By a margin of 71 to 24, the House voted to approve the Governor’s amendment with the Senate concurring, 20 to 19 in support of Governor McDonnell’s amendment recommending that the General Assembly insert the word “secured” for “locked” in House Bill 885.
Sponsored by Delegate Clay Athey (R-18), HB885 would allow any person who may lawfully possess a firearm and is carrying a handgun while in a personal, private vehicle or vessel to keep the firearm secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle or vessel.
The House and Senate also voted, 68 to 24 and 32 to 7, respectively, to support Governor McDonnell’s amendment striking a non-existent organization named the
Sponsored by Delegate Lynwood Lewis (D-100), HB1217 allows local school boards to offer firearm safety education programs in the elementary grades. To assist local school boards opting to provide such instruction, the Board of Education must establish a standardized program of firearm safety education for students in the elementary school grades to promote the protection and safety of children. The bill requires that the program objectives incorporate, among other principles of firearm safety, accident prevention and the rules of the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program. Local school boards offering the program must comply with Board curriculum guidelines and integrate the instruction in appropriate subject areas, if feasible, to ensure that every elementary school student receives instruction in firearm safety education.
With each amendment being supported by both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, the amended bills are reenrolled and will become law. Please contact your legislator and thank them for their vote and all their work during the 2010 session. Contact information can be found here.