Strongly support this bill and 2nd to enhanced the wait time to 364 days waiting period after application before being approve, will give us commies more time to invade without resistant

I am against these proposed bills to impededany sort of restriction on the carry of firearms, banning any sort of accessory, type or feature of a firearm, or any law that adds additional penalties, burdens, fees, or taxes on firearms. The punishment the law abiding citizen with burdensome laws and infringe upon their constitutional rights. The 2nd ammendment is very clear in "shall not be infringed," yet these bills infringe on the freedom of people to bear arms. The propososers of these bills know they're illegal bills and are not constitutional. Virginia has long been a beacon of freedom, and was instrumental in in the American Revolution to secure that freedom. It is disguisting seeing its politicians try to forcibly take that freedom away from its people. I am opposed to these bills and urge the legislature to throw them out, with prejudice.

A right delayed is a right denied! This will serve to do nothing while we already have a background check process in place to prevent prohibited persons from obtaining firearms illegally.

To the committee, I am a Democrat writing in opposition to HB217. Specifically section 18.02.308.09 on disqualifications for a concealed handgun permit as it has the potentially to adversely affect me. 10 years ago I went through a mental health crisis and ended up having my firearm rights rescinded. Two years ago, I went through the legal process of having my firearm rights restored. It was an arduous, exhaustive, and personally embarrassing process as I was treated in such a manner by the court as if I was a criminal despite having committed no crime. I find the current proposal by the state as an affront to my rights which I fought to have restored. This new law will make me have to wait an additional 3 years to apply for a concealed permit despite already going through the legal process to nullify any legal objection from me being able to attain such permit. While I am not eager to own a handgun for the sole purpose of concealing it; this permit would help me as a safeguard from protecting me from prosecution should I possess a handgun and not have it fully concealed while in transport to a gun range, gun smith, or from one property to another if I were stopped by law enforcement. This law will also further scrutinize in the section 18.02-308.2.2 despite the fact that I have gone through the legal process and been adjudicated by a judge already to be able to possess a firearm. The fact also that the committee has tapered down the ammunition quantity from 20 rounds to 10 rounds demonstrates to me the total lack and understanding by this committee to understand fire arms and seems purely a punitive measure towards individuals who already legally own firearms.

U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It states: "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". These are a slap to the face of law abiding gun owners of the state of Virginia. I'm atonished at the blatan ignorance of a firearm and my rights, who voted for these idiots?

I am writing to respectfully oppose HB700 and HB1359. Both of these bills place new delays and conditions on the ability of law-abiding Virginians to exercise a fundamental constitutional right. A mandatory waiting period and a requirement to demonstrate “competency” before purchasing a firearm amount to government-imposed barriers on the lawful exercise of the Second Amendment. A right that is delayed is a right that is denied. No other enumerated constitutional right is subject to a mandatory waiting period before it can be exercised. Virginians are not required to wait days to speak freely, practice their religion, or access legal counsel. Singling out one right for delay sets a troubling precedent and undermines the idea that constitutional rights are meant to be exercised immediately by lawful citizens. These proposals also expose the Commonwealth to significant legal risk. Similar laws in other states are already being challenged in federal court, and some courts have found that waiting periods likely violate the Second Amendment because they lack historical support and burden the right to keep and bear arms. Recent decisions make clear that interest-balancing or “public safety” justifications alone are no longer sufficient — firearm regulations must be consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of regulation. Waiting periods and pre-approval schemes simply do not meet that standard. From a practical standpoint, these bills would harm the very people they claim to protect. Waiting periods delay access to firearms for lawful self-defense, including for individuals facing credible threats or victims of domestic violence. HB700 would require additional trips to dealers, disproportionately affecting rural residents, working families, and those with limited transportation. Gun shows and short-duration events would become effectively unusable for lawful purchases. HB1359’s training and permitting requirements would add time, cost, and bureaucracy to an already regulated process. Fees for courses, fingerprinting, and permits function as financial barriers that fall hardest on low-income Virginians. Requiring government approval before a right may be exercised closely resembles a tax or licensing scheme on a constitutional freedom. Virginia already has robust background check systems in place to prevent prohibited persons from acquiring firearms. Once a person has passed a background check, additional waiting periods do nothing to improve safety — they simply delay lawful ownership. If the goal is public safety, the focus should be on enforcing existing laws and addressing violent crime directly, not imposing broad restrictions on citizens who have done nothing wrong. For these reasons, I respectfully urge you to oppose HB700 and HB1359. These bills burden constitutional rights, invite costly litigation, and place unnecessary obstacles in the path of law-abiding Virginians without demonstrable public safety benefits.

When did our state government decide that they do not have to follow our Constitution of the United States of America? The 2nd Amendment is an individual right under the Constitution that states clearly that it shall not be infringed on which in simple terms means that no government official or group has the ability to take a person's right to keep and bear arms in the United States of America. This Amendment was so important to our forefathers that it is the second thing they wrote to establish that the government does not have the ability to take your right to defend yourself against all enemies and this includes a tyrannical state government that doesn't understand plain text that our country was founded on. It doesn't matter what others opinions or feelings on the subject of the right to bear arms is because it is my right and not their's that we are talking about at this time. As a society of individuals in our country that have never agreed on things of this nature since the invention of the modern firearm we have to look no farther than our own Constitution to see that this is not a collective right of certain people that agree or disagree with the principle of firearms but infact a Constitutional right of an individual to determine there views of their personal right to bear arms. With the world in the state it is in at our present time this Constitutional right is needed more then ever because we are facing people that think that the can completely ignore the Constitution and its not even on a national level but a state level. This is also a truly sad moment of our state that is the founding place for our country as it exists from the time that we settled in this new land of an unknown world at the time but to disrespect our founding Document that started it all on top of it is the worst thing that could happen in our state for these elected officials to look at the Bill of Rights and say to themselves that those Amendment are not worth following because I have a different opinion, belief or feeling on that Amendment that I am personally going to take the individual right of every person in Virginia just because I don't want to follow these Amendments as they are written. Do you understand how this is being a tyrannical government just like the British were when they were trying to control the entire population at the time that we had the Revolution in this great land to start this great country. When people say that the 2nd Amendment is dated and need to be revised but can see the actual beauty in how our forefathers predicted that this Amendment would be necessary throughout time to even to the year 2026 were we have a government that is looking at this exact Amendment and saying no we don't have to follow that anymore because we have all these people that don't like the fact that a free person of the United States of America can purchase anything that has to do with their ability to not only protect themselves in self defense but also to protect themselves from the tyrannical government that is before us today. I'm sorry but as a person that has no affiliation to a political party or any other organization on this subject in our country I believe in our Constitution and the Amendments that were written in the Bill of Rights to protect myself, my family and my friends from people that think that they know what is best for everyone in our country on the basis that they either think they are smarter, richer or elected.

I am a resident of Ashburn in Loudoun County, Virginia. I respectfully submit the following written testimony in opposition to the bills listed below. HB1359 – Firearm purchase requirements; penalties I oppose HB1359 because it adds additional requirements and penalties that burden law-abiding purchasers without clear evidence of reducing criminal misuse. HB1427 – Limitation on handgun purchases I oppose HB1427 because purchase limits restrict lawful ownership while failing to address how firearms are obtained by those who commit crimes. HB19 – Firearms; purchase after assault & battery of family or household member I oppose HB19 due to due process and proportionality concerns, as it restricts rights prior to full adjudication rather than focusing on enforcement of existing protections. HB21 – Firearm industry members; civil liability standards I oppose HB21 because it expands civil liability in ways that risk penalizing lawful businesses for the actions of third parties without improving public safety. HB217 – Assault firearms and certain ammunition feeding devices I oppose HB217 because it targets lawful ownership based on firearm type rather than criminal misuse and lacks evidence of meaningful public safety benefit. HB229 – Weapons prohibited in certain hospitals I oppose HB229 because blanket prohibitions rely on disarmament rather than appropriate security and enforcement in sensitive facilities. HB24 – Concealed handgun permit reciprocity I oppose HB24 because limiting reciprocity penalizes lawful permit holders without deterring criminal activity, while Virginia’s current framework has functioned effectively. HB40 – Plastic or unserialized firearms I oppose HB40 due to overbroad definitions that risk unintended impacts on lawful ownership and small businesses rather than targeting criminal conduct. HB540 – Carrying firearms in restricted locations I oppose HB540 because expanding restricted locations increases complexity and the risk of unintentional violations by law-abiding citizens. HB700 – Waiting period for firearm purchases I oppose HB700 because mandatory waiting periods delay the exercise of a constitutional right without clear evidence of reducing violent crime. HB871 – Firearm storage requirements in residences I oppose HB871 because it imposes criminal penalties through broad storage mandates that may be difficult to apply consistently and fairly. HB907 – Security requirements for firearms dealers I oppose HB907 because it adds regulatory and penalty burdens on lawful dealers without clear evidence that such measures reduce criminal misuse. For these reasons, I respectfully urge the committee to oppose the bills listed above. Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony for the public record.

Oppose HB700

I stand strongly with the VCDL on these proposed laws. VA has always been a bipartisan state on gun issues, and although the second amendment has may purposes- it must be preserved to protect the citizens of this state. Overreaching federal law enforcement, and all threats domestic and foreign are kept in line by responsible firearm ownership. Gun control also impacts lower income groups, impoverished populations, and people of color disproportionately. We must preserve the 2nd amendment.

As a concerned parent and Virginian, I support these bills.

I strongly oppose this bill.

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the recently proposed bills on gun control. While I understand the intent behind these bills—to enhance public safety—I firmly believe that they will have unintended consequences that infringe on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. The Second Amendment guarantees "the right of individuals to keep and bear arms", and it is a fundamental part of what makes this country free. These bills being proposed would place unnecessary and burdensome restrictions on responsible gun owners, making it harder for Virginians to exercise their rights in a lawful and safe manner. Rather than focusing on restricting access to firearms, I urge the General Assembly to consider measures that target criminals and illegal activities, such as enforcing stricter penalties for those who use firearms in the commission of crimes, or improving background checks for gun purchases. It is essential to address the root causes of violence, such as mental health issues and gang-related activity, rather than punishing responsible gun owners who follow the law. Furthermore, these proposed bills could create significant logistical challenges for gun owners, particularly those who rely on their firearms for self-defense, hunting, or recreational activities. The financial burden and potential legal ramifications of complying with these new regulations would be overwhelming for many Virginians. I strongly urge you to reconsider these proposals and to focus on policies that protect both our rights and our communities. I trust that you will make the best decision for all Virginians, and I sincerely hope that you will oppose these bills.

We SUPPORT this bill as waiting periods provide law enforcement additional time to perform an accurate background check and create a “cooling off” period to prevent acts of violence or suicide attempts.

HB110, Del. Laufer (D): This bill will save lives by eliminating provisions allowing any person to store their firearms in their car and preventing firearms from being stolen from cars. I SUPPORT this bill as half of all stolen guns are ones that are stolen from a car, and half of all crimes committed with a gun have a stolen gun used. This is a straightforward way to reduce these crimes and gun violence. HB19, Del. McClure (D): I SUPPORT this bill as it expands critical protections to additional relationship categories. This is a critical step to ensuring that more individuals are protected from domestic violence and gun violence. HB21, Del. Helmer (D): I SUPPORT this bill as industry accountability is a great way to force manufacturers to raise standards of safety. Firearm manufacturers and distributors must be held accountable for reckless behavior and practices that make our communities less safe. HB229, Del. Hernandez (D): I SUPPORT this bill and commonsense restrictions on gun access and believe in protecting the safety of our medical care providers. HB24, Del. Helmer (D): 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. HB40, Del. Simon (D): I SUPPORT this bill as it would make it easier to prosecute and prevent crimes committed by ghost guns. HB626, Del. Callsen (D): I SUPPORT extending the protection of k-12 schools to our institutions of higher education. HB702, Del. Cole (D): I SUPPORT this bill as currently it can be incredibly difficult to find a way to get a gun destroyed that you no longer want or has come into your possession through something like inheritance. The public benefits from the creation of more drop-off point for individuals, of their own free will, to relinquish firearms to be destroyed. HB700, Hayes (D): I SUPPORT this bill as waiting periods provide law enforcement additional time to perform an accurate background check and create a “cooling off” period to prevent acts of violence or suicide attempts. HB93, Bennett-Parker: I SUPPORT this bill, as it strengthens protections for domestic violence survivors. We must establish a clear process to separate a person from their firearms who has been convicted of a domestic violence offense, or who is subject to a protective order.

I support HB700 because a five-day waiting period gives law enforcement additional time to complete thorough background checks and provides a critical cooling-off period that can help prevent acts of violence or suicide.

I am opposed to this bill as it only penalizes both legal citizen as well as businesses dealing in firearms. This would effectively kill gun show sales (which are all legal by the way). Judge Walker in Maine ruled that a similar waiting period was unconstitutional.

I support the presented gun laws that will improve the Commonwealth’s safety

This bill would require a person to wait 5 days before a purchased firearm can be transferred to them. A right delayed is a right denied. I strongly urge you not to support this bill.

In 2021, my elderly stepmother shot through a closed door during an argument with my elderly father, striking him in the back and paralyzing him. My father has spent the past five years in extreme physical agony, unable to walk, paying caretakers out of pocket to hoist him in and out of bed, unable to care for himself. The lack of movement in his life has led to horrific bed sores, which become bone infections, which lead to extended hospital stays and a horrible quality of life. All this because my stepmother was allowed to have a gun. There are countless stories like this of the bullet's aftermath: of the lifelong physical and mental damage that comes from guns. It has been a horrific five years, full of physical pain and mental anguish for our entire family. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. The bills before you now will not only save lives, they will spare whole swaths of our neighborhoods from needing to deal with these horrors. One bullet, lodged in my father's spine, didn't kill him. Instead, it has shattered the life he had, his ability to work and care for himself, and his family. Each bullet we allow in our communities has the ability to do the same. His care has bankrupted him personally, and now he relies on state care and Medicaid, an avoidable burden on taxpayers. There are numerous reasons guns have no place in our society, and I hope my father's story is just one that helps make change. Please support all bills that make guns harder to access, harder to keep. Please do everything you can to keep guns out of the hands of our society. Thank you for the great work you are doing to keep Virginians safe.

Establish a five day waiting period for the purchase of a firearm. We SUPPORT this bill as waiting periods provide law enforcement additional time to perform an accurate background check and create a “cooling off” period to prevent acts of violence or suicide attempts.

I respectfully submit this comment in opposition to HB110, HB21, HB217, HB229, HB24, HB623, HB626, HB700, HB871, and HB916. These proposals represent a sweeping expansion of firearm regulation that raises serious constitutional concerns under both the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution. Recent Supreme Court precedent makes clear that firearm regulations must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Broad restrictions on commonly owned firearms, magazines, permitting, carry, storage, commerce, and industry liability extend well beyond that tradition and place undue burdens on law abiding Virginians. Several proposals also seek to impose increased taxation of firearms, ammunition, and accessories such as the proposed $500 tax on suppressors. These proposals are nothing more than a means of discouraging lawful ownership. Using taxation to create financial barriers to the exercise of a constitutional right is deeply concerning and disproportionately impacts lower income Virginians. Constitutional rights should not be accessible only to those who can afford significant additional fees or penalties. Many of these bills do not meaningfully target criminal misuse, but instead regulate the conduct of responsible citizens who already comply with existing laws. Measures such as expanded prohibitions, waiting periods, altered permitting standards, reciprocal permit limitations, storage penalties, civil liability expansion, forfeiture hurdles, location based carry bans, and punitive taxation risk criminalizing otherwise lawful behavior while doing nothing to address violent crime or its underlying causes. I respectfully urge the General Assembly to reject these proposals in their entirety. Virginians should not be asked to surrender constitutional rights through cumulative restrictions, financial barriers, or regulatory complexity that would never be tolerated if applied to any other enumerated right. Public safety and constitutional liberty are not mutually exclusive, and legislation that undermines one in the name of the other ultimately serves neither. The Commonwealth can and must pursue solutions that respect both the Constitution and the Virginians it exists to serve.

I am writing to oppose the current slate of firearm restriction bills before the General Assembly. While these proposals are framed as public safety measures, in practice they disproportionately harm marginalized Virginians — including racial minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals (especially trans people), immigrants, and low-income residents — who often face higher risks of targeted violence and slower or unequal police response. These bills add costs, delays, and bureaucratic hurdles to exercising a fundamental right. Increased fees, mandatory waiting periods, feature bans, and expanded disqualifications fall hardest on people with limited financial resources, unstable work schedules, or justified concerns about their personal safety. For many vulnerable individuals, the ability to lawfully and promptly acquire a firearm is not about ideology, but about self-defense. History shows that restrictive gun laws are most aggressively enforced in minority communities, amplifying disparities in arrests, prosecution, and legal exposure — even when no harm has occurred. Expanding civil liability, criminal penalties, and subjective risk standards increases that risk. Public safety should not come at the expense of civil rights or equal access to self-protection. Policies that price people out of their rights or delay lawful self-defense do not address the root causes of violence and instead leave the most vulnerable less safe. I respectfully urge you to oppose these bills and support approaches that protect both public safety and the rights of all Virginians, regardless of income, identity, or background. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I strongly oppose this bill as waiting periods are highly burdensome and are not likely to have a positive impact. We do not have waiting periods for cars and they are not a right as enshrined by our constitution and numerous supreme court cases.

I respectfully submit this comment as a Virginia citizen and, parenthetically, a member of the r/VAGuns subreddit, in principled opposition to HB700. I oppose HB700 as introduced. Article I, §13 of the Virginia Constitution and the Second Amendment protect the individual right to keep and bear arms for lawful purposes including self-defense. District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago recognize self-defense as the core lawful purpose of the right, and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen requires that regulations burdening this right be consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. A mandatory five-day waiting period between completion of a background check consent and lawful transfer delays access to arms precisely when the need for self-defense may be most acute. There is no historical analogue for imposing mandatory acquisition delays on law-abiding citizens as a condition of exercising a fundamental right. Proponents often characterize waiting periods as “cooling-off” measures, but RAND firearm policy reviews find limited and inconclusive evidence that generalized waiting periods reduce violent crime. FBI UCR/NIBRS and CDC WISQARS data show that most firearm violence involves unlawfully possessed firearms, not those obtained through lawful retail channels after background checks. Critically, CDC data also show that the risk of serious injury or death in domestic violence situations is highest during periods of separation, escalation, or credible threat. HB700 would prevent a victim facing an immediate and credible threat from acquiring a lawful means of self-defense during that high-risk window, thereby increasing vulnerability rather than reducing harm. HB700 applies a blanket delay to all purchasers regardless of individualized risk, circumstances, or urgency. This overbreadth ignores well-documented scenarios in which lawful purchasers seek firearms due to credible threats, including stalking or domestic abuse. Existing law already disqualifies prohibited persons and criminalizes misuse. Imposing criminal penalties on dealers and purchasers for transfers that occur without the full waiting period, even where no prohibited possession exists, further illustrates the bill’s mismatch between burden and demonstrated risk. The waiting period disproportionately burdens individuals with limited resources, limited mobility, or heightened personal safety concerns. Victims of domestic abuse, often women and individuals of modest means, may lack alternative protective measures during a mandatory delay. Small businesses and lawful dealers also face increased compliance risk and potential felony exposure unrelated to public safety outcomes. HB700 imposes a mandatory waiting period that lacks historical grounding under Bruen, is unsupported by strong empirical evidence, and risks increasing harm to individuals facing imminent threats, including victims of domestic abuse who may need immediate access to lawful self-defense. By delaying acquisition while adding severe criminal penalties, the bill burdens the law-abiding without addressing criminal misuse. I respectfully urge the Committee to oppose HB700.

I am strongly OPPOSED to HB 700. What is the purpose of this bill other than to make purchasing a firearm more expensive and more difficult? It will not solve any issues with gun use by criminals. Currently if someone intends to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer, he completes the state and federal forms, provides the required ID and is run through a NICS background check. It does not take 5 DAYS to accomplish this, more like 30 minutes. As for a cooling off period, there are instances where a victim of domestic violence or stalking have tried to purchase a firearm for protection only to have to wait 5 days. In the ensuing 4 days, her tormentor didn't cool off and killed her. In a crime of passion, the attacker doesn't wait the 5 days to finish the attack, but uses whatever is available - bat, hammer, kitchen knife, car , 2x4 or bare hands. This bill does nothing for public safety. It is simply another infringement on Virginians' rights. Defeat it.

I support this bill as the data and evidence show that it will reduce harm and deaths from guns. Taking this measure will ensure that guns are used responsibly and only for the intended consequences. Owning a gun is a serious responsibility and measures like this must be put into action as currently they are being misused and causing an epidemic in this country. Guns are the #1 killer of children and teens in the United States. When the impact of an item causes so much harm, measures must be put into place to protect people, especially children.

I support the following bills because guns are the number one cause of death for children in our commonwealth and our nation. HB 110 will help reduce the number of gun thefts from cars, and these thefts are on the rise. Additionally, we need to close the boyfriend loophole from domestic violence offenders (HB19).

HB700 is a bill that will not only be a nuisance to hobbyists without any positive benefits, but it will also destroy many small businesses in the state. Many gun ranges in Virginia allow customers to rent a firearm arm to use that day on the range. This allows people to try a gun at the range before buying one, and it allows people who don't own a gun to have hands on gun safety instruction with instructors at the range. This bill would require a person who wants to learn how to shoot a gun to go to the range, fill out the paperwork, wait 5 days, then come back to the range and have the range officer or instructor hand him or her the gun, watch him or her shoot the rental gun for a few minutes and then hand the gun back to the range officer or instructor. Why would making this person wait 5 days to shoot the rental gun at the range be necessary? What good does this accomplish? This will severely hurt the gun ranges in this state. Additionally, since most gun purchases are made by people who already own a gun, there's no logical reason to make these people wait 5 days before picking up another gun. If they had bad intentions or were suicidal, they already have guns at home, so this bill would not prevent any of those things. So I ask, what is the purpose of this bill? Is it to force small business to close? Is it to provide an annoyance to hunters and target shooters? Please do not pass this bill.

These proposed bills are clear and direct violations of our 2nd Amendment Constitutional right. Virginia has been an upstanding example of bi-partisan gun ownership since its birth as a Commonwealth. At a time when many other constitutional rights are being directly challenged by the Federal Government, with little resistance from the Supreme Court & Congress, it is extremely ignorant and out of touch for Virginia representatives to even consider passing these unconstitutional bills. Whether it is Republicans or Democrats it seems our rights are being pinched away, piece by piece. I ask our representatives and Governor to use "common sense" and not pass these blatant violations to our guaranteed constitutional right. You representatives cannot simply pick and choose which constitutional amendments apply to citizens or we may as well not have a constitution at all.

I am strongly opposed to this legislation. There is no evidence that so-called "cool-down periods" actually inhibit crime or reduce suicide rates, and therefore solely infringe upon the rights of responsible, law-abiding citizens.