Assault firearms, certain firearm magazines, etc.; prohibiting sale, transport, etc., penalties. (HB961)
Introduced By
Del. Mark Levine (D-Alexandria) with support from co-patron Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax Station)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Prohibiting sale, transport, etc., of assault firearms, certain firearm magazines, silencers, and trigger activators; penalties. Expands the definition of "assault firearm" and prohibits any person from importing, selling, transferring, manufacturing, purchasing, or transporting an assault firearm. A violation is a Class 6 felony. The bill prohibits a dealer from selling, renting, trading, or transferring from his inventory an assault firearm to any person. The bill makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess, or transport silencers, and trigger activators, all defined in the bill. The bill makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, or transport a large-capacity firearm magazine, as defined in the bill, and a Class 1 misdemeanor to possess such large-capacity firearm magazine. Any person who legally owns a large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator on July 1, 2020, may retain possession until January 1, 2021. During that time, such person shall (i) render the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator inoperable; (ii) remove the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator from the Commonwealth; (iii) transfer the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a person outside the Commonwealth who is not prohibited from possessing it; or (iv) surrender the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a state or local law-enforcement agency. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/07/2020 | Committee |
| 01/07/2020 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20104855D |
| 01/07/2020 | Referred to Committee on Public Safety |
| 01/08/2020 | Impact statement from VCSC (HB961) |
| 01/21/2020 | Impact statement from DPB (HB961) |
| 02/07/2020 | House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered |
| 02/07/2020 | Reported from Public Safety with substitute (12-Y 9-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/07/2020 | Committee substitute printed 20107888D-H1 |
| 02/07/2020 | Impact statement from VCSC (HB961H1) |
| 02/09/2020 | Read first time |
| 02/10/2020 | Read second time |
| 02/10/2020 | Committee substitute agreed to 20107888D-H1 |
| 02/10/2020 | Amendments by Delegate Helmer agreed to |
| 02/10/2020 | Pending question ordered |
| 02/10/2020 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute with amendments HB961EH1 |
| 02/10/2020 | Printed as engrossed 20107888D-EH1 |
| 02/11/2020 | Read third time and passed House (51-Y 48-N) |
| 02/11/2020 | VOTE: Passage (51-Y 48-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/12/2020 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
| 02/12/2020 | Referred to Committee on the Judiciary |
| 02/14/2020 | Impact statement from DPB (HB961EH1) |
| 02/17/2020 | Continued to 2021 in Judiciary (10-Y 5-N) (see vote tally) |
Comments
Coyotes pose a real problem for our community. So called "assault weapons" with silencers are the most effective way to prevent further killing of our livestock and pets. This bill is both destructive and malicious in scope and intent.
This is just a rehash of SB16. However this bill does not have a grandfather clause for magazines that hold more than ten rounds. Unconstitutional. Also see my comments for SB16.
This bill is written by people who know nothing about firearms. There are so many technicalities that instantly make any gun an assault weapon. For example, you can readily purchase magazines that stick out past the grip for countless pistols currently in production. You can have a 6 round magazine gun with an "extended" 10 round magazine beyond the grip, and that becomes an assault weapon under this bill. Yet, it would be fine to have a gun that naturally held 12 rounds in a magazine, as long as it didn't extend past the grip. If this thing passes, it should be immediately contested in the courts and escalated as far as it needs to go until it is overturned.
This bill will do nothing to reduce crime, it will only make innocent law biding citizens criminals. Most guns used to commit crimes are stolen or acquired illegally. This is a stop gap bill to make it look like law maker are doing something about crime.
Get a grasp people, lawmakers are not trying to help anyone. They want to be re-elected and live off tax payers money. The second amendment is about protection against people trying to take away your rights and guns. Hitler did it too! Look where that ended up for Poland and the Jewish Germans, no books, no guns and then no life.
Senators are paid $18,000/year. Delegates are paid $17,640. Nobody is taking the job for that sweet, sweet salary.