We MUST have stricter gun laws. At this point its common sense. Please protect our children and have stricter gun laws in order to keep our children safe at school and beyond.

Stop this gun control crap you people don't know what the difference between a true assault weapon is I carried one during the gulf war and it's not like the one I have in my gun cabinet AR-15 sold in gun shops is not a assault weapon so give public the true information or better yet put it to a vote by the people let the people decide

Addendum to my previous comment: I reviewed comments by other VA residents and found a number of people supporting this bill who also mentioned the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech shooting and claimed that they were present for said shooting. Well, I have something to add -- I was a student at Virginia Tech during the 4/16/2007 massacre. I lived very close to campus and heard ambulance sirens blaring as those ambulances raced to campus to help the shooting victims. I had a class that day that was cancelled a few days before 4/16/2007. It would have been held at the same time those shootings took place and 4-6 buildings away from the buildings away from Norris Hall. I knew three of the victims. -- There is something very important to note that the Virginia Tech alumni supporting this bill have failed to bring up: namely that guns of any kind were not allowed on campus at the time of the 4/16 Massacre. If you were not a police officer, or had special written consent from the school administration and Virginia Tech police, then you were not permitted to have a firearm of any type on campus. That rule/law did not prevent the shootings. -- Once again, 'gun control laws' are only followed by law-abiding citizens. Criminals and bad actors care nothing for laws. If you restrict the types of firearms law-abiding citizens can use, and/or restrict where they can carry firearms, you are only creating a larger population of potential victims for criminals. Please do not disarm law-abiding citizens and thus create a larger population of potential firearm victims. ---Another item that Virginia Tech alumni supporting this bill have failed to mention in their comments: the 4/16/2007 shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, had mental health issues. Some of his teachers at Virginia Tech warned the administration about noticing these issues, but their concerns and warnings were never properly addressed by Virginia Tech leadership. This is yet another example of where root cause mitigation would have solved a problem that gun laws failed to prevent. If Cho's mental health issues had been addressed in the proper manner and in a timely fashion, then this shooting (and any other violent act perpetrated by Cho) very likely never would have happened. If the Virginia General Assembly truly wants to prevent gun violence, then they need to focus on addressing and resolving the root causes of gun violence, instead of passing laws that are only going to disarm innocent, law-abiding, citizens and not disarm the ranks of criminals actually committing these shootings.

I do not support this bill. This bill is unconstitutional and only hurts law-abiding citizens. It will not prevent shootings of any kind. It will only increase gun violence as law-abiding citizens will be punished by having their firearms taken away from them, and they will have one less tool with which to defend themselves with. This bill is supposed to prevent gun violence by formally punishing the sale of "assault firearms". Firearms of any kind are only a tool. They are not inherently evil, destructive, or dangerous in and of themselves. If this bill were to become law then law-abiding citizens would not have access to "assault firearms", but criminals and bad actors will find a way around this. If you don't believe me, I ask that you please consider the War on Drugs, which has been going on by one name or another since the 1980s. Yet, illegal drugs are still found throughout every city and state in the US. In fact things only got worse with opioid, and fentanyl in specific, due to our southern border being left wide open by former President Biden and his administration. How many deaths resulted from that decision and in particular due to illegal drugs coming into the US, but Biden's administration and political party cared nothing for this travesty? But I digress. My point is that there are many drugs that are illegal, yet innumerable laws have not been able to stop the spread of those aforementioned substances. Criminals care nothing for laws and so continue to push illegal drugs into our communities. Well, those same criminals do not care about gun laws, so they will continue to find ways to get around those laws and use firearms to hurt innocent, law-abiding, citizens. If you want to stop gun violence by any type of firearm then let's focus on root cause mitigation instead: dealing with the mental health crisis throughout the US, dealing with drug abuse and counseling addicts, dealing with poverty in our communities instead of sending billions of dollars overseas as foreign aid, ensuring our communities have adequate numbers of professional police and specifically "patrol officers" not just "support officers", focus on teaching respect in schools instead of pushing "oppressor-victim" mentalities, ensuring parents are informed 100% of happenings in schools and especially in regards to their children...instead of schools being able to hide information from parents when the administration sees fit. You can ban all the firearms you want and make millions of 'gun control laws' and gun violence will not drop. Criminals do not care and law-abiding citizens being disarmed will only increase the population of potential shooting victims. Please do not pass the bill, it is a complete sham.

I support this bill as assault weapons make it easier to kill a large number of people in a short period of time. We have seen this happen time and time again in schools, places of worship, concerts, and many other places. Assault weapons have no place in civilian life. This is common sense, and not an infringement on anyone's 2nd amendment rights.

Assault weapons make it easier for a person to kill a large number of people in a very short period of time – including children in schools. I support an assault weapons ban.

With reference to HB1607: The definition of ‘assault firearms’ used for this bill (as defined in 18.2-308.2:2) is completely arbitrary and includes the most popular firearms in use today by hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens in this country. Ref HB1569: The fee for a CHP was always supposed to be used to cover the time and manpower it took to do the background check. As we all know, that can be done now with two minutes on a keyboard. Some localities have set their fees as low as $10. Since a citizen having a CHP, indicating that they have passed a government mandated background check, is only a benefit to the public and not the citizen, the burden should be carried by the public, not the citizen.

HB1607 criminalizes the most commonly used firearms and magazines in use in Virginia. The law would only affect the law abiding and would not reduce crime. It is a clear civil rights violation that has no benefit to Virginians.

I strong oppose this HB1607. This bill prohibits the sale, possession, transfer, and transport of an 'assault firearm' made on or after July 1, 2025. It also prohibits sale, possession, transfer, and transport of an 'assault firearm' to anyone under the age of 21. Magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and were made on or after July 1, 2025, are prohibited. The U.S. Supreme Court has said in both DC v Heller, and recently The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v Bruen, that any firearm 'in common use' is protected by the Second Amendment. The guns and magazines targeted by this bill are among the most common guns and magazines in the United States, making this bill unconstitutional.

SUPPORT this bill. My goddaughter was murdered by an assault weapon in 2018 and no family should have to go through what our family and countless others have. Limiting access to assault weapons will improve safety for our communities.

HB1608 Allows gun owners to keep their guns but puts safeguards in place These bills allow for those that wish to have guns to still have them, yet put safeguards in place. Please vote for these common sense gun laws so that children can live safely in our community with gun owners who prioritize safety. How many more children have to die before you act?

These bills allow for those that wish to have guns to still have them, yet put safeguards in place so that the guns do not get into the wrong hands, are misused or changed into weapons meant to kill many people in a short amount of time. Please vote for these common sense gun laws so that children can live safely in our community with gun owners who prioritize safety.

I support HB1607 because I believe it would make our Commonwealth a safer place for everyone, including our children. Gun violence must be addressed and this is one of the many common sense laws proposed this session that can do that. Please take action and vote for this bill that could save lives.

I'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill.

I support the 2nd amendment. As the 2nd amendment is a RIGHT not a privilege I do NOT support these continued attempts to destroy or limit that right in any way shape of form. I support no FEEs on a permit for this right (I SUPPORT HB1569 and HB1559). I support no GUN bills or law that further limits this I right. I DO NOT SUPPORT HB1597. I DO NOT SUPPORT HB 1607.

My husband and I FULLY SUPPORT this bill because assault weapons make it easier for a person to kill a large number of people in a very short period of time – including children in schools. We are gun owners and he is a retired military member of 30 years. Please enact common sense gun safety laws!

HB1607 I am a Virginia gun owner and respect the right of law abiding citizens to defend themselves, their families and their homes. With that right, however, comes the responsibility to keep our gun(s) safely. Our legitimate needs for self-protection do not require rapid fire or extended ammunition magazines. "Guns Safely" should be the Virginia standard!

HB-1597 I am a Virginia gun owner and respect the right of law abiding citizens to defend themselves, their families and their homes. With that right, however, comes the responsibility to keep our gun(s) safely. Secure storage of our guns is essential, and yet many gun owners don't take adequate precautions to keep their guns away from children, criminals and those who might bring harm to themselves or others. "Guns Safely" should be the Virginia standard!

Assault weapons have no place in our community. This bill would at least help limit more of these incredibly deadly guns. They kill so many people in a short time, including children in our schools.

These bills allow for those that wish to have guns to still have them, yet put safeguards in place so that the guns do not get into the wrong hands, are misused or changed into weapons meant to kill many people in a short amount of time. Please vote for these common sense gun laws so that children can live safely in our community with gun owners who prioritize safety.

As a resident of Richmond with children approaching school age, this bill provides safety to our communities that no additional automatic rifles will be added. Please support this bill.

I write as a taxpayer, a mother, a resident, a voter and a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia is strong SUPPORT of these bills. Our federal government refuses to do anything to save our children and make our country a safer place because they have all sold out to the NRA so the states is where is going to be so important! I am thankful for the efforts of our elected officials to do the right thing and high encourage passage of these bills.

Gun reform is critical to keeping our communities safe. Every measure we can pass to ensure our loved ones and neighbors are not at risk of the tragedies that has destroyed too many American families and communities already. Background checks need to be more thorough, red flags must be implemented. There is no precaution too small when it comes to senseless violence and loss at the hands of firearms. and, possibly most importantly, no civilian needs to be able to access or use an assault rifle or the materials to build one (ghost guns/kits). These must be banned here and everywhere. Too much carnage has already taken place on our streets, in our schools and in communities across our country. The gun industry has gone unchecked long enough and accountability is needed today. Change is necessary and we can be that change now. Please do whats best and right to keep Virginians safe from gun violence.

As a sentient being, human, mother, grandmother and former teacher, I support this bill as there is no reason to have a weapon that can kill so many innocents so quickly in citizens' hands.

HB1607 - I SUPPORT this bill as assault weapons make it easier for a person to kill a large number of people in a very short period of time – including children in schools, families at the mall or movies, congregations in houses of worship, etc. Assault weapons have no place in civilian life. HB1608 - I SUPPORT this bill as industry accountability is a great way to force manufacturers to raise standards of safety. HB1622 - I SUPPORT this bill as it would crack down on vehicle gun thefts and make our communities safer. This should be especially important in Virginia as 2022 FBI crime data shows that Richmond, Virginia is among the top 5 cities with the highest rates of gun theft from cars HB1660 - I SUPPORT this bill as automatic and semi-automatic weapons can kill a large number of people in a very short period of time and converting more guns to function this way is terrifying for the safety of our families. HB1797 - I SUPPORT this bill as visitors wishing to carry concealed handguns in Virginia should meet the same level of safety requirements that we require of our state’s residents. In many scenarios, visitors are held to the legal requirements of the state they are visiting, and applying this to gun safety should be common sense. HB1869 - I SUPPORT this bill as it expands critical protections to additional relationship categories. Especially in a time where people marry at a later age and/or more commonly cohabitate prior to marriage, allowing intimate partner, or dating relationships, to be protected keeps Virginians safer. HB1876 - I SUPPORT extending the protection of k-12 schools to our institutions of higher education. This is very personal to me as I spent 9 years working at a university and was involved in a scary situation where a student made violent threats with a firearm. HB1960 - I SUPPORT this bill, as it strengthens protections for domestic violence survivors.

I strongly OPPOSE HB1607 for the following reasons. 1) Banning AR-15s or magazines will not reduce mass shootings - to do that we must address the root causes of gun violence. Any firearm can be used to commit a mass shooting - including shotguns, pistols, revolvers, and bolt action rifles - so if ARs are banned, mass shooters will turn to the next available gun. 2) Banning possession creates serious legal pitfalls for law-abiding gun owners. Even if currently-owned weapons are grandfathered in, law enforcement will likely be obliged to arrest anyone if they see them in possession of an AR-15, as the police officer will not know if it is grandfathered. Then you would have to go to court to clear your name and retrieve your firearm. 3) AR-15s and similar semi-automatic firearms are used by millions of law-abiding Americans for self/home-defense, sport shooting, hunting, and collecting. 4) Any ban of AR-15s or similar semi-automatic firearms will be a clear violation of the SCOTUS Heller decision, which protects any firearm in common use. 5) Bans on possession and grandfathering schemes also prevent gun owners experiencing a mental health crisis from temporarily and voluntarily transferring their grandfathered-in firearm to someone else, such as a family member or FFL, while they seek appropriate care. Instead of a gun ban, I urge you to reduce mass shootings by preventing notoriety of mass shooters. Mass shooters are typically seeking attention, and the current media environment - which repeatedly broadcasts shooters’ names, photos, and manifestos - creates a dangerous situation where mass shootings are an easy way to achieve national and international fame. Therefore, we should direct the Virginia State Police to not release names, photos, or manifestos of mass shooters. Virginia could become a leader in this, and hopefully other states will follow this practice. Furthermore, direct the Virginia State Police to provide suggested - but voluntary - guidance to media outlets on how to report on mass shootings. Such as not sensationalizing the event, not broadcasting the shooter’s name, photos, manifestos, etc. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

I support these bills to make our community safer

These are incredibly important mechanisms to protect our citizens especially children from unnecessary gun violence from individuals that are not registered or legally allowed to carry firearms and could be very dangerous in this setting.

I support HB1607. As a Virginia Tech alumna who was on campus during the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting, I strongly support increased regulations on guns and gun violence prevention legislation. Assault weapons make it easier for a person to kill a large number of people in a very short period of time, including children in schools. As a mother working to keep all children safe from gun violence, I support HB1607 and reducing the number of gun-related deaths in our community and in our nation.

I support this bill because I believe it would make our Commonwealth a safer place for everyone, including our children. Gun violence must be addressed and this is one of the many common sense laws proposed this session that can do that. Please take action and vote for this bill that could save lives.

As a graduate of Virginia Tech who was on campus during the mass shooting that occured on April 16, 2007, I strongly support increased regulations on guns. Having witnessed first half the devastation on communities that guns can cause, we need to prevent high capacity automatic and semi-automatic guns from being sold and ensure that loopholes that allow guns to be sold continue to be closed. As a mother of three young school aged children now, the sense of fear at which all families deal with on a daily basis is unfathomable and shouldn't be allowed to continue.

I support HB1607 as assault weapons make it easier for a person to kill a large number of people in a very short period of time – including children in schools, and we have seen this happen time and time again. As an elementary school teacher I see the fear and anxiety that has developed in our children each time they hear of the most recent school shooting and while we practice our code red drills. This legislation is LONG overdue. Please do the right thing so that we can feel safer in our communities!

Please pass these comments sense safety laws. The county desperately needs them.

I support these bills as data shows common sense gun laws save lives.

I support these eight bills, as we need to take action against the senseless violence and deaths caused by guns. We need to ban assault weapons, hold the industry more accountable, prohibit people from leaving firearms visibly unattended in cars, ban kits that create automatic weapons, tighten concealed handgun permits, expand critical protections to additional relationship categories, extend protection against firearms to higher education, and protect domestic violence survivors. As a country and a state, we cannot continue to accept gun violence and deaths as the norm.

I support HB1607 as assault weapons make it easier for a person to kill a large number of people in a very short period of time – including children in schools. I felt the impact of this at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007 as 32 students and teachers lost their lives. I support HB1608 as industry accountability is a great way to force manufacturers to raise standards of safety. It shouldn't be easier to buy a gun than it is to rent a car. I support HB1622 as it would crack down on vehicle gun thefts and make our communities safer. I support HB1660 as automatic and semi-automatic weapons can kill a large number of people in a very short period of time. I felt the impact of this at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007 as 32 students and teachers lost their lives. I support HB1797 as visitors wishing to carry concealed handguns in Virginia should meet the same level of safety requirements that we require of our state’s residents. I support HB1869 as it expands critical protections to additional relationship categories. For example, this bill would include a relationship where a woman cohabitates with her boyfriend. I support HB1876 as it extends the protection of k-12 schools to our institutions of higher education. I support HB1960 as it strengthens protections for domestic violence survivors.

I support this bill because I support any bill that seeks to create a safer community for our children to grow up in, that keeps guns away from schools, and that keep deadly weapons out of the hands of violent people who wish to violate our most protected right: the right to life. This is my number one issue.