I am opposed to all of these unconstitutional and anit-american gun laws and regulations. There is no room for more gun laws and regulations in this state.

Contrary to how certain government officials treat it, the second amendment is written using plain, easy to understand language, and insists that government has no right to take away the right for ordinary people like us to defend ourselves, as the constitution and bill of rights do not simply give people rights, but protects them from government manipulation and control. It’s incredibly disappointing and a tragedy that people choose to commit acts of violence with these rights, but restricting those who wish to exercise their rights peaceably due to those who wouldn’t follow these rules in the first place is incredibly naive. I, as well as every other person in the United States, deserve to protect my family with the best technology available. While some people look at certain defense weapon setups as a “why do you need that” situation, 1) I have the right to defend myself with the best tool available, and so I will choose that every time, 2) why do you “need” anything other than basic necessities (fast car, Gucci clothes, etc)? The government has no place in deciding what I “need”, 3) people with the intent to harm will not care what laws govern peaceful people, so what would limiting the victim’s access to proper tools do? You may think that by “banning” or otherwise restricting access to a certain thing would mean that all of the “bad” things would magically go away, but they will not. Evil has always and will always exist, and I have every right to defend myself from it using the best tool available wherever I, or my family, choose to go. Restricting access on certain properties (the government isn’t actively protecting me everywhere), requiring certain training (who is paying for this?), limiting certain types of firearms (go ahead and define “assault weapon” in plain language please), and restricting ammo purchasing (I thought you wanted us to train; how does this help then?) are all means that end up hurting the average person and helping those who wish to hurt others, as the rest of us will be left in a position to insufficiently defend ourselves. I urge you to understand that while, yes, it is awful that evil people commit horrific acts, this right ultimately allows me to protect myself and my family from these evil people as well and as evil will always exist (we certainly like to delusion ourselves into believing that we live in a utopia, but we do not), I will protect my family accordingly. The government has no right to restrict this. Leave the peaceful citizens alone, more firmly punish those who hurt others, and help communities where this is an issue to prevent the upbringing of more evil people.

I oppose these bills that are attacking the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

I SUPPORT LAW ABIDING CITIZENS WHO ARE ALLOWED TO CARRY A KNIFE AS A CONCEALED WEAPON THE PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION

Please stop trying to make criminals of law abiding citizens who just want to protect themselves. Me and my partner have recently become firearm owners because of situations that have arisen in our day to day lives, such as harassment of my wife almost to the point of altercation, sketchy characters waiting in front of our door/ducking in and out of our bushes at all times of the night, people breaking into cars in the neighborhood etc (many times the police/security were called only to arrive 45mins to an hour later). with many of these nonsensical bills you condemn us to allowing any possible violence to happen to us without a chance of defending our selves. Instead of helping fix the problem, you seek to make criminals out of any Virginian who has followed the law and legal purchased a firearm. Shame on you. I am Virginian native and since I was 18 I voted leaning blue in local and state elections you all are making me think this was a mistake. I am not proud of Virginia “progressives” who would rather strip my wife of her chance and right to defend her self rather than try to address the root of crime. Don’t make law abiding people criminals. Do some actual work and address the criminals! 2 of the proposed bills would make in illegal to bring your concealed firearm into a restaurant and another makes it a crime to have the firearm in your vehicle…. Like really? This is literally just to fill jails and strip people of their rights.

Leave law abiding citizens alone.

The number of bills that the Virginia legislature is attempting to pass that will infringe on the constitutional rights of its citizenry is appalling. We as law abiding citizens are afforded the right to defend ourselves and families. None of these laws will reduce crime as it is purported to do. Crimes are committed by individuals not the firearm. Start placing the blame where it should be which is the person committing the crime. Instead these laws will only punish and limit the rights of law abiding citizens.

These bills infringe on the rights of the United States citizens given to us by the second amendment. The only thing these bills will accomplish will take the firearms out of the hands of law abiding citizens, while criminals will still have access.

I do not support any bill that removes any right from law abiding citizens to protect themselves from those who WILL NOT abide by these laws. These laws ONLY give CRIMINALS the upper hand.

A lot of these laws contradict one another. I can’t support them. Both of our parties have failed us.

Stop trying to strip 2nd Amendment rights from law abiding citizens with a constitutional right to own and carry firearms. Not a single one of these laws/bills you’re trying to enact would have stopped any of the mass shootings we’ve seen.

I oppose all of these blatantly unconstitutional bills and wish our elected officials would actually get to work on fixing things that matter to Virginians.

It is obvious these elected officials want you to die at the behest of an anarcho tyrannical state where violent perpetual offenders are off with a slap on the wrist, while YOU tax payer are criminalized for not wanting to be a victim to these perpetual perpetrators. The elected officials funded by big Pro-Death lobby of Giffords and Bloomberg sit in their cushy NOVA HOAd mansions behind security while you plebs go to work everyday to pay their salary. These same officials effectively bribe the police state by giving them a way to pay off a mortgage and boat in exchange for your oppression. YOU citizen must morally oppose these pro-Death bills. Democracy has fallen and its only driven by money hungry Babylonians who swim in excess and delicacy while YOU PLEBS cant even afford milk, eggs or pampers. Remember these people do not hold dominion over you. Call your congressman/woman and CHRIST IS KING!

Time and time again it has been proven that criminals do not care about or follow restrictive firearm laws. Virginia already has some of the most restrictive firearms laws in the country ("B+" rating from Giffords), more unconstitutional infringements upon law abiding citizens is not the answer. We need to address the root causes (access to mental health resources for example) and not throw bandaids at it by punishing responsible, law abiding, gun owners. I oppose these bills and urge you to do the same.

I oppose the proposed firearms legislation put forward by this legislature and any legislation that violates the 1st, 2nd, and 4th, amendment rights of any Virginian. The desire for safer communities, a more united nation, and healing for our public health is something that we all can share in but these bills do not achieve that. Rather, they regulate and penalize. They unconstitutionally restrict the rights of the many in the name of safety and serve only to harm our rights. I would be doing a disservice to our state and my fellow citizens if I did not also provide potential solutions or remedies to the violence we face. First, we as communities need to promote voluntary storage facilities for those who are experiencing hardship and are concerned about suicide. Ideally making it easier to put firearms safely out of reach when suicide risks are greater. To do this it would need to be a system at the lowest level with minimum government involvement besides funding and partnership with local ranges. We would also need to reach out to those in our lives who are in a bad place and encourage the use of these facilities. Second, we should promote a culture of safe handling and respect for firearms through school courses and community organizations because assault weapons or not suicide, or accidents only take one bullet from a single action firearm. Lastly and more broadly we should focus on the issues surrounding the violence. Whether it is drugs and organized criminal activity or the mental health crisis as it has become known we should be working to fix these issues first. I.e. legalize weed, adapt police training, and push to root out organized crime, promote common social values and family cohesion, increase freedom, physical activity, and discipline in the school system.

These firearms bill are either redundant or unless in any meaningful way. If you care about reducing violence, please focus on criminals. Please stop trying to disarm families and law abiding citizen from protecting themselves.

I am a liberal through and through, I believe in individual rights and the opportunity for prosperity for all. I vote democrat because I care about my community, the rights of minorities, and women’s rights. The proposed legislation limiting the ability of free, law abiding citizens to purchase firearms, carry, and general use should not be limited further. I have witnessed violence at the hands of criminals, some later caught and it was shown that they did not legally acquire these firearms. The proposed legislation will effectively stop those who abide by the laws of Virginia from being able to properly protect themselves. It is known that police will not protect you, and they have no legal obligation to do so. This puts us at a dilemma, it’s either blindly trust the police to protect us and our families or have the ability to protect ourselves. I am not advocated for looser gun laws by any means, but I am advocating for more common sense gun laws. What do I mean by this you may ask? Well I mean background checks are a must and proper certification to conceal carry. I am a former Marine, I was a firefighter, and am a current student at a great university in our nations capital. I like to think I am reasonable in my thinking, but after looking and reading the propositions I checked above, I can’t help but feel betrayed by my own party. There is more than 5 guns for every American in this country. Gun control must target the people who do not follow the law and try to prevent violence from occurring, and the proposed legislation above does not help in that manner. I am hopeful that you will read this and reconsider the language in the legislation and I am even more hopeful that I can protect my family as necessary. I will always vote for progress but that’s not to say that I will always vote against my interests. Locally, crime has been on the rise and I have had to deal with it directly with little to no help from the police. I will (to the fullest extent of the law) protect myself as necessary from anyone who wishes to inflict harm on myself or family, and I hope you see that the average citizen in Virginia can not afford a security detail or rely on our police for protection. Thank you and have a great day.

Please stop infringing on our god given right, protected by the constitution of the United States (which you all have sworn to uphold and protect), to keep and bear arms. Responsible gun owners are not the problem in America’s gun violence epidemic. We follow the law. Criminals don’t. We use our firearms to protect ourselves, loved ones, and community. Chipping away at this right we have makes us more vulnerable to becoming victims of gun violence, not protect us from it. These laws only serve to empower those with evil intentions. Rather, might I suggest harsher penalties for those who commit senseless acts of violence with firearms instead of going after the good men and women of the commonwealth who wish only to use their firearms for lawful purposes.

Dear House of Delegates, I'm writing to you today as a concerned citizen. The introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is not warranted or wanted by the people of Virginia. Our nation stands at a crossroads, where the desire to address gun violence intersects with the constitutional rights affirmed by the Supreme Court. The Second Amendment's protection of the right to bear arms is not just a legal directive but a reflection of our commitment to individual freedom. In this context, the proposed regulations, while motivated by a commendable desire to reduce violence, raise significant concerns about their effectiveness and the potential consequences for law-abiding citizens. Research, including findings published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, suggests that the relationship between strict gun laws and the reduction of gun violence is not as straightforward as one might hope. Cities with stringent gun regulations continue to face challenges with gun-related crimes, indicating that those intent on violence often find ways to circumvent the law. This reality prompts us to question whether new restrictions will achieve their intended goal or merely place additional burdens on those who seek firearms for legitimate purposes, including self-defense. Moreover, the abundance of firearms in the United States presents a logistical challenge to the enforcement of such regulations. With more guns than people in the country, the task of significantly reducing the availability of firearms to criminals, without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens, is daunting. It is within this complex landscape that I urge you to consider the broader implications of the proposed gun control measures. The parallels drawn with other contentious issues, such as the regulation of women's healthcare, highlight the potential for policy decisions to inadvertently infringe upon individual freedoms and deepen societal divisions. Such outcomes not only detract from the intended goals of enhancing public safety but also risk alienating segments of the population whose support is essential for the advancement of our collective well-being. I respectfully ask that you consider the potential consequences of the proposed gun control measures, not just for the immediate future but for the legacy we leave for generations to come. It is my hope that, together, we can find a way to address the challenges of gun violence in a manner that honors our values, respects our freedoms, and genuinely enhances the safety and well-being of our communities.

Please stop attempting to infringe on my 2nd amendment rights. Responsible gun owners are not behind any gun violence. Maybe focus on bills that will actually keep guns out of the hands of those that should not have them rather than stripping the rights away of law-abiding citizens. Not a single one of those bills will stop criminals from breaking the law, all they will do is prevent me from being able to effectively defend myself and my family against said criminal.

The second amendment is very clear in its intent that these rights “shall not be infringed”. Removing/ restricting law abiding citizens right to self defense and protection against unwitting organizations and persons is not only more harmful, but a clear violation of the rights this country was founded on.

As a left leaning voter and citizen of Virginia, these new restrictions on our right to bear arms are sickening. Stop proposing so many bans and limits, and maybe a realistic bill, like the safe credit, won’t be universally protested. If you actually want to quell gun violence, keep focused on affordable mental and physical healthcare, improving the education system, and reducing income inequality. While the right may not support these real improvements, I cannot in good faith support or vote for any politician who supports banning or restricting the rights of law abiding citizens in our beautiful commonwealth. Thank you.

The 2nd amendment states "shall not be infringed". All of these bills are infringement and are therefore unconstitutional. Should we pass laws that people must pass a test before they can have freedom of speech? What about pass a test before you can vote? What about if someone does not have training they will be slaves again? Name one other right outlined in the constitution where a citizen has to jump through hoops before they can use that right? I oppose all of these bills as they will do more harm than good. I can understand wanting to keep people safe but gun control does the opposite. These bills will only make it harder for law abiding citizens to exercise their rights while criminals will still ignore the law. Criminals will still get illegal guns or weapons and will commit more crimes since they know the public is unable to defend themselves. Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." You writing bills saying "give up your rights and guns and we will protect you". Well ask the Native Americans how that worked out for them. Ask a Jewish person who was under Nazi control how that worked out for them. Well Hitler's first step was to take away the guns from the public so they could not protect themselves and over 6 million people lost their lives. Since you do not know history you are writing bills which will doom us to repeat it. You know 75 years ago when you could just buy a gun in a catalog and it was shipped to your house we did not have this issue. In the 60s and 70s when people would have a gun in their truck at school or take one in for show and tell we did not have a gun issue. This is a mental health issue. Deal with mental health and you will fix the public safety issue. Zero of my guns have killed people because guns do not kill people. People kill people. Look at Ukraine and Israel for just one form of example why we need LESS gun control. All of these gun laws are unconstitutional and should be thrown out. Do the right thing and let us law abiding citizens have their rights as outlined in the constitution. Do not pass laws which infringe on our rights. If the 2nd amendment falls, the 1st will follow . When the 1st and 2nd fall the 13th will fall and our country will be lost and we will be back in chains.

I am very opposed to the vast majority of these bills. I am a legal gun owner with my CHP. Many of these bills heavily restrict my right to bear arms in a legal capacity. I don’t understand why I should be punished for doing everything legally and correctly only to become a felon in the coming months through these legislations

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Whether or not a person chooses to exercise this right is up to them. Otherwise, it shall not be infringed.

I do not support more legislation infringing on my 2nd Ammendment rights. Please fund more enforcement for the proactive enforcement of existing laws and regulations pertaining to firearms.

I oppose this legislation.

First off, knives are a basic tool with myriad uses and have been around since ancient history. Any limitation on them is so insulting, and insane. We are not children. It is infuriating that money was spent to even write that down. The fact that I would need a right to carry a knife spelled out is not something our forefathers could have possibly anticipated, since it’s a simple tool. A screwdriver is exactly as deadly as any knife. I would know, I’ve been an ICU nurse for nearly a decade and I have seen people stabbed with both. Matter of fact, a hammer would be a superior concealed weapon with more lethality than either. Second, many of these new gun laws make sense. Many of them do not. I do not want stalkers, domestic abusers, or drug dealers buying guns. A waiting period and proficiency training is fine, although I believe it to be unconstitutional I would comply. However it appears we are going to make it illegal to purchase specific parts for guns, to build your own serialized and registered firearm, and to concealed carry in many public spaces. I also see a poorly defined and overly restrictive “assault weapons” ban. The most insane is the ban on parents having firearms in the home at all. That is unacceptable. The latter group of laws are an infringement based on the opinions of the woefully uninformed. I should not lose my right to responsible ownership, maintenance and concealed carry with a permit due to the lobbying of a group that has failed to due the due diligence to learn about the rights they wish to throw away for all of us. I have a concealed carry permit. It has saved my life of nearly saved my life multiple times. The police can be great, but they are minutes away when seconds count. For instance, as I was leaving a restaurant in the city I was targeted by 2 men with illegal guns. I did not know them, we had never interacted, but suddenly there was a gun pointing at me from a car circling around me in the parking lot. Without escape available, I drew my pistol in response. The car stopped circling and left, giving me time to alert law enforcement before there were any holes in me. If I come face to face with a mass shooter, as so many do, I prefer to be armed. The organization of mothers pushing for these laws can define the law of their household. But not mine. Learn from the past for gods sake. We do not need and will eventually not accept increasing restrictions and price hikes allowing only the wealthy and connected to be armed. Governor, I ask that you veto these laws which only restrict law abiding citizens. You are the person elected in part because you are the option on the ballot who would not let this stand. So don’t. To those in support of these laws: every right you surrender is one you can never recover without 10 times the struggle it took to get to the place where you were able to throw it away. Learning from your mistakes is not viable when you codify them into law. You are making several mistakes. You can’t restrict and underfund the police department and make personal defense harder at the same time. That is advantageous to no one. It is not how things work in this world where evil people exist, no matter how deep in the sand your head is. And the next time you’re grunting and sweating, tearing a box open like a fucking caveman you might want to try a knife before adding more legislation An armed society is a polite society, let’s keep it that way.

The litany of gun control measures under consideration will do nothing to effectively reduce crime and violence, and will only further restrict the rights of law abiding firearms owners. Not to mention the countless examples from other locales across the country where these same measure have been put into place and the result is more violent crime as criminals can now feel safe that the general population is not armed. Strongly oppose all proposed bills.

The ridiculous litany of gun control measures under consideration will do nothing to effectively reduce crime and violence, and will only further restrict the rights of law abiding firearms owners.

I am writing to express my great concern, to the legislatures that continue to ignore their oath of swearing to protect and uphold the rights of the citizens as protected by the United States Constitution and the Virginian Constitution. "The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED". You beaurcrats do not grant that right to he people, it is God given. While you grandstand and ateemlt to make laws to hurt the everydayaw abiding American citizen, you turn a way and do nothing in these bills to punish criminals committing crimes. It is already illegal to murder people. To grandstand and think that any of these bills would stop someone from murdering or harming another person is laughable. Quite literally. You pander screaming about these firearm safety bills while you walk around with security and people with "guns" to keep you safe. Start enforcing the existing laws against criminals who commit crimes vs trying to turn law abiding people, who take training, are serious about protection of family, themselves and others, and trying to disarm them and make them criminals. Or we will vote you out! Uphold your Oath or be prepared for the consequences your actions lead to by the American people. Regards Mr. Harris

I know most modern politicians aren’t historians but the Bill of Rights is really simple. If you read that, you’ll also read the 2nd Amendment which is really simple as well. In the same docket you’re trying to give more benefits to police and take away more rights from citizens. You ought to be ashamed. What a farce freedom is anymore.

I am opposed to additional new laws or further regulations placed on firearms or other means of self defense, or which limit the ability to conduct commerce or carry such items. Not only does the constitution make it clear this is a violation of my rights, it does nothing to address or reduce the actions of criminals.

All infringements on the second amendment are acts of treason and should be treated as such. Acting in favor of such infringements makes you a traitor to this nation and th commonwealth.

All Virginians want our families to be safe from gun violence. However, passing such broad restrictions on firearms commonly used for self defense is not the answer. The updated definition of assault weapons and the associated prohibitions do little to nothing to stop criminals who are willing to illegally buy or steal firearms. There are plenty of firearms out there for criminals to access, with well over 400 million guns in civilian ownership in the United States. It is too late to round them all up. These bills will disproportionately affect those citizens who go out of their way to follow our commonwealth's laws; the people who are unlikely to commit a violent crime in the first place. The solutions to gun violence that stand a chance at working are community-oriented interventions that decrease poverty, drug use, gang activity, combat mental illness, and advocate for the safe storage of firearms. Sociologists know these factors correlate strongly with ALL types of violence. On average, two-thirds of firearms deaths are suicides, an assault weapons ban won't do a thing about those. Of the remaining 1/3 of firearms homicides, more than half are drug, gang, or domestic violence related. Let's pass bipartisan legislation that addresses these underlying problems, instead of preventing average Virginians from protecting themselves with firearms that are already ubiquitous.

I am Opposed to any limitations on the Second Amendment and any restrictive firearm laws. We have adequate, if not already overbearing, laws on the books now and should not be creating more laws restricting all the aspects of firearm use, sales, and any other aspects of the right to bear arms.

These firearm laws are mostly reactionary to the media response on firearms. This is a major infringement on the 2nd amendment and needs to be stopped.

Any law that infringes on my Gods-given right to own and bear arms is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Any law passed that infringes this right will be answered with a lawsuit.

I'm going to preface this by saying all of the below as a middle aged Black military veteran. I'm not involved in a militia and I didn't vote for Trump. I vote for the candidates that best supports me. Both parties have failed me. You ALL are horrible. Regarding both HB11 and HB113, I'd rather not give up any inalienable right, especially if I've been a law-abiding citizen, which I have. I should not have to give up rights, or even jump through hoops to prove I'm qualified because others broke laws. If a person shoots someone (as an example), that person should be held accountable, not folks who were not involved in the crime. Adding layer upon layer of bills to circumvent inalienable rights is wrong. These two bills are needless layers that hurt law-abiding citizens but do nothing to folks that willing violate written law. What other right has so many qualifiers as the 2nd Amendment? The 2nd does not grant citizens the right to bear arms. The 2nd affirms that the right to keep/bear arms is natural and that the government shall not infringe upon that right. If anything, it's telling the people and the government that the right shall not be violated. You all are attempting to further violate that right by adding yet another layer of needless bills. Is there an argument that current laws aren't working? Does the committee discuss why the current laws aren't working and attempt to shore up the gaps by tweaking existing laws (not creating new bills)? As well, in reference to HB11, a knife is an arm, which is covered under the 2nd (right to bear ARMS). Carrying a knife is a protection for most folks (a secondary defense tool, or even a utility tool). If the concern is that someone will use those tools to murder or assault, murder and assault are already against the law. Possession of those tools do not and should not qualify a person to be unlawful, unless that person already has a criminal record or are using the tools in commission of a crime. Intent should always be the driving factor in determining if a person is unlawfully using or possessing the tool. Legislating laws that involve of a tool that is guaranteed as a right by the 2nd is a poor law. Please do better than approving these bills that are in committee. If they are not sound bills, please do not approve them. Voting along party lines does not make bills satisfactory. The context of the bills make bills satisfactory, AFTER determining if the bills don't violate the rights of the citizens. The committee should be striving to protect and defend the Constitutions of the United States and the state of Virgina. Do the right things in doing your job...don't do what is easiest or most popular based on party lines. Do what is proper. I already know the above will fall on deaf ears but thank you for your time.

Hello. There are a plethora of bills that were proposed, which would clearly violate the second amendment rights of many law abiding citizens. First of all, considering concealed carry should be permit-less carry, it is counterproductive to increase the requirements for concealed carry. Restrictions on where law abiding citizens can lawfully carry their now “permitted” firearms is asinine, as well as the proposition of a bill that would make it a penalty to leave a firearm in your car. You would essentially be disarming a large number of people who wish to follow these unlawful order in a day and age where the democratic agenda is to act like there are mass shootings on a daily basis. Effectively disarming the majority and increasing the requirements and legal loopholes to carry is such a vulnerable state to be in and I hope we’re smart enough to avoid that. Restrictions on “Plastic firearms and unfinished frames etc” is not only terrible literature that does nothing to explain, but it is a direct violation of the 2nd amendment considering you have a federal right to make firearms for personal use, which would include additively manufactured parts. Wait periods are also a horrifying thing to think of, considering how many times it has been proven to be a terrible idea, keeping guns out of the hands that need them most to protect themselves and their families. “Assault firearms” and anything to do with them is nonsense considering the blatant inability to define said “assault weapon”. People who don’t understand guns, shouldn’t be making laws on guns. A shorter barrel does not make it more lethal, in fact it lowers the muzzle velocity, causing less force on impact and penetration, in turn causing less collateral damage. Any sort of “assault weapons” bills are targeting law abiding citizens who have every right to use the modern advances in firearm technology just as police officers and military. The only people these bills are effecting are the already law abiding citizens. The criminals who got their hands on said weapons illegally aren’t going to be making sure that their ALREADY ILLEGAL WEAPONS are fully compliant with state laws and regulations before they go commit another crime. In no way shape or form should someone need to disadvantage themselves in a life or death situation because political members with an armed security detail don’t feel the need for a gun. Why would I want to limit myself to a firearm that is going to be inadequate in home defense, or one that does not have a high enough capacity to protect myself from the ever growing threat of home invasion and the increased trend of multiple home invaders breaking in armed. If it was you alone in your house with 6 armed intruders who most definitely must have checked their local laws and firearm regulations and made sure their firearms aren’t violating any rules before they break into your house, would you want to limit yourself to a low capacity firearm that is going to be extremely difficult to use effectively in a high stress situation, or are you taking a rifle which for reasons that don’t make sense, must have a 16 inch barrel, with a larger capacity magazine, and a stock that you can use to safely brace the firearm to prevent stray shots and provide more accurate fire. Personally I’m going to take anything and everything I can get in a situation that means life or death for me and my loved ones EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE WEEK. Focus on the mental health crisis.

Hello, The right to own and bear firearms is intrinsic in the very nature of the founding of the United States. We must remember the spirit of the 2nd Amendment and the right of all civilians to own and bear arms. Firearms are the great equalizer and can allow and individual to defend themselves when they previously could not. Gun violence and the mental health epidemic are closely interlinked and one cannot pass restrictive firearm laws and expect gun violence to go away. Gun bans and the use of restrictive purchasing requirements, magazine limits, waiting periods, and red flag laws have been shown not to be effective in stemming gun violence. I urge anybody reading this message to say "NO" to 2nd Amendment restrictions.

I oppose all of these selected bills since I firmly believe they are in conflict with the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. The Second Amendment clearly states that it shall not be infringed upon. Any and all proposed legislation that would place limits on how, where, and when responsible citizens arm themselves runs afoul of that. Our founding fathers correctly held the belief that all people have a natural born right to arm and protect themselves and that the government has no authority to interfere with that. While I agree with the sentiment of reducing violence among our society, gun laws only harm the law abiding citizen and leave criminals who already have a disregard for the law to still be armed. If our elected officials who proposed these bills actually cared about addressing our violence problem, they would focus more on addressing the root causes of violence and crime. More worthwhile pursuits in my opinion would be focused on addressing socio-economic problems that plague disadvantaged communities, creating a more robust and well-equipped mental healthcare system, and overhauling our educational systems to setup our children for better success in life. Thank you all for your time.

I'm against any unconstitutional law, and any law that strips Americans of their rights. These laws are an attack on the 2nd ammendment and hold NO facts in stopping crime. They are a punishment on law abiding people and in no way will make virginia a safer place.

I oppose all these unconstitutional, dangerous, and pointless laws.

I oppose all useless firearm changes. Criminals will not obey

IF this bill seeks only to clarify the types of knives able to be lawfully carried, I am in support of it.

I am in opposition to these bills as a long time concealed carry permit holder who has lived in Virginia for. 30 years and has voted in Virginian elections since I was 18. These bills make it harder for someone to keep themselves safe while are primarily solutions in search of problems to fix. Virginia has one of the lowest crime rates in the country and even less gun related crimes being committed year over year. This is not a success of the gun control lobby but they would certainly have you believe it is. They are often unconstitutional limits on a persons 2nd amendment rights and do not serve to make Virginians safer. The ban on assault firearms is written in such a way that it would ban most modern defensive handguns carried by men and women across the commonwealth. These are law abiding concealed carry holders or regular citizens who have purchased regular firearms with regular features. Much akin to wanting a car with leather seats or GPS. These are not features only found on “scary” guns they are features that assist those with hearing or sight issues to use a handgun safely. We already have laws preventing firearms usage in crimes but these would simply disempower lawful citizens from having features on their guns that are normal and regular modern features. These bills would do nothing to prevent actual criminals from obtaining or using prohibited firearms in crime but would disenfranchise law abiding citizens from enjoying a Virginian hobby that has a history older than the state itself.

I OPPOSE HB2 as it is an affront to everything the second amendment stands for. The arbitrary restriction of certain types of firearms and accessories has no merit and only serves to impede the ability of the people to exercise their natural rights.

HB11 is continuing Criminal Justice Reform. With STRONG bipartisan support, the past two sessions have seen Virginia repeal bans on automatically opening knives (switchblades), including concealed carry, enacted. It is time to finish this effort by removing the last remaining bans on concealed carry of knives. The remaining bans relating to carrying concealed knives must be repealed because it lists knives that are undefined and make the law open to abuse by authorities. Such abuse most often ensnares minority constituents who are otherwise law abiding folks carrying a knife every day for work in a restaurant, on a farm, in a factory, and for recreating like hunting, fishing, camping, or for many other legitimate reasons. Many carry a knife of some kind every single day. It is fundamentally unjust to expect your constituents to try to figure out if the knife they carry everyday meets some undefined prohibition in the Virginia statute. In addition, we know anecdotally from law enforcement that kitchen knives are more likely to be used in crime than any other knife. In the 26 states where similar reforms to knife laws have been enacted, for many years people were arrested for carrying these undefined knives. Unfortunately, it is a reality that most often it is black or Hispanic citizens who are arrested for these victimless crimes and are forced into the criminal justice system for no good reason. Too often they are then subject to plea bargains that adversely impact them later in life or are saddled with fines that are an extreme financial burden. It is time for Virginia to join the majority of states that resolved this issue by removing bans from their statutes, or who never had them in the first place. As proposed in HB 11 by Delegate Lee Ware, removing the following undefined knives from the statute would solve these issues: “dirk, dagger, bowie knife, stiletto knife”. It is time for Virginia to clarify that simple possession on one’s person of a tool used every day is not a crime. I urge a YES vote on HB11 to protect your constituents from unnecessary police contact, arrest, and possible costly prosecution.

The end of solitary confinement must be done My son was murdered in solitary confinement at Red Onion Prison in Pound Va on 1/3/22.

I OPPOSE these bills as there is little to no data that this will make our communities safer; in fact, states with permitless carry have been show to have more gun-related deaths. Please keep VA safe.

Most people carry a knife of some kind every single day. It is fundamentally unjust to expect citizens to try to figure out if the knife they carry everyday meets some nebulous prohibition in Virginia law. It is mostly minorities who are arrested for this victimless crime. With strong bipartisan support, the past two sessions have seen repeal of bans on automatically opening knives (switchblades) enacted. It is time to finish this effort by removing the last remaining bans on concealed carry of knives.

I, Karen Higa, a resident of Falls Church, VA, and advocate for safer communities and Brady United Against Gun Violence, am providing virtual testimony AGAINST the following three bills before the House Public Safety Committee: HB 11, HB16, HB 389 Many of the perpetrators of our nation’s crimes were given gun permits, so we must put a stop to this carnage and work toward providing a safer community for our citizens and especially our children.

I OPPOSE these bills. Permitless states have shown an increase in gun-related deaths.

HB11 is continuing Criminal Justice Reform. With STRONG bipartisan support, the past two sessions have seen Virginia repeal bans on automatically opening knives (switchblades), including concealed carry, enacted. It is time to finish this effort by removing the last remaining bans on concealed carry of knives. The remaining bans relating to carrying concealed knives must be repealed because it lists knives that are undefined and make the law open to abuse by authorities. Such abuse most often ensnares minority constituents who are otherwise law abiding folks carrying a knife every day for work in a restaurant, on a farm, in a factory, and for recreating like hunting, fishing, camping, or for many other legitimate reasons. Many carry a knife of some kind every single day. It is fundamentally unjust to expect your constituents to try to figure out if the knife they carry everyday meets some undefined prohibition in the Virginia statute. In addition, we know anecdotally from law enforcement that kitchen knives are more likely to be used in crime than any other knife. In the 26 states where similar reforms to knife laws have been enacted, for many years people were arrested for carrying these undefined knives. Unfortunately, it is a reality that most often it is black or Hispanic citizens who are arrested for these victimless crimes and are forced into the criminal justice system for no good reason. Too often they are then subject to plea bargains that adversely impact them later in life or are saddled with fines that are an extreme financial burden. It is time for Virginia to join the majority of states that resolved this issue by removing bans from their statutes, or who never had them in the first place. As proposed in HB 11 by Delegate Lee Ware, removing the following undefined knives from the statute would solve these issues: “dirk, dagger, bowie knife, stiletto knife”. It is time for Virginia to clarify that simple possession on one’s person of a tool used every day is not a crime. I urge a YES vote on HB11 to protect your constituents from unnecessary police contact, arrest, and possible costly prosecution.

OPPOSE

Our Constitution does not provide citizens with privileges. It establishes a government with checks and balances and specifically limits the governments ability to remove the rights of its people. In regards to the matter at hand, it specifically says the the government cannot place limitations on the right of a citizen to keep and bear arms. Before I get the typical response, I know you are already aware that the phrase "well regulated" specifically refers to an being trained and ready to bear said arms. The language at the time did not use the term "regulated" as we do with modern regulations. It has been proven in the courts repeatedly that the laws you are currently considering are unconstitutional. Of this I am sure you are already aware. By spending time and tax dollars discussing laws that you know to be unconstitutional, you are in fact wasting time and tax dollars that could be spent on productive issues. I can only assume your intent is to intentionally waste time, and force members of the firearms industry to waste money on legal fees defending the constitution you have sworn to uphold. Please consider actual data and actual facts when considering gun legislation. No data supports the claim the "assault weapon" bans actually reduce gun related crime. More guns are being purchased now than ever before, yet now that the latest FBI data has been released, we can see that gun related crimes have not increased. Also, like every year that the FBI has released data, so called "assault weapons" make up a very small portion of all gun crimes. For your general knowledge the term "assault weapon" was first coined by Adolf Hitler. He renamed one of their new automatic firearms, the Sturmgewehr, because he felt that the name "assault weapon" would strike fear in allied forces. This is also the exact reason the gun control community uses this term as well. The fact is that these firearms are not fully automatic and cannot be made so without a high degree of machining skills and mechanical knowhow. Plus doing so is already illegal. The fact is the Biden's latest gun control act has not been equally enforced. It was supposed to provide additional support for school security and mental health services. It was supposed to provide stronger punishments for those cought breaking existing gun laws. It was supposed to allow FFL's to use the NICS system to check employees. It was supposed to allow FFL's to be able to instantly check inventory or potential purchase/trades by their serial number to determine if the firearm has been stolen or used in any crimes. None of these provisions have been acted upon or enforced. Please drop these latest gun control bills. They are unconstitutional and will never pass. Please do not waste your time and our tax dollars on these wasted efforts. Regards, Jonathan Goodman

I am John Calhoun Co-Director of Lewinsville Faith in Action (LFA) , an organization, "in partnership with others, works for political, social, economic and environmental policies that are based on justice and compassion." LFA stands in vehement opposition to HB 11, HB 16 and HB 316, bills that will not protect, but further endanger the lives of the Commonweath's citizens. More guns, more explosives in protected areas means only more deaths, more shattered families.

I am John Calhoun Co-Director of Lewinsville Faith in Action (LFA) , an organization, "in partnership with others, works for political, social, economic and environmental policies that are based on justice and compassion." LFA stands in vehement opposition to HB 11, HB 16 and HB 316, bills that will not protect, but further endanger the lives of the Commonweath's citizens. More guns, more explosives in protected areas means only more deaths, more shattered families.

I strongly oppose the above marked bills because they are potentially DETRIMENTAL to PUBLIC SAFETY.

I OPPOSE these bills and implore you to focus on actions that actually reduce gun violence in our community. Permitless carry has been shown to result in MORE gun related deaths.

I oppose these bills. There is not data to suggest permit-less carry makes communities safer, in fact, this is associated with more gun violence.

I oppose these bills.

Oppose these bills greatly. Just want common-sense gun safety legislation passed.

We need to be making gun control legislation stronger to keep our kids safe! The statistics show more guns do not make us safer! Look at the rest of the developed world! I’m opposed to this legislation.

I OPPOSE these bills as there is little to no data that they make our communities safer- in fact, states with permitless carry have been shown to have more gun-related deaths.

I oppose Bills HB11, HB16 and HB389 because I want to keep our children and our communities safe. Data has proven time and time again that more guns to not mean safer communities.

Virginia Moms for Change opposes HB11, HB16, & HB389. We do not support loosening the weapons restrictions currently in place.