The majority-Democrat Virginia General Assembly passed two new gun control bills as lawmakers reconvened on Wednesday to tie up loose strings after this year’s session closed in late February.
The two gun laws require individuals under a protective order to turn over firearms within 24 hours and allows local communities to bar firearms from public places with an exemption for institutes of higher education.
At General Assembly session today. This is a first. Outside under a tent. pic.twitter.com/pwvOAgjk2Q
— Terry Kilgore (@delterrykilgore) April 22, 2020
The two new pieces of legislation bookend a session that saw unprecedented gun control bills passed after Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and the Democratic-held Assembly made firearm policy a cornerstone of this year’s session.
“The work of government must continue, and both the House of Delegates and the Senate stepped up to make sure they conducted legislative business safely, while social distancing, and I appreciate those efforts,” Northam said.
Northam signed five gun control bills into law in early April, which expanded background checks and tightened how many handguns a resident can purchase in one month.
The debate around gun control in Virginia climaxed during a mass demonstration of gun rights activists, who assembled outside the Virginia State Capitol in late January.
Under the Virginia Constitution, lawmakers are instructed to reconvene six weeks after the closing of the General Assembly to consider vetoes and amendments to the bills.
Because of the coronavirus, House delegates met under an open-air canopy, and state senators convened at a science museum in Richmond.
