, Universal Background Check bill, will not lower crime rates, raises the cost of a firearm, and creates a gun registration system
SB 1443, Barker, a sweeping gun confiscation scheme based on a "probable cause" standard. Takes away a civil right without due process
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The following BAD gun bill was FIXED to be acceptable to VCDL and PASSED out of committee:
SB 1049, Edwards, clean up bill with a bad provision on requiring a change of address for the machine gun registration database
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BAD gun bills PASSED out of committee: NONE
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The following GOOD gun bills were PASSED out of committee:
SB 791, Chase, reduces CHP fees by allowing the Circuit Court Clerk to reduce the normal $10 fee
SB 1297, Vogel, allows an active duty member of the armed forces to get a CHP if they are 18-years-old or older. Also fixes a problem with Georgia honoring Virginia CHPs. Rolled into SB 1362
SB 1299, Vogel, makes a protection order into a CHP for 45 days. It is a CHP for 90 days if the victim applies for a permanent CHP. The provides important and immediate protections for victims of violence
SB 1300, Vogel, provides firearms training to speed up the acquisition of a permanent concealed handgun permit for someone with a protection order
SB 1362, Black, allows an active duty member of the armed forces to get a CHP if they are 18-years-old or older. Also fixes a problem with Georgia honoring Virginia CHPs
SB 1440, Black, Constitutional Carry, keeps CHP system, but allows those who can legally own a handgun to be able to carry it concealed without a permit. 11 states already have such a system and the number is growing
SB 1444, Chafin, updates Virginia code for ammunition made using modern technology. Some ammunition is incorrectly categorized as "armor piercing" under the current law
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The following GOOD gun bill was KILLED:
SB 1422, Chase, reduces CHP fee to $5
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2. Coverage of Lobby Day in the media
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http://www.nbc12.com/story/34271944/capitol-is-site-of-dueling-gun-rallies
http://wric.com/2017/01/16/advocates-square-off-over-gun-laws-at-capitol/
http://wtvr.com/2017/01/16/gunowners-lobby-for-less-gun-control-others-lobby-to-end-gun-violence-1
http://www.richmond.com/news/virgin...cle_01d6b301-373a-5b28-9f94-c27d040030c3.html
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com...cle_80cc2251-c03e-5345-9155-8b79c89179c2.html
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ETA
More from VCDL***********************************************************
2. It was a good morning for gun owners!
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Great news! HB 1582, Campbell, which allows active duty military or those with an honorable discharge, who are at least 18 years old and have completed basic training, to get a CHP has passed out of the House and is now in the Senate. This bill both protects our military and it will also open Georgia to honoring Virginia permits.
This morning the following GUN-CONTROL bills were KILLED in the House Militia, Police, and Public Safety Subcommittee #2:
HB 1778, Delegate Plum, takes away a person’s right to purchase or transport a handgun for five years for a conviction of misdemeanor assault and battery against someone because of race, religion, color, or national origin. Misdemeanors are not meant to take away someone’s civil rights, but that’s exactly what this bill does. It also makes some people’s lives more important than other people’s lives.
HB 2098, Delegate Price, a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian would have to give prior permission for a person under 18 years old to possess a firearm on the property of that parent, grandparent, or legal guardian. This is a private, family matter, not a matter for the Commonwealth to turn into a crime.
HB 2266, Delegate Filler-Corn, requires that a store or restaurant that allows guns on their property, post a prominent sign so stating, or face a civil penalty. This makes no sense, except as a form of intimidation for the stores and restaurants, dragging them into a political issue. Should stores and restaurants also post a list of all clothes, cell phones, necklaces, wrist watches, purses, wallets, and shoes that customers are allowed to possess, too?
This GOOD gun-bill PASSED out of subcommittee:
HB 2077, Delegate Wilt, removes the restriction on the right to keep and bear arms from emergency shelters.
Batting 1000 so far today. This afternoon will see 23 (!) more gun bills heard in MPPS Subcommittee #1.
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1. House Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee #1 protected gun rights on Thursday night
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Good news from Thursday: 10 gun-control bills were killed, none passed out of subcommittee. 5 good gun-bills passed out of subcommittee, one was pulled for the year, none were killed. On Friday, the good bills that passed out of subcommittee, also passed out of full committee and are all headed to the Floor of the House.
Delegates Tommy Wright (chair), Todd Gilbert, Mike Webert, and Matt Fariss all stood solidly with gun owners. John Bell only voted correctly a few times.
BAD gun bills that were KILLED:
HB 1683, Delegate Simon, makes it illegal to carry a loaded shotgun or rifle in certain specific localities. It also adds the City of Roanoke to the list of localities where such a ban exists. The code section needs to repealed in its entirety, not made worse by this bill. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution allow citizens to possess loaded rifles and shotguns. Also, it is easy for a law-abiding gun owners to inadvertently break this law as they travel from location to location. Gun laws need to be consistent across the Commonwealth.
HB 1684, Delegate Simon, takes away the requirement that a person be reckless before he can be charged with leaving a loaded firearm where a child under 14 can have access to it. One size does not fit all. A child can be both very mature and have had training with firearms where leaving the loaded firearm out is not reckless or dangerous to the child. In fact children have used firearms to stop criminals during home invasions.
HB 1685, Delegate Simon, reinstates the old “One Handgun a Month” law. There was no evidence to show that the old One Handgun a Month law did anything to reduce crime or gun trafficking. Improvements in the background check system have also made the bill unnecessary.
HB 1758, Delegate Sullivan, creates a sweeping new order for someone to have their firearms confiscated solely based on a sworn “probable cause” statement by law enforcement or a Commonwealth Attorney that the person is in substantial risk of personal injury to himself or others. Probable cause is not the same standard we use to convict someone of a crime. Historically, due process protections have required that in order to strip someone of fundamental rights, that person would be afforded those higher levels of protections. A person should not have their civil rights stripped away from them without having proper due process. HB 1758 allows any warrant to strip away a person’s gun rights away while that warrant is in effect. It doesn’t have legal protections if the firearms are damaged or lost by the police. It has no penalties if the police do not comport with the requirements to return seized items in a timely fashion or penalies for failure of the police to follow any of the other provisions.
HB 1773, Delegate Plum, requires all private sales at gun shows go through a background check. The Virginia State Crime Commission did not recommend this approach when asked nine years ago. A gun show may not even be able to find a willing dealer to do such background checks due to the paperwork and the mandatory 20-year retention of that paperwork. This bill will unnecessarily raise the price of privately sold guns and puts an unreasonable burden on the gun show promoter to identify all private sellers before the show even begins. The result will be to make it much harder to hold a gun show in Virginia. Gun shows bring a lot of revenue to the Commonwealth. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, less than 1% of guns used in crimes are purchased at gun shows, so this bill will have no noticeable affect on crime. Finally, the private sale background check requirement is just the first step in ultimately setting up a “Universal Background Check” scheme that can only be enforced by means of a “Universal Gun Registration.”
HB 1864, Delegate Lopez, makes it a crime for someone to authorize a child four-years-old or younger to use a firearm or an air gun under any circumstances. It also lowers the age for supervised use of a firearm down to five-years-old. Determining the maturity of a child is not the job of government, but of the parents.
HB 1865, Delegate Lopez, increases the time that the Virginia State Police can drag their heels in completing a background check for a firearms purchase and delay that purchase from 1 business day to 5 business days. It is supposed to be an “instant check,” so 1 business day is already too long.
HB 2187, Delegate Boysko, requires that all private sales of firearms go through a federal firearms licensed dealer (“Universal Background Check”). This bill will do nothing about crime, but will make it harder and more expensive for a citizen to sell or trade one of his firearms to another citizen. No dealer is required to make such a transfer, possibly making a private transfer all but impossible or not possible in a timely manner. The dealer may charge a fee of up to $15, raising the price of the firearm. Finally, this bill will also lead to an inevitable “Universal Registration” scheme at some point in the future to provide for enforcement. Firearms confiscation is the end goal, as is happening right now in California.
HB 2188, Delegate Boysko, is backdoor scheme to coerce private firearms sellers into selling their firearms through a federal firearms licensee. The is done by threatening the private seller with civil liability if the firearm ends up being used in a crime.
HB 2212, Delegate Plum, requires that all private sales of firearms go through a federal firearms licensed dealer (“Universal Background Check”). This bill will do nothing about crime, but will make it harder and more expensive for a citizen to sell or trade one of his firearms to another citizen. No dealer is required to make such a transfer, possibly making a private transfer all but impossible or not possible in a timely manner. The dealer may charge a fee of up to $15, raising the price of the firearm. Finally, this bill will also lead to an inevitable “Universal Registration” scheme at some point in the future to provide for enforcement. Firearms confiscation is the end goal, as is happening right now in California.
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GOOD gun bills that were PASSED OUT OF SUBCOMMITTEE:
HB 1466, Delegate Fowler, requires that the Circuit Court Clerk send a renewal notice out to concealed handgun permit holders 120 to 180 days before the person’s permit expires.
HB 1849, Delegate Gilbert, allows for the Circuit Court Clerk to laminate or create a plastic concealed handgun permit. This will make permits look more professional and to stand up better to wear.
HB 1852, Delegate Gilbert, a protective order will act as a temporary concealed handgun permit for 45 days. If the person who is protected by the order applies for a concealed carry permit, then the temporary permit will be extended another 45 days to allow for processing of the application. The person must be at least 21 years old and be able to purchase, possess, and transport a firearm legally. This bill will actually make a person with a protective order safer, unlike all the other protective order laws.
HB 1853, Delegate Gilbert, provides that DCJS will provide funding to entities that offer free firearms safety or training courses approved by DCJS to victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking, and family abuse. This bill will actually make victims safer.
HB 2325, Delegate Fariss, requires photo identification when applying for a new permit or renewing an existing permit, BUT now eliminates the need for an application to be notarized.
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Delegate LaRock pulled his church carry bill, HB 1822, which will be back next year in a better form.
ETA 1-23-2017
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A gun-control bill has squeezed out of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, so we need to make sure we stop it in the Finance committee or on the Senate Floor.
The bill is SB 1453, Senator Lucas, which makes gun-free zones out of preschool and child day centers!
We need all of you to contact your Senator and oppose this bill.
To send a pre-written message to your Senator (our software figures out who your Senator is based on your address), click here:
http://tinyurl.com/zeq2xz9
Let’s roll!
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VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]
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