On Monday, January 26, at 8:00 A.M., the Senate Courts of Justice Committee is holding a hearing in Senate Room B on numerous pro-and anti-gun bills. Your urgent action is needed to ensure that the Committee votes in support of those bills that advance your Second Amendment rights and votes in opposition to those bills that infringe on your rights.
The following pro-gun bills are important to gun owners and sportsmen and deserve your support:
SUPPORT Senate Bill 689: Sponsored by pro-gun Senator Dick Black (R-13), SB 689 maintains the current five year permit and also provides applicants with the option of a permit that does not expire unless revoked or suspended.
SUPPORT Senate Bill 828: Sponsored by pro-gun Senator Dick Black (R-13), SB 828 would allow the possession of firearms on private and religious school property.
SUPPORT Senate Bill 1132: Sponsored by pro-gun Senator Tom Garrett (R-22), SB 1132 would allow a person with a valid concealed handgun permit to carry on school grounds after hours, or store a concealed handgun in a motor vehicle in the parking lot.
SUPPORT Senate Bill 1137: Sponsored by pro-gun Senator Tom Garrett (R-22), SB 1137 would prohibit local ordinances that ban concealed carry permit holders from transporting a loaded rifle or shotgun, eliminating a patchwork of inconsistent laws that are unnecessarily confusing for law-abiding citizens.
SUPPORT Senate Bill 1191: Sponsored by pro-gun Senator Tommy Norment (R-3), SB 1191 would amend the felony charge for having a firearm on school property to require that the person must have knowingly possessed the firearm.
The following anti-gun bills infringe on your Right to Keep and Bear Arms and deserve your swift opposition:
OPPOSE Senate Bill 694: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator David Marsden (D-37), SB 694 would require that a background check be performed on all private sales at gun shows, even though the vast majority of firearms sales at these shows are transacted by licensed retailers that already conduct such checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as required by federal law. This legislation will not reduce crime and serves only to affect law-abiding gun owners by creating mandates and restrictions on the lawful purchase and possession of firearms.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 768: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Don McEachin (D-9), SB 768 would criminalize private firearm sales or transfers to anyone outside of immediate family members by creating a Class 2 misdemeanor for individuals to buy, sell, trade or transfer a firearm to individuals who are not a licensed dealer.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 798: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Mamie Locke (D-2), SB 798 would impose an arbitrary limit on the number of handguns most Virginia residents could purchase to one-per-month.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 909: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Janet Howell (D-32), SB 909 would prohibit anyone subject to a protective order from possessing a firearm, without the protections of due process. NRA believes that revocation of an individual’s constitutional right should be subject to due process, not accusations that lack being substantiated through some form of judicial review.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 912: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Jennifer Wexton (D-33), SB 912 would create a ninety-day firearms restriction period for anyone subject to an emergency custody order, without due process of law.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 943: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Barbara Favola (D-31), SB 943 expands “prohibited persons” for ownership and possession of a firearm to individuals convicted of certain misdemeanors.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 993: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Louise Lucas (D-18), SB 993 would change certain definitions related to gun shows in order to prohibit private sales of firearms.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 1108: Sponsored by Senator Linda Puller (D-36), SB 1108 would revoke concealed handgun permits of those who are ninety days or $5,000 delinquent on their child support payments. Being behind on child-support payments is not relevant to your constitutional right to defend yourself and does not indicate that you are a violent person or a danger to others. Likewise, misdemeanor offenses should not warrant the permanent loss of Second Amendment rights when no other civil right is lost in the Commonwealth for conviction of misdemeanor offenses.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 1178: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30), SB 1178 contains numerous anti-gun provisions, including the criminalization of private firearm transfers, repealing permit holder confidentiality and allowing that a person may be held civilly liable for injury or death of another resulting from the use of a firearm by a child under the age of 14.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 1179: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30), SB 1179 imposes an arbitrary age limit to train someone to safely use a firearm, when it should be up to the parent to decide when their child is mature and physically strong enough to learn about gun safety.
OPPOSE Senate Bill 1215: Sponsored by anti-gun Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30), SB 1215 would criminalize the sale of any ivory or ivory product, making sales of previously legally acquired ivory and horn products a serious felony, even if the seller was ignorant of the law and presumed the item’s original lawful acquisition shielded it from the scope of regulation. This would impact the sale and trade of some of America’s most historically-significant and collectable guns.
Please immediately begin contacting members of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee urging them to vote against the above anti-gun bills and in support of Senate Bills 689, 828, 1132, 1137, and 1191.
Senate Courts of Justice Committee:
Senator Thomas Norment (R-3), Co-Chairman
Email: district03@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (806) 698-7503
Senator Mark Obenshain (R-26), Co-Chairman
Email: district26@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7526
Senator Richard Saslaw (D-35)
Email: district35@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7535
Senator Janet Howell (D-32)
Email: district32@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7532
Senator Louise Lucas (D-18)
Email: district18@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7518
Senator John Edwards (D-21)
Email: district21@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7521
Senator Linda Puller (D-36)
Email: district36@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7536
Senator Ryan McDougle (R-4)
Email: district04@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7504
Senator Donald McEachin (D-9)
Email: district09@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7509
Senator Richard Stuart (R-28)
Email: district28@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7528
Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-27)
Email: district27@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7527
Senator William Stanley (R-20)
Email: district20@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7520
Senator Bryce Reeves (R-17)
Email: district17@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7517
Senator Thomas Garrett (R-22)
Email: district22@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7522
Senator Benton Chafin (R-38)
Email: district38@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7538
