Surrounded by Democratic lawmakers Thursday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ceremoniously signed several gun-control initiatives.
The gun bills were approved in April and went into effect July 1. The laws include expanded background checks, red-flag laws and laws that allow localities to impose stricter gun regulations than state and federal laws.
“Today would not have been possible without many Virginians saying, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” Northam said. “I want to thank all who advocated for commonsense gun safety laws, as well as all of the legislators who listened to them. These laws will save lives.”
Northam called a special session on gun-control initiatives last July when the Senate and the House still were controlled by Republicans. The session did not yield any votes, and the lawmakers quickly adjourned. In November, Democrats flipped both chambers from red to blue and passed most of Northam’s initiatives.
House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, said Republicans had blocked previous attempts for gun control in the committee process, often without a vote. She credited the Democratic Party’s campaign message on gun laws as a major contributor to the party’s success in last year’s elections.
“So many of you had knocked on doors, so many of you made phone calls, went to the polls,” Filler-Corn said. “Virginians spoke loud and clear … on Nov. 5 to put gun violence prevention, gun sense majorities, in the General Assembly for the first time in 20 years.”
Northam said these laws help prevent gun crime without infringing on the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He said legal gun owners have nothing to worry about.
Despite the governor’s assurance, the legislation received staunch opposition from the Republican minority and gun-rights advocates who believe differently.
“Gov. Northam is completely out of touch with the people of Virginia,” Erich Pratt, the senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, told The Center Square. “While many cities across the country are reporting increases in murders, police have been ordered to stand down in the face of violent rioters. In response, Americans, including many in Virginia, are buying guns at record rates. But Northam and his fellow cronies in the Democrat Party could care less about what Virginians truly need. They only care about their disarmament agenda and are ramping up the infringements on people’s God-given right of self-defense.”
Pratt said Virginia is among the five safest five in the country, despite never enacting these laws, but neighboring Maryland, which has these restrictions in place, is one of the least safe states in the country. He said none of these bills makes people safer.
Senate Bill 70 extends background check requirements to most private sales. Sales between close family members are still exempt from a background check.
House Bill 674 and Senate Bill 240 establish red-flag laws, which allow a judge or a magistrate to order the seizure of firearms from a person’s home if they deem that person to be a threat to themself or others. This order can be given without a person being convicted of a crime, charged with a crime or accused of a crime. A person is guaranteed a hearing within 14 days of the seizure.
House Bill 421 allows local governments to impose certain restrictions on firearms in their jurisdiction.
Efforts to ban the sale or the possession of semi-automatic firearms were unsuccessful after some Democrats voted with Republicans to block the legislation.
