Public Comments for 02/07/2024 Appropriations - Transportation and Public Safety Subcommittee
HB175 - Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please do not make life more difficult for responsible gun owners. Many of the proposed laws are clearly unconstitutional and will be struck down anyway. Others may be constitutional but are completely draconian. Virginia already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country All the bills I am providing feedback for would not make VA safer. Next time Republicans are in power they will reverse those anyway. But even if that does not happen, you are contributing to the further polarization of politics. There won't be any bipartisanship left on 2nd amendment issues or even other issues
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.
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.
Many of these gun laws are unfair to law abiding citizens and do not affect criminals. These gun laws should be vetoed.
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.
State Legislature members, A right delayed is a right denied. Quoting the 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen Supreme Court Case: 'The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not “a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.” McDonald, 561 U. S., at 780 (plurality opinion). The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self defense is no different.' The recent NYSRPA v. Bruen case highlighted the significance of individual self-defense, and it's crucial to consider the rights of law-abiding citizens in crafting firearm legislation. While the goal of enhancing public safety is commendable, an outright ban on certain firearms and magazines will disproportionately impact responsible gun owners who use these tools for legitimate purposes, such as self-defense and sport. It is essential to strike a balance between public safety and the preservation of individual rights. Instead of blanket bans, and bureaucratic obstacles that only harass lawful firearm owners, we should focus on comprehensive measures that address the root causes of gun violence. This approach respects the constitutional rights of citizens while fostering a safer society. Criminals are not deterred by restrictions on lawful purchase at federally-licensed FFL Dealers. They do not bother going through the process of applying for a concealed carry permit, because they do not intend to carry lawfully. People who want to use weapons to hurt innocent citizens of Virginia will not be impeded by these House and Senate Bills. Instead, the only individuals who will have their behavior modified are lawful men and women who are unable to defend themselves against those who will commit crimes regardless of what is written into law this Legislative Session. If you pass the above laws, it will only serve to waste hard-working Taxpayers' money fighting them in Federal Court. California and New York have lost their cases seeking to uphold unconstitutional gun laws, and the sponsors of these bills will lose too. Do the right thing - the hard thing - enforce the laws we already have, get the small minority of violent criminals off the streets of Virginia, and uphold the constitutional rights of your polity.
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.
There are approximately 47 bills regarding gun control between the House and Senate. Rather than fix issues that actually protect and enhance the lives of Virginians, many of these bills seek to disenfranchise and reduce the safety of the citizens in this great Commonwealth. Firearms are so fundamental to the founding and continued existence of our free society that they are listed just second to the freedom of speech in amendments to the constitution. It is plainly clear to all that countries and states who have banned or severely restricted firearms that violence does not end with their banning. Unjust deaths are not prevented. It simply ensures that law abiding citizens are left defenseless from those that wish to harm them, whether that be individuals or an organization. I write this knowing that it will be completely disregarded by the bills authors, but in hopes that others feel galvanized to speak up against unjust actions made in the name of progress. To those who wish to protect themselves with firearms while simultaneously stripping them from the common man, may you take heed of the Virginia state motto.
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!
There is no acceptable reason to infringe upon the Constitutionally-protected (both US and Virginia's Constitutions) rights of Americans and Virginians. None of these bills purported to reduce gun-related violence actually seem to prioritize the reduction of causal effects of overall violence. Many of these are merely attempts to curb the rights of the People to keep and bear arms, because our legislative bodies are full of corrupt, weak, and contemptible individuals. Show us the bills for addressing the root causes of violence: mental health, income inequality, social instability, lack of education and educational opportunities, drug & human trafficking, or employment & wages (this list is not all-inclusive).
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.
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
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.
Dear Honorable Members of the House of Delegates, I write to you today as a concerned citizen, deeply invested in the well-being and safety of our communities, and as someone who values the principles upon which our nation was founded. The issue at hand, the introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is one that I believe warrants a thoughtful reconsideration in light of its broader implications. 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.*** Constituents see this robust effort to "see what sticks" as a weakness within our party. Comparatively imbalanced with the diverse range of issues and concerns that we face everyday. A waste. As we move forward, I encourage you to approach this issue with a balanced perspective, one that recognizes the need for effective strategies to combat gun violence while also safeguarding the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our nation. The path to meaningful change is complex, requiring a nuanced understanding of the issues at hand and a commitment to policies that truly serve the best interests of all our citizens. In closing, 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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
You guys make it harder and harder to vote Democrat every single cycle. Complete ban on Semi Automatics more or less making the state even stricter towards guns then states like Maryland? I oppose all these even the "herp common sense derp" ones because the states party has made it clear they don't give a crap about anything but putting hollow wins for politicians because hhheeeyyy punishing law abiding gun owners is a whole lot easier then creating jobs or reducing crime. If these bills die before getting to the governors desk, especially the bans, then I will gladly continue to vote DNC. But if Youngkin has to veto these and you make me say something I never thought I would "Thank god Youngkin won" then I look forward to blindly going down the ticket in 2024 and checking "R" on everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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.
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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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.
These anti gun laws are an infringement on all Virginian's 2A rights.
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.
I am against all of these blatantly unconstitutional firearms restrictions. I'm strongly against: SB2| Deeds | Assault firearms certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. This tries to ban things that are in common use, which has never worked well for the government, remember Prohibition? Remember the war on drugs? Just like the last assault weapons ban, this will literally just make AR-15s more popular and easier to get illegally. And I am against: HB585 | Mundon King | Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools, penalties. That specifically targets home-based FFLs whose house is somewhere near a school. This would put hundreds of Virginia residents out of business just because of where they live.
I strongly oppose any bill, law or ordinance that infringes on the undeniable constitutional right to keep and bear arms. These include any ban, any further age restrictions, if a person (18) is old enough to join the military and use real "assault weapons" then they should be fully capable to purchase a semi automatic firearm of their choice. I oppose any law or ordinance that restricts my ability to defend my family and myself as I see fit, this includes bans on where I can carry my lawful firearm, what type of firearm and the magazine size of my choice. How about we make laws that are tougher on criminals and stop punishing law abiding people who actually care and follow the law.
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.
An inordinate focus on the control of firearms only serves to infringe the rights of the law-abiding citizen in defense of his life and property. The State should instead focus on the apprehension and incarceration of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and associated misuse of firearms.
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 against any unconstitutional law and any law that strips Americans of their rights. These laws are an attack on the 2nd amendment and hold NO facts in stopping crime. They are a punishment for law-abiding people and will not make Virginia safer.
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.
These laws are mostly going to effect law abiding citizens like myself and all the people I know. WHEN HAVE CRIMINALS FOLLOWED LAWS??? The only thing these criminals that commit gun related offenses is some kind of force of action. Why are you going to try to take our 2nd Amendment Rights away from people who follow the laws and love our great country? We should be focusing on increasing penalties against those who commit the crimes. Stop focusing on the law abiding citizens and focus on the criminals that are terrorizing all of our towns. Our government is letting millions and millions of unknown people in our country without having a clue what kind of person they are. I'm sure most are good people like you and me but not all of them are. We need our guns to be able to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our country if needed. Our founding fathers have it right and put a lot of thoughts into our constitution and bill of rights. I thought Democrats were about equality and the working man/woman. If you all want good for us law abiding citizens, work together, make compromises, and start doing your duty. We do not need more "big government" taking more rights. What we need is a closed border so we can fight this drug crisis. Slow the flow of drugs and these gangs fall apart. Once they fall apart maybe these shootings would slow down. Please do the right thing and do not sign these gun bills. All this woke crap is ruining our country. Y'all need to please make changes and focus on what's going to help all of us not just the minority.
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
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 strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
These all seem like infringements that will do nothing to curb any crime. Further they will only create criminals out of everyday law abiding folk. These are laws that seem to be targeting victimless crimes.
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
HB113 | Sullivan | Handguns; possession, purchase, or transportation by persons convicted of certain drug offenses. HB1174 | Sickles | Assault firearms; age requirement for purchase, penalty. HB1195 | Hayes | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. HB12 | Jones | Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required. HB1235 | Zehr | Concealed handguns; protective orders. HB1424 | Hope | Firearms; valid permit to purchase, penalties. HB1462 | Laufer | Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. HB158 | McClure | Firearm locking device; required for sale or transfer of firearm. HB16 | Garrett | Firearm or explosive material; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, etc. HB173 | Simon | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. HB175 | Simon | Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty. HB183 | Simon | Firearms; storage in residence where minor or person prohibited from possessing is present, penalty. HB2 | Helmer | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, sales, transfers, etc., prohibited. HB22 | Jones | Auto sears; definition, prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. HB270 | Reid | Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc. HB319 | Helmer | Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code. HB35 | Clark | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. HB351 | Clark | Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty. HB362 | McClure | Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against an intimate or dating partner. HB454 | Callsen | Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth. HB46 | Bennett-Parker | Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. HB466 | Helmer | Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. HB791 | Henson | Pneumatic guns; Class 6 felony to possess. HB797 | Hope | Concealed handguns; demonstrated competence for a permit, firearms instructors and safety programs. HB798 | Hope | Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation. HB799 | Hope | Concealed handgun permit applications; fingerprints required by local governments. HB861 | Hernandez | Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services. HB945 | Lopez | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. SB100 | Ebbin | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. SB2 | Deeds | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. SB210 | Perry | Auto sears; prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. SB273 | Subramanyam | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. I oppose all these bills.
I oppose this bill as it seeks to infringe on the Consitutionally proctected rights of lawabiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, criminals who do not follow the law. This bill makes it harder for someone to keep themselves safe and is primarily a solution 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 due to gun control laws, in fact as gun control laws increase, s o does the rate of violent crimes. Criminals are not afraid of police, they are afraid of armed citizens. The subject of this bill has already been defeated in courts, passing this into law will only subject the Commonwealth to more lawsuits to have it repealed costing us more in taxes. Enough of our taxpayers money has been wasted in politicians attempting to pass "feel good" bills to try and prove they are doing their job. I urge the legistature to focus on enforcing and imposing stricter penalties for those that break our exsiting laws over creating new laws that only serve to pe nalize the law abiding citizens.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
I support common sense bills HB 1181, 1195, 12, 1424, 1462, 158, 175, 183,23, 270. Safe storage and training make sense! Let's keep everyone safe.
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
Everything we can do to keep our children and communities safe must be of the utmost priority. Our country has blood on its hands and state and federal leaders must open their eyes and hearts to pushing forward for what’s best for us as a society- that does not include firearms, ammunition, and hate. Mental health is but one part of the issue at hand here and it’s critical we solve the gun violence epidemic in a bipartisan and comprehensive fashion. I support all efforts to improve mental health services and school and community safety including eliminating access to automatic weapons, increasing the purchase age and increasing background check and screenings.
As a lawful firearm owner and concealed carry holder in multiple state, I urge you to oppose these unconstitutional bills. These bills will do nothing but infringe on our rights and do nothing to punish those who use firearms in an unlawful manner. Here are a few examples of why these bills are bad: HB 270 and HB 1195 - what problem does this solve for? Virginia has an "instant check" system and this bill makes that moot. HB 319 and HB 797 - reducing the places where someone can get trained on how to safely and effectively use firearms is counterintuitive. If anything, the number of firearm training locations should be increased to maximize the safe operations of firearms. HB 362 and HB 798 - misdemeanors should never deprive an individual of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. HB 861 - this is another attempt to reduce a person's ability to protect themselves. Rather than take away the rights of lawful American citizens, please focus on punishing actual criminals and, if need be, make those penalties more harsh. All of these bills are intended to make law-abiding American citizens less able to protect themselves. They do nothing to impact the criminal or mentally unstable element of society and those are the people who commit violence whether that be with firearms, knives, hammers, or their bare hands. As legislators, you need to focus on stopping the bad buy and maximizing the freedoms and liberties of the good guys. These bills are anti-American and should be opposed vehemently.
To Firearms Subcommittee of House Public Safety, I have read and reviewed the bills referenced in this correspondence and see little value in them. All do nothing more than punish and add restrictions to law-abiding gun owners that will do nothing to prevent violent crimes committed with a firearm. In some cases, these bills seem to be personal vendettas against the NRA and USCCA. I urge members of this committee to reject all of the bills I have referenced in this correspondence.
The following bills represent a positive benefit for the people of Virginia. They should be supported and moved forward to be voted into law. * HB 35, Clark, expands the firearm safety devices which qualify for a tax credit * HB 945, Lopez, expands the firearm safety devices which qualify for a tax credit * HB 1230, Zehr, allows approved school board employees with training to carry on school property * HB 1235, Zehr, turns a protective order into a temporary concealed handgun permit * HB 1321, Wyatt, allows off-duty law-enforcement to carry in state agency buildings and offices. A good start, but CHP holders should be allowed the same option * HB 1325, Taylot, removes an unneeded, outdated requirement for a weekly gun-sales report from gun dealers to the Virginia State Police These bills not only bring necessary improvements to the state's gun laws, they also represent an added level of protection for law-abiding citizens.
The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that citizens have the right to carry firearms outside of their homes and in public, so this bill is unconstitutional
The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that citizens have the right to carry firearms outside of their homes and in public, so this bill is unconstitutional. Do Not Support.
I am a volunteer with Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and we support these bills.
I support these bills.
Please oppose HB175, which should be called the "scary looking gun prohibition bill". Does nothing to advance safety and in unconstitutional per Bruen. Please oppose HB270, which is a back door gun show ban, a callous disarming of women facing domestic abusers, and puts the Commonwealth in the business of buying legal firearms. Please oppose HB318, which imposes civil penalties on manufacturers and distributors in one of the most highly regulated industries in the country for end user behavior. Additionally, it is terribly worded, adding civil liability for even things like safety devices. Please oppose HB24/861. a "facility that provides mental health" services could include any emergency room. Think about where our ER's and trauma centers are. HB319 and HB797 are comical on their face. One cannot credibly claim that training programs from the National Rifle Association are inadequate. This is politics, plain and simple. HB799 is a solution in search of a problem. 10 years ago the fingerprint req't was eliminated - what's changed? This is an attempt to add friction to people trying their best to comply with an already intrusive process. Please support HB1230, which puts defenders closer to our children when time is of the essence and creates an effective deterrent. Please support HB1235, which enables women to protect themselves against abusers and rapists while a protective order is in place. Please support HB1325, which eliminates paperwork made unnecessary.
Apparently, you all think your authority comes from you; is deserved by you; and should be used to further your agenda in disarming law abiding citizens. SCOTUS decisions in Heller and Bruen have already decided the fate of your bills. You are likely going to get sued, your bills will lose and you will have done nothing whatsoever but waste taxpayer time and money on a frivolous pursuit. Which brings me to question what, exactly is the end result? Is it to weaponize laws against law abiding citizens in lawfare? Maybe you think we will run out of money or out of steam in defending our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS. Good luck with that, you will need it. The US Constitution has been argued multiple times regarding gun rights and clearly you either do not care about the rulings; about the Constitution as ratified and adopted by Virginia; nor the views of your constituents. You neither deserve, nor are owed, any kind of allegiance from us. WE DO NOT serve YOU. As a matter of fact our government, across the entire United States, is actually opposite your entitled, two-tiered justice, elitist hypocrisy; which is to say YOU SERVE US! Your lawfare tactics; constantly thumbing your nose at our RIGHTS because 'scary gun bad,' is not going to go in your favor. We are well aware of your marxist ideologies and how much you hate your country and how you believe that the rights of the individual are outweighed by your need to subjugate. We are well aware of your continuation to craft laws carving out, little by little, more power for yourselves and less freedom for us. God will not judge us for standing against you. You took an oath to support, protect and defend the Constitution. You have an opportunity, to simply admit you are wrong and turn away from this course of action. Impaling yourself because you'd rather do that than admit you are wrong is not the way to go. I understand an admission of wrong action will come with a swath of angry people jeering and cheering against you, however, redirecting course is still a better option than trying to force your constituency to rely on 'government,' to help which is tantamount to murder. The national average police response is around 12 minutes to a crime scene, coupled with the fact that SCOTUS has ruled many times that a law enforcement officer has no duty to place him/herself in harms way to protect anyone (DeShaney vs. Winnebago and Town of Castle Rock vs. Gonzales, and Warren vs. District of Columbia), and all you have done is place criminals at the top of the food chain offering up your constituency as nothing more than their next meal.
As a parent, I support these common-sense gun reform bills.
Tilting at windmills: The debate on whether an AR-15 is a military or non-military firearm is moot The anti-gunners panties are in a tight wad over AR-15s because they don’t like black guns, especially if those guns have various cosmetic features, such as a bayonet lug. You know - the scourge of drive-by bayonetings going on in Chicago? So, the anti’s latest tactic is to scream (that’s pretty much their main mode of communication) that an AR-15 is a weapon of war and should not be owned by anyone but the military, government agencies, and the police. So, if citizens don’t need so-called “weapons of war”, why exactly would the police and government bureaucrats need them? <Crickets chirping quietly in the background> Armies have not used AR-15s in war, so it’s hard to call one a weapon of war. The M-16/M-4 is superior for that purpose with its semi-automatic, burst, and fully automatic selector switch. That said, could one fight a war with an AR-15? Sure. AR-15s have a lot in common with their M-16/M-4 cousin. AR-15s use the same mid-power cartridge and the same 20 or 30-round magazine as the M-16/M-4. And the really scary issue for the antis is the AR-15 LOOKS LIKE an M-16! But all of this is totally moot. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution both protect the right of the People to own and carry bearable weapons of war! Even the Supreme Court back in 1939 in US v Miller made it clear that any weapon of use to a militia (think “weapon of war”) is protected by the Second Amendment. And American history and tradition back up that right. From the beginning, Americans have owned and carried weapons in use by the military: from muskets to revolvers, to pistols, to pump and semi-automatic shotguns, to lever-action, bolt-action, and semi-automatic rifles, and, to a lesser degree, both fully-automatic rifles and pistols. So, to my anti-gun friends: I am tired of arguing with you about whether an AR-15 is a sporting gun or a “weapon of war.” Call it what you want, but it is protected by the Second Amendment either way.
I ask the subcommittee to oppose the passage of these bills.
I, Carolyn Kochard, on behalf of Virginia Moms for Change support the above bills because data shows that these laws help reduce gun-related deaths.
Dear Members; What part of 'shall not infringe' do you not understand ? Donald Trump on the ballot and let's go Brandon. My congressmen Bobby Scott and my delegate Cia Price do NOT represent me ! Thank you John Zielanski
I moved to Virginia 15 years ago after I retired. I chose Virginia because of the reasonable, common sense gun laws, among other reasons, as compared to where I came from. I am an avid competitive shooter and hunter and made Virginia my home on that basis. I pay considerably more in taxes, with the exception of real estate, to support my state and county governments and ask and get little in return. In the last 8 years the state of Virginia has enacted a myriad of new firearms regulations that do nothing to prevent crime or make us safer. The new laws being considered will have the same effect. Your focus should be on crime and how to punish criminals, not law abiding taxpayers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Where I live we realistically have a 25 to 45 minute response time for fire, ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. We have an excellent sheriff’s department and volunteer corps of fire and first aid responders but sheer numbers of staff and size of our county make it what it is. People need to be self reliant and not have to worry about being punished for inadvertently breaking an ineffective gun law. Again, your focus should be be on crime and how to punish criminals and not law abiding citizens. Thanks for your time.
Virginia residents have a right to bear arms and that right is protected by the U.S. Constitution. Any bill that aims to infringe on that right should automatically be disallowed. If bills such as these were to pass anywhere in the country, the politicians who introduced them and supported them should be publicly identified as the cause for why someone was killed in one of the gun free zones they created. When a victim of abuse and assault is taken to a hospital, disarming that victim and every friend or family who visits should be a crime in itself. Simon and Hernandez should have to explain exactly why their bills are justifiable. They will not have any data to show all the violent crimes that have taken place by Virginian's legally carrying lawfully owned weapons. Even if they did, it would never warrant disarming all Virginians in hospitals or give them the authority to tell a single Virginia resident what that resident may or may not carry. Vote NO on these bills.
I think there should be a law that allows us, the citizens of Virginia, to remove officials from office who violate their constitutional oath to protect our 2nd amendment and other constitutional amendments. I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is of swearing into office as servant to the public and take an oath only to turn around and purpose laws under the guise of reducing crime that further restrict already law abiding citizens. These laws will never EVER stop criminals, it will never EVER slow or stop people with nefarious intentions and only limit already law abiding citizens. Frankly I grow so tired and more and more disappointed in certain officials in office that don't keep their oath and just lie to the public that gun control stop criminal. IT DOES NO WORK, armed law biding citizens scare criminals from making people into victims because it creates uncertainty to the criminal's actions not knowing if people are armed would they other wise take criminal actions. Why is it people who support gun control fail to make connects to the correlations that place with security are less likely to be targeted for that very reason, because the person would face resistance to their actions. I do not support any of these gun control bills, I do support the pro gun bills and will not comply with any of these gun control bills should they pass as they are unconstitutional and violate my rights as a US citizen.
Please quit making new laws when we don’t enforce what is on the books now. Target criminals not the everyday law abiding citizens of Virginia!
As a 20 year Virginia constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills. As a whole they do nothing to increase safety of the public, ignore actual crime stats & root causes and focus solely on infringing upon rights of law-abiding Virginians, actually making us LESS safe in our ability to defend ourselves from violent criminals. Multiple bills flagrantly violate the Supreme Court rulings in the Heller v DC and Bruen v NYSRPA cases which established clear historical and Constitutional thresholds which must be met for ALL gun control laws. These bills also violate the Virginia State Constitution's sections related to keeping and bearing arms. As legislators you took an oath to UPHOLD those Constitutions, not marginalize or cut apart the Rights contained therein. * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms; are car makers or alcohol companies liable for DUIs which kill people? Are knife makers held liable for murders or robberies using a knife? * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Let me know how you are going to vote on these bills.
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Thanks Garry Dudley
It continues to puzzle me as to why the General Assembly continues to hamper the rights of law abiding gun owners with silly legislation (some of which is clearly unconstitutional) verses addressing the actual underlying problems. Until you do so, you'll continue to look like the political hacks and stooges that you are, beholden to party marching orders rather than what's good for the Commonwealth and it's citizens. Truly sad indeed!
Keep your hands off legally owned guns. Do more to get the bad gun guns. Why do not see the laws on the books get enforced? Uphold your oath of office and protect us from bad guys,illegals, and others.
I am writing to inform the tone deaf and those in this assembly that while they dither and equivocate over Constitutional "God given Rights" of a Free People, codified into law, 16,250 innocent children are "murdered", put to death, mutilated, in the state of Virginia each and every year and each and every new session of this Legislature 16, 250 more innocents die at the hands of the inaction of this body as a whole. And we thought the Germans of the 30's were criminal for their actions with deliberate DEATH and maiming. The crime of murder in any form is a serious crime and just because it is "legalized" it is still a Sin again against humanity and the People of Virginia, who apparently foot the bill for this atrocity. Just as you should not be legalizing "Firearm Control" murder is still a unjustified morally and should be rejected as normal. If there are still anyone on the Democrat side of this body that understands morality and stands up for LIFE and LIBERTY of the People, consider well how and what you vote in favor of. May the punishment of this heinous crime be published and stopped before another thing is done, legally or illegally in this body. Sincerely, Peter Buckingham 301-646-5300 Crozet, VA 22932
Delegates, This law, if enacted, would be unconstitutional based on the Bruen decision. By voting for this law you are opening the Commonwealth to costly litigation. This will be challenged and cost the Commonwealth taxpayers. I encourage you to save the taxpayers money and take the time understand the Bruen decision. It obvious to the citizens for the Commonwealth that those who support this bill did not. There is no empirical evidence that this law will make the Commonwealth safer. When bills like this are submitted, it shows to the people of the Commonwealth that Delegates are not thinking and analyzing bills correctly. To me Delegates that support this bill are being politically partisan and politically expedient at best. Again, I emphatically request that you vote against this bill.
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
HB35 - promotes actual firearms safety without imposing upon the rights of innocent gun owners for the crimes of others. Absolutely worth the support of the legislature. HB1230 - a step in the correct direction, towards making schools LESS of a soft target, LESS attractive to mass-murderers compared to how they are now. This permits some of the people we never needed to worry about in the first place to be armed against the possibility of someone wanting to murder them in a place which was previously a victim-disarmament zone. HB1235 - this shouldn't even be a QUESTION to support it. A protective order is a mere piece of paper, and it is well known that such a piece of paper has failed miserably in defending some people from their attackers. Permitting them to carry is the ONLY proper choice. HB1321 and 1325 do not earn my support or disapproval. ALL other bills being proposed for this day's consideration should be rejected - HB175 - ANY prohibition on so-called "assault firearms" is AT BEST meaningless and worthy of opposition for that reason alone. Add to that the fact that owners and users of these firearms are overwhelmingly peaceful VA citizens innocent of any wrongdoing and this bill CANNOT be passed. HB270 - more nonsense restrictions on so-called assault weapons" and standard-capacity magazines, which are unConstitutional on their face under both the US and VA Constitutions. Nuke this proposal. HB318 - proposes to hold "firearms industry members" responsible for crimes committed by third parties due to govt's inability or unwillingness to enforce EXISTING laws already covering the crimes detailed in this bill. This is a prima-facie attempt to execute lawfare against retailers and manufacturers innocent of any actual wrongdoing. Nuke it. HB319 - a petty attempt to remove NRA and USCCA instructors and ranges from certification at what they are literally the class-of-the-world in doing, teaching firearms safety and the legalities of carry, because the proposer doesn't LIKE those groups. The mere PROPOSAL is incredibly childish and unprofessional. Nuke it. HB362 - if you want to forbid ownership or possession of someone for a violent crime, that crime needs to be a felony. Period. And you'd better be able to JUSTIFY it being a felony crime. Nuke it. HB797 - another childish and unprofessional attack on the groups best-suited and -capable of instruction in actual firearms safety. NUKE IT. HB798 - see comments for HB362. NUKE IT. HB799 - This is tiresome. See comments for HB319 and 797. NUKE IT. HB861 - the only people who need to be restricted from carrying a weapon into a hospital already ARE prohibited from even TOUCHING one. Your inability or unwillingness to deal with that does not justify more laws. NUKE IT. HB916 - VA has had laws covering the issues of emergency TROs for YEARS already. So-called "red flag" laws are an abomination, violating most of the Bill Of Right and leaving someone you claim is a threat in the position to act on that threat. NUKE IT. HB945 - Not incredibly offensive, just wholly unnecessary. Nuke it. HB1195 - Any waiting period is Constitutionally-impermissible. A right delayed is a right denied, and the state seeks to delay here. NUKE IT. HB1386 - VA has no power to set workplace rules like this. NUKE IT. HB1462 - seeks to re-victimize victims of crime AND to make it impossible for people not a threat to anyone to carry outside of victim-disarmament zones. NUKE IT.
As a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment and a lifelong Virginian, I am compelled to express my deep concerns over the direction of recent legislative efforts surrounding firearm laws. I have always placed a high value on security, freedom, and the principles of logical, effective policy-making. It has become increasingly apparent that in the wake of tragic incidents, there is a tendency among some lawmakers to resort to knee-jerk reactions, such as proposing bans or stringent registration requirements for firearms the list goes on and on. While these measures are often presented as solutions to reduce crime, they fail to address the root causes of violence and, instead, serve only to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. The proposal to ban or mandatorily register firearms under the guise of public safety is not only ineffective but also a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights. Such actions presuppose that restricting the freedoms of the majority, who are responsible and law-abiding, will somehow prevent the criminal actions of the few. This is not only a flawed premise but also a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational liberties upon which our nation was built. Moreover, the creation of firearm-free zones and the push for restrictive gun laws are misguided attempts that offer a false promise of safety. History and evidence have shown that criminals do not adhere to such regulations; instead, these zones often end up as soft targets, inadvertently putting innocent lives at greater risk. In light of these considerations, I urge you and your colleagues in the Virginia House and Senate to: Stand firmly against the ineffective and reactionary proposals to ban or mandatorily register firearms. Reconsider and rescind policies that establish firearm-free zones, recognizing their failure to protect and their potential to harm. Focus on realistic, effective solutions that address the underlying causes of violence without compromising the rights and freedoms of Virginia's citizens. Our commitment to the Second Amendment is not a matter of political convenience but a fundamental principle that ensures our liberty and security. The right to bear arms is intrinsic to the American way of life, providing individuals the means to defend themselves, their families, and their freedoms. There are many egregious bills pending. firearm lock requirements, storage requirements, waiting periods, the list goes on and on I remind you democrats that you swore an oath to defend the constitution all these laws you are considering are contrary to the constitution itself and will be challenged and defeated because of the post bruen Supreme Court decisions. I am confident that with thoughtful consideration and a commitment to the principles of our Constitution, we can forge policies that genuinely enhance public safety without infringing upon our cherished liberties. I, alongside countless Virginia patriots, assert that we will not comply with laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights. This stance is rooted in a deep respect for the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Thank you for your attention to my concerns and for your ongoing service to the people of Virginia. I trust that you will approach this issue with the gravity and respect it deserves, recognizing the importance of preserving our constitutional rights in all legislative actions.
None of the gun control bills being put forward will stop a single criminal event. Not one. They are designed to punish and harm Virginians exercising their natural right to self defense and are in conflict with the US and Virginia constitution. Stop. This is not in the best interest of Virginians.
The gun control bills being heard today all have one thing in common, that is to disarm the honest, law abiding citizen. There is no other reason and they will have no other effect. Gun control as a method to curb crime has failed everywhere it has been implemented. Gun control to advance tyranny , subjugation and genocide has succeeded. Please vote NO on these Unconstitutional bills.
A pro-gun vote is a vote for freedom. All the anti-gun bills are just solutions in search of problems. They thicken the code of Virginia and add nothing of value. Please, do NOT fatten the code for no reason. - Thank you
In Luke 22 Jesus tells His disciples to possess swords. This was something that was banned by Roman authorities. His disciples already had two swords in their possession. If good men ignored bad laws of their day how much more will bad men ignore bad laws today? It is ludicrous to infringe on good men their right to self defense when bad men will ignore the laws anyway. Only Tyrants defy nature and nature’s God when they enact such laws.
I do not support this bill in any way. This removes law abiding citizens their protected right both in the Virginia Constitution and the United States of America's Second Amendment right. This bill also redefines firearms. This is going to only make Virginia unsafer when the criminals know by passing such a bill that the law abiding citizens will not be armed, giving the criminals the green light to target Virginians. I strongly encourage a vote against this bill.
Dear committee I am writing to respectfully but firmly implore you not to advance gun control bills HB 175, 270, 318, 319, 362, 797, 798, 861, 1195, 1462. These bills will not stop or reduce crime. They will only strip the rights from law abiding citizens. One example is HB 1195, which creates a 5 day wait period. A right delayed is a right denied; if someone in danger needs a firearm to protect themselves, they are in more danger as they now have to wait. Not only is this unfair in light of Virginia's instant check system, but a court ruled against it. HB 318 Makes the firearm industry liable for the actions of criminals. This is unfair. You would not sue Ford if someone misused one of their products. You also have 2 bills that would limit training and the amount of certified instructors. This is insane as it goes against gun saftey: you WANT people to be trained on proper firearms use. You have bills that limit where one can carry, which is Unconstitutional under Bruen. You have bills that punish people if a firearm if left in their car in sight. Why not go after criminals? And it's not fair to punish people with only misdemeanors. As for the dating partner? That is problematic as a jilted partner , or and partner, can make a false statement about the other person. None of these bills will deter criminals nor will they do anything to address the saftey of people or the mental health issue. The better course of action would be to address mental health system. I DO want to see the following pro gun bills passed: HB 35, 945, 1230, 1235, 1325. These bills help people in crisis and even encourage safe storage of firearms without punishing people. I like the bill that offers tax credits for trigger locks/ safes . It's an incentive to encourage people to secure their firearms when not in use/ unattended. This is a great way to keep children safe and even puts some money back in people's pockets. I like the bill that turns an order of protection ( for the person that needs it ) into a concealed carry for a limited time. This will help vulnerable people protect themselves when they need to be able to do so. There are many things that can be done to make people safe, but not at the expense of freedom and constitutional rights. I am urging you to say Nay to the anti gun bills and Yay to the pro gun bills. A better course of action would be to fund and train police, enact harsh penalties for criminals, address the mental health system ( as the governor has said ) and pass pro gun legislation to both protect the Second Amendment and to encourage safe storage, increase the availability of training instructors, and allow people to protect themselves. And this also includes commonly-owned firearms such as AR15 and AK pattern rifles. Commonly-owned firearms such as these are protected under the Bruen decision. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Article 1 section 13 is a restriction on you, in order to protect the civil rights of all citizens but especially the minority. Whether it’s a racial minority or a religious minority or a political minority, we all have rights that cannot be taken away just because some group is in a majority. Even if it weren’t a right or a civil liberty, you would have to repeal article 1 Sect 13 of the Virginia constitution in order to have the authority to prohibit me from being armed, and not just with a firearm but armed in anyway I see fit. Gun control doesn’t work, we see the results in countless examples so this isn’t a new idea and it’s been proven to fail and actually harm the citizens. Gun control started with racist after the civil war and it continues today to be the same racist elitist ideology that says you’re not smart enough or responsible enough to protect yourself, you must have the government protect you, which of course is ridiculous because the police cannot be everywhere nor would we want that many police in our society Many victims will testify that being unarmed or having a waiting period or a background check did nothing to stop their attacker and only effected their ability to protect themself which lead to them being victimized by a criminal Murder is illegal, people are still murdered Speed limits are in place, people still speed Laws do not stop or prevent crime, the only thing that any law will do is establish a punishment AFTER you are caught, not before. There are no minority reports, there are no pre cogs you cannot stop a crime before it happens, the intended victim is the only one that can stop the crime when it happens and the only way to do that is to be armed
As a constituent of one of the Delegates of the Assembly, but not of your committee, I write to express my opposition to each/all of the anti-2A bills in this collection. Individually and collectively, they punish Virginia citizens who intend to comply with them, and fail to so much as deter those with criminal intent. While this is true of nearly all laws, these are a particularly vile assault on the innocent. I do not find any of you deplorable, for you have not yet cast a vote - but if you vote to send these bills onward (and I'll know, within hours...) then I will find you so, and will become your political enemy. I cannot wield a lot of power as an 80-year-old individual constituent, but that which I can, I will.
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 am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
Oppose this bill. This effectively makes all carry illegal which is unconstitutional. This also removes the exception for licensed security guards and concealed handgun permit holders, rendering them useless. Lawful citizens who have been allowed to carry have not been an issue for the state, yet this bill seeks to make them an issue. They have been subjected to background checks and review by the court in order to obtain a permit or license. They have been cleared to do so and this bill wants to strip them of that right with no legal standing.
I support these bills!
In regards to HB2 and additional proposed firearm-related legislation. I do not believe adding additional restrictions, especially financial burdens, is a fair and ethical way of combating crime and violence with firearms. I believe there should be more freedom for owning and carrying firearms, but like the idea of additional training requirements and locking devices (gun safes) when in a home with minors. If the state were to enact any bills or policies further restricting access, there needs to be a free (government funded) way to access these rights for law-abiding citizens free of discrimination of any kind.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support these bills. To all responsible gun owners: you shouldn't be afraid of these common sense bills. These bills are directed at people who are not handling their firearms as the deadly weapons that they can be. Instead of thinking your rights are being taken away, consider instead how safe storage, permits and waiting periods could help the daily gun violence in our country. Keep your guns, we are not trying to take them away. These bills are an opportunity for you, as a responsible gun owner, to be a part of the solution to help cut down on needless violence.
Remember Delegates...you took an Oath to 'Support and Defend the Constitution of the Unites States of America' which includes the 2nd Amendment!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
This practice is so detrimental to the well-being of all people. It has been studied and confirmed to cause more harm than good and it is well past time to discontinue. We need oversight of the jails and prisons to assure it stops.
This practice is so detrimental to the well-being of all people. It has been studied and confirmed to cause more harm than good and it is well past time to discontinue. We need oversight of the jails and prisons to assure it stops.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
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.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
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
Dear Committee, I am resident of Richmond City and I am writing in OPPOSITION of these anti Second Amendment bills. The nature, language and prohibitions covered in these bills clearly violate multiple provisions of the US Constitution and in direct violation of simple text reading of Second Amendment of US Constitution - 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. US Supreme Court time and again, including Heller and more recently in Bruen decision reiterated that any law that does not fall into plain reading of Second Amendment Text and lacking Historical analogue at the time of founding clearly violates US Constitution. Multiple recent lower court cases since Bruen has been decided on that ruling and rendered multiple laws across the country as UnConstitutional. You are here by notified that the proposed bills violated both Text and Spirit of US Constitution, more specifically Second Amendment. You are further notified to remind you that you took official oath to uphold US Constitution and Virginia Constitution. Please vote NO on these bills. Thank you
THe Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
THe Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
I'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill.
HB270 - Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
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.
I oppose these bills that are attacking the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
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.
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.
State Legislature members, A right delayed is a right denied. Quoting the 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen Supreme Court Case: 'The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not “a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.” McDonald, 561 U. S., at 780 (plurality opinion). The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self defense is no different.' The recent NYSRPA v. Bruen case highlighted the significance of individual self-defense, and it's crucial to consider the rights of law-abiding citizens in crafting firearm legislation. While the goal of enhancing public safety is commendable, an outright ban on certain firearms and magazines will disproportionately impact responsible gun owners who use these tools for legitimate purposes, such as self-defense and sport. It is essential to strike a balance between public safety and the preservation of individual rights. Instead of blanket bans, and bureaucratic obstacles that only harass lawful firearm owners, we should focus on comprehensive measures that address the root causes of gun violence. This approach respects the constitutional rights of citizens while fostering a safer society. Criminals are not deterred by restrictions on lawful purchase at federally-licensed FFL Dealers. They do not bother going through the process of applying for a concealed carry permit, because they do not intend to carry lawfully. People who want to use weapons to hurt innocent citizens of Virginia will not be impeded by these House and Senate Bills. Instead, the only individuals who will have their behavior modified are lawful men and women who are unable to defend themselves against those who will commit crimes regardless of what is written into law this Legislative Session. If you pass the above laws, it will only serve to waste hard-working Taxpayers' money fighting them in Federal Court. California and New York have lost their cases seeking to uphold unconstitutional gun laws, and the sponsors of these bills will lose too. Do the right thing - the hard thing - enforce the laws we already have, get the small minority of violent criminals off the streets of Virginia, and uphold the constitutional rights of your polity.
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!
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
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.
Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We can all agree violence is an issue but making more unconstitutional, on a national and state level, gun laws will not help with the rates of violent crimes and property crimes as we see from states with stricter gun laws. We need to increase access to mental health and community resources to address the root causes of issues rather than criminalizing responsible gun owners. I am opposed to this attack on the second amendment which is the fundamental backbone that protects the other freedoms guranteed in the constitution.
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.
Dear Honorable Members of the House of Delegates, I write to you today as a concerned citizen, deeply invested in the well-being and safety of our communities, and as someone who values the principles upon which our nation was founded. The issue at hand, the introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is one that I believe warrants a thoughtful reconsideration in light of its broader implications. 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.*** Constituents see this robust effort to "see what sticks" as a weakness within our party. Comparatively imbalanced with the diverse range of issues and concerns that we face everyday. A waste. As we move forward, I encourage you to approach this issue with a balanced perspective, one that recognizes the need for effective strategies to combat gun violence while also safeguarding the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our nation. The path to meaningful change is complex, requiring a nuanced understanding of the issues at hand and a commitment to policies that truly serve the best interests of all our citizens. In closing, 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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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.
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.
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.
These laws are mostly going to effect law abiding citizens like myself and all the people I know. WHEN HAVE CRIMINALS FOLLOWED LAWS??? The only thing these criminals that commit gun related offenses is some kind of force of action. Why are you going to try to take our 2nd Amendment Rights away from people who follow the laws and love our great country? We should be focusing on increasing penalties against those who commit the crimes. Stop focusing on the law abiding citizens and focus on the criminals that are terrorizing all of our towns. Our government is letting millions and millions of unknown people in our country without having a clue what kind of person they are. I'm sure most are good people like you and me but not all of them are. We need our guns to be able to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our country if needed. Our founding fathers have it right and put a lot of thoughts into our constitution and bill of rights. I thought Democrats were about equality and the working man/woman. If you all want good for us law abiding citizens, work together, make compromises, and start doing your duty. We do not need more "big government" taking more rights. What we need is a closed border so we can fight this drug crisis. Slow the flow of drugs and these gangs fall apart. Once they fall apart maybe these shootings would slow down. Please do the right thing and do not sign these gun bills. All this woke crap is ruining our country. Y'all need to please make changes and focus on what's going to help all of us not just the minority.
I strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
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.
HB113 | Sullivan | Handguns; possession, purchase, or transportation by persons convicted of certain drug offenses. HB1174 | Sickles | Assault firearms; age requirement for purchase, penalty. HB1195 | Hayes | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. HB12 | Jones | Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required. HB1235 | Zehr | Concealed handguns; protective orders. HB1424 | Hope | Firearms; valid permit to purchase, penalties. HB1462 | Laufer | Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. HB158 | McClure | Firearm locking device; required for sale or transfer of firearm. HB16 | Garrett | Firearm or explosive material; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, etc. HB173 | Simon | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. HB175 | Simon | Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty. HB183 | Simon | Firearms; storage in residence where minor or person prohibited from possessing is present, penalty. HB2 | Helmer | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, sales, transfers, etc., prohibited. HB22 | Jones | Auto sears; definition, prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. HB270 | Reid | Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc. HB319 | Helmer | Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code. HB35 | Clark | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. HB351 | Clark | Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty. HB362 | McClure | Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against an intimate or dating partner. HB454 | Callsen | Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth. HB46 | Bennett-Parker | Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. HB466 | Helmer | Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. HB791 | Henson | Pneumatic guns; Class 6 felony to possess. HB797 | Hope | Concealed handguns; demonstrated competence for a permit, firearms instructors and safety programs. HB798 | Hope | Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation. HB799 | Hope | Concealed handgun permit applications; fingerprints required by local governments. HB861 | Hernandez | Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services. HB945 | Lopez | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. SB100 | Ebbin | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. SB2 | Deeds | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. SB210 | Perry | Auto sears; prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. SB273 | Subramanyam | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. I oppose all these bills.
I oppose this bill as it seeks to infringe on the Consitutionally proctected rights of lawabiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, criminals who do not follow the law. This bill makes it harder for someone to keep themselves safe and is primarily a solution 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 due to gun control laws, in fact as gun control laws increase, s o does the rate of violent crimes. Criminals are not afraid of police, they are afraid of armed citizens. The subject of this bill has already been defeated in courts, passing this into law will only subject the Commonwealth to more lawsuits to have it repealed costing us more in taxes. Enough of our taxpayers money has been wasted in politicians attempting to pass "feel good" bills to try and prove they are doing their job. I urge the legistature to focus on enforcing and imposing stricter penalties for those that break our exsiting laws over creating new laws that only serve to pe nalize the law abiding citizens.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
I support common sense bills HB 1181, 1195, 12, 1424, 1462, 158, 175, 183,23, 270. Safe storage and training make sense! Let's keep everyone safe.
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
Everything we can do to keep our children and communities safe must be of the utmost priority. Our country has blood on its hands and state and federal leaders must open their eyes and hearts to pushing forward for what’s best for us as a society- that does not include firearms, ammunition, and hate. Mental health is but one part of the issue at hand here and it’s critical we solve the gun violence epidemic in a bipartisan and comprehensive fashion. I support all efforts to improve mental health services and school and community safety including eliminating access to automatic weapons, increasing the purchase age and increasing background check and screenings.
I am writing as a gun violence prevention advocate and voter in Loudoun County, VA. We supported many of our elected officials in the November election with the hope that they will represent the voices who have had enough. I am grateful for the Delegates who are willing to speak on behalf of those we have lost and the children and families that deserve safer communities. We stand behind you in your efforts. I support bills HB270, HB318, HB319, HB916 and those that focus on gun violence prevention. Thank you.
As a lawful firearm owner and concealed carry holder in multiple state, I urge you to oppose these unconstitutional bills. These bills will do nothing but infringe on our rights and do nothing to punish those who use firearms in an unlawful manner. Here are a few examples of why these bills are bad: HB 270 and HB 1195 - what problem does this solve for? Virginia has an "instant check" system and this bill makes that moot. HB 319 and HB 797 - reducing the places where someone can get trained on how to safely and effectively use firearms is counterintuitive. If anything, the number of firearm training locations should be increased to maximize the safe operations of firearms. HB 362 and HB 798 - misdemeanors should never deprive an individual of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. HB 861 - this is another attempt to reduce a person's ability to protect themselves. Rather than take away the rights of lawful American citizens, please focus on punishing actual criminals and, if need be, make those penalties more harsh. All of these bills are intended to make law-abiding American citizens less able to protect themselves. They do nothing to impact the criminal or mentally unstable element of society and those are the people who commit violence whether that be with firearms, knives, hammers, or their bare hands. As legislators, you need to focus on stopping the bad buy and maximizing the freedoms and liberties of the good guys. These bills are anti-American and should be opposed vehemently.
I support Delegate Reid’s firearms bill. I believe it will help to reduce gun violence in our state.
To Firearms Subcommittee of House Public Safety, I have read and reviewed the bills referenced in this correspondence and see little value in them. All do nothing more than punish and add restrictions to law-abiding gun owners that will do nothing to prevent violent crimes committed with a firearm. In some cases, these bills seem to be personal vendettas against the NRA and USCCA. I urge members of this committee to reject all of the bills I have referenced in this correspondence.
I am a volunteer with Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and we support these bills.
I support these bills.
I would like to be a voice in support of all bills that increase safety and awareness for everyone in relation to guns/weapons. I live in Loudoun County; conversations with law enforcement reinforce that information about gun laws/legislation/general information is not always distributed to all involved. At a recent Mental Health and Wellness Fair, sheriff's offices admitted they did not know about the tax break for safe gun storage, for example. Thank you for all you do to make life better for everyone.
Statistics show that young people are at growing risk of harm or death by gun violence. Responsibility for them is on us, the voting generation, to do something. Please support these bills.
Please oppose HB175, which should be called the "scary looking gun prohibition bill". Does nothing to advance safety and in unconstitutional per Bruen. Please oppose HB270, which is a back door gun show ban, a callous disarming of women facing domestic abusers, and puts the Commonwealth in the business of buying legal firearms. Please oppose HB318, which imposes civil penalties on manufacturers and distributors in one of the most highly regulated industries in the country for end user behavior. Additionally, it is terribly worded, adding civil liability for even things like safety devices. Please oppose HB24/861. a "facility that provides mental health" services could include any emergency room. Think about where our ER's and trauma centers are. HB319 and HB797 are comical on their face. One cannot credibly claim that training programs from the National Rifle Association are inadequate. This is politics, plain and simple. HB799 is a solution in search of a problem. 10 years ago the fingerprint req't was eliminated - what's changed? This is an attempt to add friction to people trying their best to comply with an already intrusive process. Please support HB1230, which puts defenders closer to our children when time is of the essence and creates an effective deterrent. Please support HB1235, which enables women to protect themselves against abusers and rapists while a protective order is in place. Please support HB1325, which eliminates paperwork made unnecessary.
Apparently, you all think your authority comes from you; is deserved by you; and should be used to further your agenda in disarming law abiding citizens. SCOTUS decisions in Heller and Bruen have already decided the fate of your bills. You are likely going to get sued, your bills will lose and you will have done nothing whatsoever but waste taxpayer time and money on a frivolous pursuit. Which brings me to question what, exactly is the end result? Is it to weaponize laws against law abiding citizens in lawfare? Maybe you think we will run out of money or out of steam in defending our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS. Good luck with that, you will need it. The US Constitution has been argued multiple times regarding gun rights and clearly you either do not care about the rulings; about the Constitution as ratified and adopted by Virginia; nor the views of your constituents. You neither deserve, nor are owed, any kind of allegiance from us. WE DO NOT serve YOU. As a matter of fact our government, across the entire United States, is actually opposite your entitled, two-tiered justice, elitist hypocrisy; which is to say YOU SERVE US! Your lawfare tactics; constantly thumbing your nose at our RIGHTS because 'scary gun bad,' is not going to go in your favor. We are well aware of your marxist ideologies and how much you hate your country and how you believe that the rights of the individual are outweighed by your need to subjugate. We are well aware of your continuation to craft laws carving out, little by little, more power for yourselves and less freedom for us. God will not judge us for standing against you. You took an oath to support, protect and defend the Constitution. You have an opportunity, to simply admit you are wrong and turn away from this course of action. Impaling yourself because you'd rather do that than admit you are wrong is not the way to go. I understand an admission of wrong action will come with a swath of angry people jeering and cheering against you, however, redirecting course is still a better option than trying to force your constituency to rely on 'government,' to help which is tantamount to murder. The national average police response is around 12 minutes to a crime scene, coupled with the fact that SCOTUS has ruled many times that a law enforcement officer has no duty to place him/herself in harms way to protect anyone (DeShaney vs. Winnebago and Town of Castle Rock vs. Gonzales, and Warren vs. District of Columbia), and all you have done is place criminals at the top of the food chain offering up your constituency as nothing more than their next meal.
As a parent, I support these common-sense gun reform bills.
Tilting at windmills: The debate on whether an AR-15 is a military or non-military firearm is moot The anti-gunners panties are in a tight wad over AR-15s because they don’t like black guns, especially if those guns have various cosmetic features, such as a bayonet lug. You know - the scourge of drive-by bayonetings going on in Chicago? So, the anti’s latest tactic is to scream (that’s pretty much their main mode of communication) that an AR-15 is a weapon of war and should not be owned by anyone but the military, government agencies, and the police. So, if citizens don’t need so-called “weapons of war”, why exactly would the police and government bureaucrats need them? <Crickets chirping quietly in the background> Armies have not used AR-15s in war, so it’s hard to call one a weapon of war. The M-16/M-4 is superior for that purpose with its semi-automatic, burst, and fully automatic selector switch. That said, could one fight a war with an AR-15? Sure. AR-15s have a lot in common with their M-16/M-4 cousin. AR-15s use the same mid-power cartridge and the same 20 or 30-round magazine as the M-16/M-4. And the really scary issue for the antis is the AR-15 LOOKS LIKE an M-16! But all of this is totally moot. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution both protect the right of the People to own and carry bearable weapons of war! Even the Supreme Court back in 1939 in US v Miller made it clear that any weapon of use to a militia (think “weapon of war”) is protected by the Second Amendment. And American history and tradition back up that right. From the beginning, Americans have owned and carried weapons in use by the military: from muskets to revolvers, to pistols, to pump and semi-automatic shotguns, to lever-action, bolt-action, and semi-automatic rifles, and, to a lesser degree, both fully-automatic rifles and pistols. So, to my anti-gun friends: I am tired of arguing with you about whether an AR-15 is a sporting gun or a “weapon of war.” Call it what you want, but it is protected by the Second Amendment either way.
I ask the subcommittee to oppose the passage of these bills.
I, Carolyn Kochard, on behalf of Virginia Moms for Change support the above bills because data shows that these laws help reduce gun-related deaths.
Dear Members; What part of 'shall not infringe' do you not understand ? Donald Trump on the ballot and let's go Brandon. My congressmen Bobby Scott and my delegate Cia Price do NOT represent me ! Thank you John Zielanski
I moved to Virginia 15 years ago after I retired. I chose Virginia because of the reasonable, common sense gun laws, among other reasons, as compared to where I came from. I am an avid competitive shooter and hunter and made Virginia my home on that basis. I pay considerably more in taxes, with the exception of real estate, to support my state and county governments and ask and get little in return. In the last 8 years the state of Virginia has enacted a myriad of new firearms regulations that do nothing to prevent crime or make us safer. The new laws being considered will have the same effect. Your focus should be on crime and how to punish criminals, not law abiding taxpayers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Where I live we realistically have a 25 to 45 minute response time for fire, ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. We have an excellent sheriff’s department and volunteer corps of fire and first aid responders but sheer numbers of staff and size of our county make it what it is. People need to be self reliant and not have to worry about being punished for inadvertently breaking an ineffective gun law. Again, your focus should be be on crime and how to punish criminals and not law abiding citizens. Thanks for your time.
In my other comments in support of HB1235, I mentioned how some politicians would not choose to arm those who are being threatened by someone, but some politicians would actually go so far as to support legislation that would make it impossible for those individuals being threatened to purchase a gun for self defense. Reid and Hays are examples of such politicians. Waiting periods threaten the lives of Americans in need of self defense. Killers plan out attacks for extended periods of time and would never be deterred by a waiting period of a few days. Additionally, half of the households in the country already have guns in them anyway. Waiting periods are not only unconstitutional, they are dangerous, and completely illogical. Reid and Hays should be required to provide evidence justifying these new infringements, and the evidence should meet the requirements set forth by the Supreme Court. They both know, as do any politicians who plan to support this, as do gun controllers everywhere, such evidence simply does not exist. The issue with our system is with enough votes, politicians willing to violate their oath to uphold the constitution can pass the bills anyway. It will then require even more money paid by their constituents to defeat those bills in court and put another legal precedent brick in the wall against gun control. Vote NO on these bills.
I think there should be a law that allows us, the citizens of Virginia, to remove officials from office who violate their constitutional oath to protect our 2nd amendment and other constitutional amendments. I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is of swearing into office as servant to the public and take an oath only to turn around and purpose laws under the guise of reducing crime that further restrict already law abiding citizens. These laws will never EVER stop criminals, it will never EVER slow or stop people with nefarious intentions and only limit already law abiding citizens. Frankly I grow so tired and more and more disappointed in certain officials in office that don't keep their oath and just lie to the public that gun control stop criminal. IT DOES NO WORK, armed law biding citizens scare criminals from making people into victims because it creates uncertainty to the criminal's actions not knowing if people are armed would they other wise take criminal actions. Why is it people who support gun control fail to make connects to the correlations that place with security are less likely to be targeted for that very reason, because the person would face resistance to their actions. I do not support any of these gun control bills, I do support the pro gun bills and will not comply with any of these gun control bills should they pass as they are unconstitutional and violate my rights as a US citizen.
Please quit making new laws when we don’t enforce what is on the books now. Target criminals not the everyday law abiding citizens of Virginia!
As a 20 year Virginia constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills. As a whole they do nothing to increase safety of the public, ignore actual crime stats & root causes and focus solely on infringing upon rights of law-abiding Virginians, actually making us LESS safe in our ability to defend ourselves from violent criminals. Multiple bills flagrantly violate the Supreme Court rulings in the Heller v DC and Bruen v NYSRPA cases which established clear historical and Constitutional thresholds which must be met for ALL gun control laws. These bills also violate the Virginia State Constitution's sections related to keeping and bearing arms. As legislators you took an oath to UPHOLD those Constitutions, not marginalize or cut apart the Rights contained therein. * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms; are car makers or alcohol companies liable for DUIs which kill people? Are knife makers held liable for murders or robberies using a knife? * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Let me know how you are going to vote on these bills.
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Thanks Garry Dudley
It continues to puzzle me as to why the General Assembly continues to hamper the rights of law abiding gun owners with silly legislation (some of which is clearly unconstitutional) verses addressing the actual underlying problems. Until you do so, you'll continue to look like the political hacks and stooges that you are, beholden to party marching orders rather than what's good for the Commonwealth and it's citizens. Truly sad indeed!
Keep your hands off legally owned guns. Do more to get the bad gun guns. Why do not see the laws on the books get enforced? Uphold your oath of office and protect us from bad guys,illegals, and others.
I am writing to inform the tone deaf and those in this assembly that while they dither and equivocate over Constitutional "God given Rights" of a Free People, codified into law, 16,250 innocent children are "murdered", put to death, mutilated, in the state of Virginia each and every year and each and every new session of this Legislature 16, 250 more innocents die at the hands of the inaction of this body as a whole. And we thought the Germans of the 30's were criminal for their actions with deliberate DEATH and maiming. The crime of murder in any form is a serious crime and just because it is "legalized" it is still a Sin again against humanity and the People of Virginia, who apparently foot the bill for this atrocity. Just as you should not be legalizing "Firearm Control" murder is still a unjustified morally and should be rejected as normal. If there are still anyone on the Democrat side of this body that understands morality and stands up for LIFE and LIBERTY of the People, consider well how and what you vote in favor of. May the punishment of this heinous crime be published and stopped before another thing is done, legally or illegally in this body. Sincerely, Peter Buckingham 301-646-5300 Crozet, VA 22932
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
HB35 - promotes actual firearms safety without imposing upon the rights of innocent gun owners for the crimes of others. Absolutely worth the support of the legislature. HB1230 - a step in the correct direction, towards making schools LESS of a soft target, LESS attractive to mass-murderers compared to how they are now. This permits some of the people we never needed to worry about in the first place to be armed against the possibility of someone wanting to murder them in a place which was previously a victim-disarmament zone. HB1235 - this shouldn't even be a QUESTION to support it. A protective order is a mere piece of paper, and it is well known that such a piece of paper has failed miserably in defending some people from their attackers. Permitting them to carry is the ONLY proper choice. HB1321 and 1325 do not earn my support or disapproval. ALL other bills being proposed for this day's consideration should be rejected - HB175 - ANY prohibition on so-called "assault firearms" is AT BEST meaningless and worthy of opposition for that reason alone. Add to that the fact that owners and users of these firearms are overwhelmingly peaceful VA citizens innocent of any wrongdoing and this bill CANNOT be passed. HB270 - more nonsense restrictions on so-called assault weapons" and standard-capacity magazines, which are unConstitutional on their face under both the US and VA Constitutions. Nuke this proposal. HB318 - proposes to hold "firearms industry members" responsible for crimes committed by third parties due to govt's inability or unwillingness to enforce EXISTING laws already covering the crimes detailed in this bill. This is a prima-facie attempt to execute lawfare against retailers and manufacturers innocent of any actual wrongdoing. Nuke it. HB319 - a petty attempt to remove NRA and USCCA instructors and ranges from certification at what they are literally the class-of-the-world in doing, teaching firearms safety and the legalities of carry, because the proposer doesn't LIKE those groups. The mere PROPOSAL is incredibly childish and unprofessional. Nuke it. HB362 - if you want to forbid ownership or possession of someone for a violent crime, that crime needs to be a felony. Period. And you'd better be able to JUSTIFY it being a felony crime. Nuke it. HB797 - another childish and unprofessional attack on the groups best-suited and -capable of instruction in actual firearms safety. NUKE IT. HB798 - see comments for HB362. NUKE IT. HB799 - This is tiresome. See comments for HB319 and 797. NUKE IT. HB861 - the only people who need to be restricted from carrying a weapon into a hospital already ARE prohibited from even TOUCHING one. Your inability or unwillingness to deal with that does not justify more laws. NUKE IT. HB916 - VA has had laws covering the issues of emergency TROs for YEARS already. So-called "red flag" laws are an abomination, violating most of the Bill Of Right and leaving someone you claim is a threat in the position to act on that threat. NUKE IT. HB945 - Not incredibly offensive, just wholly unnecessary. Nuke it. HB1195 - Any waiting period is Constitutionally-impermissible. A right delayed is a right denied, and the state seeks to delay here. NUKE IT. HB1386 - VA has no power to set workplace rules like this. NUKE IT. HB1462 - seeks to re-victimize victims of crime AND to make it impossible for people not a threat to anyone to carry outside of victim-disarmament zones. NUKE IT.
As a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment and a lifelong Virginian, I am compelled to express my deep concerns over the direction of recent legislative efforts surrounding firearm laws. I have always placed a high value on security, freedom, and the principles of logical, effective policy-making. It has become increasingly apparent that in the wake of tragic incidents, there is a tendency among some lawmakers to resort to knee-jerk reactions, such as proposing bans or stringent registration requirements for firearms the list goes on and on. While these measures are often presented as solutions to reduce crime, they fail to address the root causes of violence and, instead, serve only to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. The proposal to ban or mandatorily register firearms under the guise of public safety is not only ineffective but also a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights. Such actions presuppose that restricting the freedoms of the majority, who are responsible and law-abiding, will somehow prevent the criminal actions of the few. This is not only a flawed premise but also a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational liberties upon which our nation was built. Moreover, the creation of firearm-free zones and the push for restrictive gun laws are misguided attempts that offer a false promise of safety. History and evidence have shown that criminals do not adhere to such regulations; instead, these zones often end up as soft targets, inadvertently putting innocent lives at greater risk. In light of these considerations, I urge you and your colleagues in the Virginia House and Senate to: Stand firmly against the ineffective and reactionary proposals to ban or mandatorily register firearms. Reconsider and rescind policies that establish firearm-free zones, recognizing their failure to protect and their potential to harm. Focus on realistic, effective solutions that address the underlying causes of violence without compromising the rights and freedoms of Virginia's citizens. Our commitment to the Second Amendment is not a matter of political convenience but a fundamental principle that ensures our liberty and security. The right to bear arms is intrinsic to the American way of life, providing individuals the means to defend themselves, their families, and their freedoms. There are many egregious bills pending. firearm lock requirements, storage requirements, waiting periods, the list goes on and on I remind you democrats that you swore an oath to defend the constitution all these laws you are considering are contrary to the constitution itself and will be challenged and defeated because of the post bruen Supreme Court decisions. I am confident that with thoughtful consideration and a commitment to the principles of our Constitution, we can forge policies that genuinely enhance public safety without infringing upon our cherished liberties. I, alongside countless Virginia patriots, assert that we will not comply with laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights. This stance is rooted in a deep respect for the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Thank you for your attention to my concerns and for your ongoing service to the people of Virginia. I trust that you will approach this issue with the gravity and respect it deserves, recognizing the importance of preserving our constitutional rights in all legislative actions.
None of the gun control bills being put forward will stop a single criminal event. Not one. They are designed to punish and harm Virginians exercising their natural right to self defense and are in conflict with the US and Virginia constitution. Stop. This is not in the best interest of Virginians.
The gun control bills being heard today all have one thing in common, that is to disarm the honest, law abiding citizen. There is no other reason and they will have no other effect. Gun control as a method to curb crime has failed everywhere it has been implemented. Gun control to advance tyranny , subjugation and genocide has succeeded. Please vote NO on these Unconstitutional bills.
A pro-gun vote is a vote for freedom. All the anti-gun bills are just solutions in search of problems. They thicken the code of Virginia and add nothing of value. Please, do NOT fatten the code for no reason. - Thank you
I strongly oppose this bill and do not support this bill in any way. This removes law abiding citizens their protected right both in the Virginia Constitution and the United States of America's Second Amendment right. This bill also redefines firearms and makes nearly all rifles and pistols "assault weapons" This is going to only make Virginia unsafer when the criminals know by passing such a bill that the law abiding citizens will not be armed, giving the criminals the green light to target Virginians. I strongly encourage a vote against this bill. Magazine ban laws similar to this are already being found unconstitutional in states like California. Our elected officials need to remember when voting for bills like this, that they have sworn an oat to protect and deffent the constitution both Virginia and US Constitution. It is also their responsibility to NOT recklessly spend/waste tax payer money in Unconstitutional litigation as similar laws are already being struck down as unconstitutional.
Dear committee I am writing to respectfully but firmly implore you not to advance gun control bills HB 175, 270, 318, 319, 362, 797, 798, 861, 1195, 1462. These bills will not stop or reduce crime. They will only strip the rights from law abiding citizens. One example is HB 1195, which creates a 5 day wait period. A right delayed is a right denied; if someone in danger needs a firearm to protect themselves, they are in more danger as they now have to wait. Not only is this unfair in light of Virginia's instant check system, but a court ruled against it. HB 318 Makes the firearm industry liable for the actions of criminals. This is unfair. You would not sue Ford if someone misused one of their products. You also have 2 bills that would limit training and the amount of certified instructors. This is insane as it goes against gun saftey: you WANT people to be trained on proper firearms use. You have bills that limit where one can carry, which is Unconstitutional under Bruen. You have bills that punish people if a firearm if left in their car in sight. Why not go after criminals? And it's not fair to punish people with only misdemeanors. As for the dating partner? That is problematic as a jilted partner , or and partner, can make a false statement about the other person. None of these bills will deter criminals nor will they do anything to address the saftey of people or the mental health issue. The better course of action would be to address mental health system. I DO want to see the following pro gun bills passed: HB 35, 945, 1230, 1235, 1325. These bills help people in crisis and even encourage safe storage of firearms without punishing people. I like the bill that offers tax credits for trigger locks/ safes . It's an incentive to encourage people to secure their firearms when not in use/ unattended. This is a great way to keep children safe and even puts some money back in people's pockets. I like the bill that turns an order of protection ( for the person that needs it ) into a concealed carry for a limited time. This will help vulnerable people protect themselves when they need to be able to do so. There are many things that can be done to make people safe, but not at the expense of freedom and constitutional rights. I am urging you to say Nay to the anti gun bills and Yay to the pro gun bills. A better course of action would be to fund and train police, enact harsh penalties for criminals, address the mental health system ( as the governor has said ) and pass pro gun legislation to both protect the Second Amendment and to encourage safe storage, increase the availability of training instructors, and allow people to protect themselves. And this also includes commonly-owned firearms such as AR15 and AK pattern rifles. Commonly-owned firearms such as these are protected under the Bruen decision. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Article 1 section 13 is a restriction on you, in order to protect the civil rights of all citizens but especially the minority. Whether it’s a racial minority or a religious minority or a political minority, we all have rights that cannot be taken away just because some group is in a majority. Even if it weren’t a right or a civil liberty, you would have to repeal article 1 Sect 13 of the Virginia constitution in order to have the authority to prohibit me from being armed, and not just with a firearm but armed in anyway I see fit. Gun control doesn’t work, we see the results in countless examples so this isn’t a new idea and it’s been proven to fail and actually harm the citizens. Gun control started with racist after the civil war and it continues today to be the same racist elitist ideology that says you’re not smart enough or responsible enough to protect yourself, you must have the government protect you, which of course is ridiculous because the police cannot be everywhere nor would we want that many police in our society Many victims will testify that being unarmed or having a waiting period or a background check did nothing to stop their attacker and only effected their ability to protect themself which lead to them being victimized by a criminal Murder is illegal, people are still murdered Speed limits are in place, people still speed Laws do not stop or prevent crime, the only thing that any law will do is establish a punishment AFTER you are caught, not before. There are no minority reports, there are no pre cogs you cannot stop a crime before it happens, the intended victim is the only one that can stop the crime when it happens and the only way to do that is to be armed
As a constituent of one of the Delegates of the Assembly, but not of your committee, I write to express my opposition to each/all of the anti-2A bills in this collection. Individually and collectively, they punish Virginia citizens who intend to comply with them, and fail to so much as deter those with criminal intent. While this is true of nearly all laws, these are a particularly vile assault on the innocent. I do not find any of you deplorable, for you have not yet cast a vote - but if you vote to send these bills onward (and I'll know, within hours...) then I will find you so, and will become your political enemy. I cannot wield a lot of power as an 80-year-old individual constituent, but that which I can, I will.
I am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
Oppose this bill. Restricted rifles as defined in the bill would effectively outlaw any semi-automatic rifle and magazine holding more than 10 rounds and make felons out of anyone who purchases one. These rifles and magazines are in common use and cannot be restricted under NYSRPA v. Bruen. Waiting periods also have no effect on crime. Last year, I moved from California where the waiting period is 10 days. Crime is significantly higher in California by double, neighboring Maryland by 1.75x, and DC by triple, all of which have stricter gun laws. There may come a time where I am in the wrong place at the wrong time and law enforcement won't be around the corner to save me. I won't have anything to defend myself but the criminal who didn't care about the law will. Do not allow restrictive gun laws be the reason that lawful gun owners lose their lives. This state is wonderful but at the end of the day, nothing's perfect. People have free will and the power of choice. If someone decides they're going to prioritize their well-being at the expense of mine to the point where I lose mine, it will be because I followed a law that removed my ability to defend myself.
I support these bills!
In regards to HB2 and additional proposed firearm-related legislation. I do not believe adding additional restrictions, especially financial burdens, is a fair and ethical way of combating crime and violence with firearms. I believe there should be more freedom for owning and carrying firearms, but like the idea of additional training requirements and locking devices (gun safes) when in a home with minors. If the state were to enact any bills or policies further restricting access, there needs to be a free (government funded) way to access these rights for law-abiding citizens free of discrimination of any kind.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
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.
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'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill.
HB319 - Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please do not make life more difficult for responsible gun owners. Many of the proposed laws are clearly unconstitutional and will be struck down anyway. Others may be constitutional but are completely draconian. Virginia already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country All the bills I am providing feedback for would not make VA safer. Next time Republicans are in power they will reverse those anyway. But even if that does not happen, you are contributing to the further polarization of politics. There won't be any bipartisanship left on 2nd amendment issues or even other issues
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.
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.
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.
State Legislature members, A right delayed is a right denied. Quoting the 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen Supreme Court Case: 'The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not “a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.” McDonald, 561 U. S., at 780 (plurality opinion). The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self defense is no different.' The recent NYSRPA v. Bruen case highlighted the significance of individual self-defense, and it's crucial to consider the rights of law-abiding citizens in crafting firearm legislation. While the goal of enhancing public safety is commendable, an outright ban on certain firearms and magazines will disproportionately impact responsible gun owners who use these tools for legitimate purposes, such as self-defense and sport. It is essential to strike a balance between public safety and the preservation of individual rights. Instead of blanket bans, and bureaucratic obstacles that only harass lawful firearm owners, we should focus on comprehensive measures that address the root causes of gun violence. This approach respects the constitutional rights of citizens while fostering a safer society. Criminals are not deterred by restrictions on lawful purchase at federally-licensed FFL Dealers. They do not bother going through the process of applying for a concealed carry permit, because they do not intend to carry lawfully. People who want to use weapons to hurt innocent citizens of Virginia will not be impeded by these House and Senate Bills. Instead, the only individuals who will have their behavior modified are lawful men and women who are unable to defend themselves against those who will commit crimes regardless of what is written into law this Legislative Session. If you pass the above laws, it will only serve to waste hard-working Taxpayers' money fighting them in Federal Court. California and New York have lost their cases seeking to uphold unconstitutional gun laws, and the sponsors of these bills will lose too. Do the right thing - the hard thing - enforce the laws we already have, get the small minority of violent criminals off the streets of Virginia, and uphold the constitutional rights of your polity.
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.
There are approximately 47 bills regarding gun control between the House and Senate. Rather than fix issues that actually protect and enhance the lives of Virginians, many of these bills seek to disenfranchise and reduce the safety of the citizens in this great Commonwealth. Firearms are so fundamental to the founding and continued existence of our free society that they are listed just second to the freedom of speech in amendments to the constitution. It is plainly clear to all that countries and states who have banned or severely restricted firearms that violence does not end with their banning. Unjust deaths are not prevented. It simply ensures that law abiding citizens are left defenseless from those that wish to harm them, whether that be individuals or an organization. I write this knowing that it will be completely disregarded by the bills authors, but in hopes that others feel galvanized to speak up against unjust actions made in the name of progress. To those who wish to protect themselves with firearms while simultaneously stripping them from the common man, may you take heed of the Virginia state motto.
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!
These proposed laws will do nothing but make more victims out of citizens that are exercising their 2nd amendment rights. Criminals do not care about these restrictions, these laws are merely an extension of the culture war. They are meant to punish anyone that the Northern Virginia and big city politicians don’t like. While violent criminals continue to arm themselves, the law abiding citizens of The Commonwealth would be left without defense. These laws are feckless and meant only to virtue signal. One with even a basic understanding of our constitution would see these as exactly what they are: illegal and Un-American.
There is no acceptable reason to infringe upon the Constitutionally-protected (both US and Virginia's Constitutions) rights of Americans and Virginians. None of these bills purported to reduce gun-related violence actually seem to prioritize the reduction of causal effects of overall violence. Many of these are merely attempts to curb the rights of the People to keep and bear arms, because our legislative bodies are full of corrupt, weak, and contemptible individuals. Show us the bills for addressing the root causes of violence: mental health, income inequality, social instability, lack of education and educational opportunities, drug & human trafficking, or employment & wages (this list is not all-inclusive).
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We can all agree violence is an issue but making more unconstitutional, on a national and state level, gun laws will not help with the rates of violent crimes and property crimes as we see from states with stricter gun laws. We need to increase access to mental health and community resources to address the root causes of issues rather than criminalizing responsible gun owners. I am opposed to this attack on the second amendment which is the fundamental backbone that protects the other freedoms guranteed in the constitution.
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.
Dear Honorable Members of the House of Delegates, I write to you today as a concerned citizen, deeply invested in the well-being and safety of our communities, and as someone who values the principles upon which our nation was founded. The issue at hand, the introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is one that I believe warrants a thoughtful reconsideration in light of its broader implications. 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.*** Constituents see this robust effort to "see what sticks" as a weakness within our party. Comparatively imbalanced with the diverse range of issues and concerns that we face everyday. A waste. As we move forward, I encourage you to approach this issue with a balanced perspective, one that recognizes the need for effective strategies to combat gun violence while also safeguarding the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our nation. The path to meaningful change is complex, requiring a nuanced understanding of the issues at hand and a commitment to policies that truly serve the best interests of all our citizens. In closing, 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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
You guys make it harder and harder to vote Democrat every single cycle. Complete ban on Semi Automatics more or less making the state even stricter towards guns then states like Maryland? I oppose all these even the "herp common sense derp" ones because the states party has made it clear they don't give a crap about anything but putting hollow wins for politicians because hhheeeyyy punishing law abiding gun owners is a whole lot easier then creating jobs or reducing crime. If these bills die before getting to the governors desk, especially the bans, then I will gladly continue to vote DNC. But if Youngkin has to veto these and you make me say something I never thought I would "Thank god Youngkin won" then I look forward to blindly going down the ticket in 2024 and checking "R" on everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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.
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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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.
I am against all of these blatantly unconstitutional firearms restrictions. I'm strongly against: SB2| Deeds | Assault firearms certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. This tries to ban things that are in common use, which has never worked well for the government, remember Prohibition? Remember the war on drugs? Just like the last assault weapons ban, this will literally just make AR-15s more popular and easier to get illegally. And I am against: HB585 | Mundon King | Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools, penalties. That specifically targets home-based FFLs whose house is somewhere near a school. This would put hundreds of Virginia residents out of business just because of where they live.
I strongly oppose any bill, law or ordinance that infringes on the undeniable constitutional right to keep and bear arms. These include any ban, any further age restrictions, if a person (18) is old enough to join the military and use real "assault weapons" then they should be fully capable to purchase a semi automatic firearm of their choice. I oppose any law or ordinance that restricts my ability to defend my family and myself as I see fit, this includes bans on where I can carry my lawful firearm, what type of firearm and the magazine size of my choice. How about we make laws that are tougher on criminals and stop punishing law abiding people who actually care and follow the law.
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.
The proposed regulations are bound to have a detrimental impact on law-abiding citizens by limiting available training options and potentially driving up the cost of training. This is ridiculous!!
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.
An inordinate focus on the control of firearms only serves to infringe the rights of the law-abiding citizen in defense of his life and property. The State should instead focus on the apprehension and incarceration of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and associated misuse of firearms.
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.
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.
These laws are mostly going to effect law abiding citizens like myself and all the people I know. WHEN HAVE CRIMINALS FOLLOWED LAWS??? The only thing these criminals that commit gun related offenses is some kind of force of action. Why are you going to try to take our 2nd Amendment Rights away from people who follow the laws and love our great country? We should be focusing on increasing penalties against those who commit the crimes. Stop focusing on the law abiding citizens and focus on the criminals that are terrorizing all of our towns. Our government is letting millions and millions of unknown people in our country without having a clue what kind of person they are. I'm sure most are good people like you and me but not all of them are. We need our guns to be able to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our country if needed. Our founding fathers have it right and put a lot of thoughts into our constitution and bill of rights. I thought Democrats were about equality and the working man/woman. If you all want good for us law abiding citizens, work together, make compromises, and start doing your duty. We do not need more "big government" taking more rights. What we need is a closed border so we can fight this drug crisis. Slow the flow of drugs and these gangs fall apart. Once they fall apart maybe these shootings would slow down. Please do the right thing and do not sign these gun bills. All this woke crap is ruining our country. Y'all need to please make changes and focus on what's going to help all of us not just the minority.
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
I strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
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
HB113 | Sullivan | Handguns; possession, purchase, or transportation by persons convicted of certain drug offenses. HB1174 | Sickles | Assault firearms; age requirement for purchase, penalty. HB1195 | Hayes | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. HB12 | Jones | Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required. HB1235 | Zehr | Concealed handguns; protective orders. HB1424 | Hope | Firearms; valid permit to purchase, penalties. HB1462 | Laufer | Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. HB158 | McClure | Firearm locking device; required for sale or transfer of firearm. HB16 | Garrett | Firearm or explosive material; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, etc. HB173 | Simon | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. HB175 | Simon | Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty. HB183 | Simon | Firearms; storage in residence where minor or person prohibited from possessing is present, penalty. HB2 | Helmer | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, sales, transfers, etc., prohibited. HB22 | Jones | Auto sears; definition, prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. HB270 | Reid | Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc. HB319 | Helmer | Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code. HB35 | Clark | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. HB351 | Clark | Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty. HB362 | McClure | Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against an intimate or dating partner. HB454 | Callsen | Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth. HB46 | Bennett-Parker | Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. HB466 | Helmer | Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. HB791 | Henson | Pneumatic guns; Class 6 felony to possess. HB797 | Hope | Concealed handguns; demonstrated competence for a permit, firearms instructors and safety programs. HB798 | Hope | Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation. HB799 | Hope | Concealed handgun permit applications; fingerprints required by local governments. HB861 | Hernandez | Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services. HB945 | Lopez | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. SB100 | Ebbin | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. SB2 | Deeds | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. SB210 | Perry | Auto sears; prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. SB273 | Subramanyam | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. I oppose all these bills.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please support HB 318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB798, HB799, HB 861, HB16, HB45 Let's keep our children and other innocent bystanders safe!
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
The state should not sell concealed carry permits and then work to limit where carry is allowed. My family just paid $100 for permits only to see that the state is trying to take the value away through legislative maneuvering. This is wrong. If you don't want concealed carry in VA then quit issuing permits.
Everything we can do to keep our children and communities safe must be of the utmost priority. Our country has blood on its hands and state and federal leaders must open their eyes and hearts to pushing forward for what’s best for us as a society- that does not include firearms, ammunition, and hate. Mental health is but one part of the issue at hand here and it’s critical we solve the gun violence epidemic in a bipartisan and comprehensive fashion. I support all efforts to improve mental health services and school and community safety including eliminating access to automatic weapons, increasing the purchase age and increasing background check and screenings.
I am writing as a gun violence prevention advocate and voter in Loudoun County, VA. We supported many of our elected officials in the November election with the hope that they will represent the voices who have had enough. I am grateful for the Delegates who are willing to speak on behalf of those we have lost and the children and families that deserve safer communities. We stand behind you in your efforts. I support bills HB270, HB318, HB319, HB916 and those that focus on gun violence prevention. Thank you.
As a lawful firearm owner and concealed carry holder in multiple state, I urge you to oppose these unconstitutional bills. These bills will do nothing but infringe on our rights and do nothing to punish those who use firearms in an unlawful manner. Here are a few examples of why these bills are bad: HB 270 and HB 1195 - what problem does this solve for? Virginia has an "instant check" system and this bill makes that moot. HB 319 and HB 797 - reducing the places where someone can get trained on how to safely and effectively use firearms is counterintuitive. If anything, the number of firearm training locations should be increased to maximize the safe operations of firearms. HB 362 and HB 798 - misdemeanors should never deprive an individual of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. HB 861 - this is another attempt to reduce a person's ability to protect themselves. Rather than take away the rights of lawful American citizens, please focus on punishing actual criminals and, if need be, make those penalties more harsh. All of these bills are intended to make law-abiding American citizens less able to protect themselves. They do nothing to impact the criminal or mentally unstable element of society and those are the people who commit violence whether that be with firearms, knives, hammers, or their bare hands. As legislators, you need to focus on stopping the bad buy and maximizing the freedoms and liberties of the good guys. These bills are anti-American and should be opposed vehemently.
To Firearms Subcommittee of House Public Safety, I have read and reviewed the bills referenced in this correspondence and see little value in them. All do nothing more than punish and add restrictions to law-abiding gun owners that will do nothing to prevent violent crimes committed with a firearm. In some cases, these bills seem to be personal vendettas against the NRA and USCCA. I urge members of this committee to reject all of the bills I have referenced in this correspondence.
Takes firearm courses offered by the National Rifle Association and theUnited States Concealed Carry Association and any of either one’s instructors off the list of courses thatsatisfy the training requirement to get a concealed handgun permit. The NRA has been known for its topnotch firearm training since its inception. The USCCA offers similar training courses. This bill, which seems like a personal vendetta against the NRA and the USCCA, would make it significantly harder and more expensive for permit applicants to get the training required by Virginia. Opposed to This Bill
I am a volunteer with Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and we support these bills.
I support these bills.
Please oppose HB175, which should be called the "scary looking gun prohibition bill". Does nothing to advance safety and in unconstitutional per Bruen. Please oppose HB270, which is a back door gun show ban, a callous disarming of women facing domestic abusers, and puts the Commonwealth in the business of buying legal firearms. Please oppose HB318, which imposes civil penalties on manufacturers and distributors in one of the most highly regulated industries in the country for end user behavior. Additionally, it is terribly worded, adding civil liability for even things like safety devices. Please oppose HB24/861. a "facility that provides mental health" services could include any emergency room. Think about where our ER's and trauma centers are. HB319 and HB797 are comical on their face. One cannot credibly claim that training programs from the National Rifle Association are inadequate. This is politics, plain and simple. HB799 is a solution in search of a problem. 10 years ago the fingerprint req't was eliminated - what's changed? This is an attempt to add friction to people trying their best to comply with an already intrusive process. Please support HB1230, which puts defenders closer to our children when time is of the essence and creates an effective deterrent. Please support HB1235, which enables women to protect themselves against abusers and rapists while a protective order is in place. Please support HB1325, which eliminates paperwork made unnecessary.
Apparently, you all think your authority comes from you; is deserved by you; and should be used to further your agenda in disarming law abiding citizens. SCOTUS decisions in Heller and Bruen have already decided the fate of your bills. You are likely going to get sued, your bills will lose and you will have done nothing whatsoever but waste taxpayer time and money on a frivolous pursuit. Which brings me to question what, exactly is the end result? Is it to weaponize laws against law abiding citizens in lawfare? Maybe you think we will run out of money or out of steam in defending our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS. Good luck with that, you will need it. The US Constitution has been argued multiple times regarding gun rights and clearly you either do not care about the rulings; about the Constitution as ratified and adopted by Virginia; nor the views of your constituents. You neither deserve, nor are owed, any kind of allegiance from us. WE DO NOT serve YOU. As a matter of fact our government, across the entire United States, is actually opposite your entitled, two-tiered justice, elitist hypocrisy; which is to say YOU SERVE US! Your lawfare tactics; constantly thumbing your nose at our RIGHTS because 'scary gun bad,' is not going to go in your favor. We are well aware of your marxist ideologies and how much you hate your country and how you believe that the rights of the individual are outweighed by your need to subjugate. We are well aware of your continuation to craft laws carving out, little by little, more power for yourselves and less freedom for us. God will not judge us for standing against you. You took an oath to support, protect and defend the Constitution. You have an opportunity, to simply admit you are wrong and turn away from this course of action. Impaling yourself because you'd rather do that than admit you are wrong is not the way to go. I understand an admission of wrong action will come with a swath of angry people jeering and cheering against you, however, redirecting course is still a better option than trying to force your constituency to rely on 'government,' to help which is tantamount to murder. The national average police response is around 12 minutes to a crime scene, coupled with the fact that SCOTUS has ruled many times that a law enforcement officer has no duty to place him/herself in harms way to protect anyone (DeShaney vs. Winnebago and Town of Castle Rock vs. Gonzales, and Warren vs. District of Columbia), and all you have done is place criminals at the top of the food chain offering up your constituency as nothing more than their next meal.
As a parent, I support these common-sense gun reform bills.
Tilting at windmills: The debate on whether an AR-15 is a military or non-military firearm is moot The anti-gunners panties are in a tight wad over AR-15s because they don’t like black guns, especially if those guns have various cosmetic features, such as a bayonet lug. You know - the scourge of drive-by bayonetings going on in Chicago? So, the anti’s latest tactic is to scream (that’s pretty much their main mode of communication) that an AR-15 is a weapon of war and should not be owned by anyone but the military, government agencies, and the police. So, if citizens don’t need so-called “weapons of war”, why exactly would the police and government bureaucrats need them? <Crickets chirping quietly in the background> Armies have not used AR-15s in war, so it’s hard to call one a weapon of war. The M-16/M-4 is superior for that purpose with its semi-automatic, burst, and fully automatic selector switch. That said, could one fight a war with an AR-15? Sure. AR-15s have a lot in common with their M-16/M-4 cousin. AR-15s use the same mid-power cartridge and the same 20 or 30-round magazine as the M-16/M-4. And the really scary issue for the antis is the AR-15 LOOKS LIKE an M-16! But all of this is totally moot. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution both protect the right of the People to own and carry bearable weapons of war! Even the Supreme Court back in 1939 in US v Miller made it clear that any weapon of use to a militia (think “weapon of war”) is protected by the Second Amendment. And American history and tradition back up that right. From the beginning, Americans have owned and carried weapons in use by the military: from muskets to revolvers, to pistols, to pump and semi-automatic shotguns, to lever-action, bolt-action, and semi-automatic rifles, and, to a lesser degree, both fully-automatic rifles and pistols. So, to my anti-gun friends: I am tired of arguing with you about whether an AR-15 is a sporting gun or a “weapon of war.” Call it what you want, but it is protected by the Second Amendment either way.
I ask the subcommittee to oppose the passage of these bills.
I, Carolyn Kochard, on behalf of Virginia Moms for Change support the above bills because data shows that these laws help reduce gun-related deaths.
Dear Members; What part of 'shall not infringe' do you not understand ? Donald Trump on the ballot and let's go Brandon. My congressmen Bobby Scott and my delegate Cia Price do NOT represent me ! Thank you John Zielanski
I moved to Virginia 15 years ago after I retired. I chose Virginia because of the reasonable, common sense gun laws, among other reasons, as compared to where I came from. I am an avid competitive shooter and hunter and made Virginia my home on that basis. I pay considerably more in taxes, with the exception of real estate, to support my state and county governments and ask and get little in return. In the last 8 years the state of Virginia has enacted a myriad of new firearms regulations that do nothing to prevent crime or make us safer. The new laws being considered will have the same effect. Your focus should be on crime and how to punish criminals, not law abiding taxpayers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Where I live we realistically have a 25 to 45 minute response time for fire, ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. We have an excellent sheriff’s department and volunteer corps of fire and first aid responders but sheer numbers of staff and size of our county make it what it is. People need to be self reliant and not have to worry about being punished for inadvertently breaking an ineffective gun law. Again, your focus should be be on crime and how to punish criminals and not law abiding citizens. Thanks for your time.
Gun controllers always want to talk about what they call "common sense" gun law, gun reform, etc. Please have Helmer and Hope explain what is common sense about limiting firearm training opportunities. Of course we know that it will be effective in reducing the number of people who can get concealed carry permits, which means more disarmed Virginia residents, which means more crime, which means more opportunity for politicians like Helmer and Hope to point to problems they created and then offer up a solution of their choosing, but that is not what we should have in Virginia. We should have citizens who carry firearms to protect themselves everywhere they go. I look forward to when constitutional carry is nationwide, there are no rights lost at state lines, and all the modern-day sensitive places are gone for good.
I think there should be a law that allows us, the citizens of Virginia, to remove officials from office who violate their constitutional oath to protect our 2nd amendment and other constitutional amendments. I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is of swearing into office as servant to the public and take an oath only to turn around and purpose laws under the guise of reducing crime that further restrict already law abiding citizens. These laws will never EVER stop criminals, it will never EVER slow or stop people with nefarious intentions and only limit already law abiding citizens. Frankly I grow so tired and more and more disappointed in certain officials in office that don't keep their oath and just lie to the public that gun control stop criminal. IT DOES NO WORK, armed law biding citizens scare criminals from making people into victims because it creates uncertainty to the criminal's actions not knowing if people are armed would they other wise take criminal actions. Why is it people who support gun control fail to make connects to the correlations that place with security are less likely to be targeted for that very reason, because the person would face resistance to their actions. I do not support any of these gun control bills, I do support the pro gun bills and will not comply with any of these gun control bills should they pass as they are unconstitutional and violate my rights as a US citizen.
Please quit making new laws when we don’t enforce what is on the books now. Target criminals not the everyday law abiding citizens of Virginia!
As a 20 year Virginia constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills. As a whole they do nothing to increase safety of the public, ignore actual crime stats & root causes and focus solely on infringing upon rights of law-abiding Virginians, actually making us LESS safe in our ability to defend ourselves from violent criminals. Multiple bills flagrantly violate the Supreme Court rulings in the Heller v DC and Bruen v NYSRPA cases which established clear historical and Constitutional thresholds which must be met for ALL gun control laws. These bills also violate the Virginia State Constitution's sections related to keeping and bearing arms. As legislators you took an oath to UPHOLD those Constitutions, not marginalize or cut apart the Rights contained therein. * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms; are car makers or alcohol companies liable for DUIs which kill people? Are knife makers held liable for murders or robberies using a knife? * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Let me know how you are going to vote on these bills.
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Thanks Garry Dudley
It continues to puzzle me as to why the General Assembly continues to hamper the rights of law abiding gun owners with silly legislation (some of which is clearly unconstitutional) verses addressing the actual underlying problems. Until you do so, you'll continue to look like the political hacks and stooges that you are, beholden to party marching orders rather than what's good for the Commonwealth and it's citizens. Truly sad indeed!
Keep your hands off legally owned guns. Do more to get the bad gun guns. Why do not see the laws on the books get enforced? Uphold your oath of office and protect us from bad guys,illegals, and others.
I am writing to inform the tone deaf and those in this assembly that while they dither and equivocate over Constitutional "God given Rights" of a Free People, codified into law, 16,250 innocent children are "murdered", put to death, mutilated, in the state of Virginia each and every year and each and every new session of this Legislature 16, 250 more innocents die at the hands of the inaction of this body as a whole. And we thought the Germans of the 30's were criminal for their actions with deliberate DEATH and maiming. The crime of murder in any form is a serious crime and just because it is "legalized" it is still a Sin again against humanity and the People of Virginia, who apparently foot the bill for this atrocity. Just as you should not be legalizing "Firearm Control" murder is still a unjustified morally and should be rejected as normal. If there are still anyone on the Democrat side of this body that understands morality and stands up for LIFE and LIBERTY of the People, consider well how and what you vote in favor of. May the punishment of this heinous crime be published and stopped before another thing is done, legally or illegally in this body. Sincerely, Peter Buckingham 301-646-5300 Crozet, VA 22932
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
HB35 - promotes actual firearms safety without imposing upon the rights of innocent gun owners for the crimes of others. Absolutely worth the support of the legislature. HB1230 - a step in the correct direction, towards making schools LESS of a soft target, LESS attractive to mass-murderers compared to how they are now. This permits some of the people we never needed to worry about in the first place to be armed against the possibility of someone wanting to murder them in a place which was previously a victim-disarmament zone. HB1235 - this shouldn't even be a QUESTION to support it. A protective order is a mere piece of paper, and it is well known that such a piece of paper has failed miserably in defending some people from their attackers. Permitting them to carry is the ONLY proper choice. HB1321 and 1325 do not earn my support or disapproval. ALL other bills being proposed for this day's consideration should be rejected - HB175 - ANY prohibition on so-called "assault firearms" is AT BEST meaningless and worthy of opposition for that reason alone. Add to that the fact that owners and users of these firearms are overwhelmingly peaceful VA citizens innocent of any wrongdoing and this bill CANNOT be passed. HB270 - more nonsense restrictions on so-called assault weapons" and standard-capacity magazines, which are unConstitutional on their face under both the US and VA Constitutions. Nuke this proposal. HB318 - proposes to hold "firearms industry members" responsible for crimes committed by third parties due to govt's inability or unwillingness to enforce EXISTING laws already covering the crimes detailed in this bill. This is a prima-facie attempt to execute lawfare against retailers and manufacturers innocent of any actual wrongdoing. Nuke it. HB319 - a petty attempt to remove NRA and USCCA instructors and ranges from certification at what they are literally the class-of-the-world in doing, teaching firearms safety and the legalities of carry, because the proposer doesn't LIKE those groups. The mere PROPOSAL is incredibly childish and unprofessional. Nuke it. HB362 - if you want to forbid ownership or possession of someone for a violent crime, that crime needs to be a felony. Period. And you'd better be able to JUSTIFY it being a felony crime. Nuke it. HB797 - another childish and unprofessional attack on the groups best-suited and -capable of instruction in actual firearms safety. NUKE IT. HB798 - see comments for HB362. NUKE IT. HB799 - This is tiresome. See comments for HB319 and 797. NUKE IT. HB861 - the only people who need to be restricted from carrying a weapon into a hospital already ARE prohibited from even TOUCHING one. Your inability or unwillingness to deal with that does not justify more laws. NUKE IT. HB916 - VA has had laws covering the issues of emergency TROs for YEARS already. So-called "red flag" laws are an abomination, violating most of the Bill Of Right and leaving someone you claim is a threat in the position to act on that threat. NUKE IT. HB945 - Not incredibly offensive, just wholly unnecessary. Nuke it. HB1195 - Any waiting period is Constitutionally-impermissible. A right delayed is a right denied, and the state seeks to delay here. NUKE IT. HB1386 - VA has no power to set workplace rules like this. NUKE IT. HB1462 - seeks to re-victimize victims of crime AND to make it impossible for people not a threat to anyone to carry outside of victim-disarmament zones. NUKE IT.
As a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment and a lifelong Virginian, I am compelled to express my deep concerns over the direction of recent legislative efforts surrounding firearm laws. I have always placed a high value on security, freedom, and the principles of logical, effective policy-making. It has become increasingly apparent that in the wake of tragic incidents, there is a tendency among some lawmakers to resort to knee-jerk reactions, such as proposing bans or stringent registration requirements for firearms the list goes on and on. While these measures are often presented as solutions to reduce crime, they fail to address the root causes of violence and, instead, serve only to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. The proposal to ban or mandatorily register firearms under the guise of public safety is not only ineffective but also a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights. Such actions presuppose that restricting the freedoms of the majority, who are responsible and law-abiding, will somehow prevent the criminal actions of the few. This is not only a flawed premise but also a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational liberties upon which our nation was built. Moreover, the creation of firearm-free zones and the push for restrictive gun laws are misguided attempts that offer a false promise of safety. History and evidence have shown that criminals do not adhere to such regulations; instead, these zones often end up as soft targets, inadvertently putting innocent lives at greater risk. In light of these considerations, I urge you and your colleagues in the Virginia House and Senate to: Stand firmly against the ineffective and reactionary proposals to ban or mandatorily register firearms. Reconsider and rescind policies that establish firearm-free zones, recognizing their failure to protect and their potential to harm. Focus on realistic, effective solutions that address the underlying causes of violence without compromising the rights and freedoms of Virginia's citizens. Our commitment to the Second Amendment is not a matter of political convenience but a fundamental principle that ensures our liberty and security. The right to bear arms is intrinsic to the American way of life, providing individuals the means to defend themselves, their families, and their freedoms. There are many egregious bills pending. firearm lock requirements, storage requirements, waiting periods, the list goes on and on I remind you democrats that you swore an oath to defend the constitution all these laws you are considering are contrary to the constitution itself and will be challenged and defeated because of the post bruen Supreme Court decisions. I am confident that with thoughtful consideration and a commitment to the principles of our Constitution, we can forge policies that genuinely enhance public safety without infringing upon our cherished liberties. I, alongside countless Virginia patriots, assert that we will not comply with laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights. This stance is rooted in a deep respect for the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Thank you for your attention to my concerns and for your ongoing service to the people of Virginia. I trust that you will approach this issue with the gravity and respect it deserves, recognizing the importance of preserving our constitutional rights in all legislative actions.
None of the gun control bills being put forward will stop a single criminal event. Not one. They are designed to punish and harm Virginians exercising their natural right to self defense and are in conflict with the US and Virginia constitution. Stop. This is not in the best interest of Virginians.
The gun control bills being heard today all have one thing in common, that is to disarm the honest, law abiding citizen. There is no other reason and they will have no other effect. Gun control as a method to curb crime has failed everywhere it has been implemented. Gun control to advance tyranny , subjugation and genocide has succeeded. Please vote NO on these Unconstitutional bills.
A pro-gun vote is a vote for freedom. All the anti-gun bills are just solutions in search of problems. They thicken the code of Virginia and add nothing of value. Please, do NOT fatten the code for no reason. - Thank you
I strongly opose both these bill HB 318 and HB 319. Both of these bills don't have the goal of doing anything positive for the citizens of Virginia. They actually have the opposite goal. HB 318 looks to make it possible to make manufactures liable when a criminal with one of their products does something. Why are auto makers or manufactures of construction tools or chainsaws not held to the same proposals? That is because this is ridiculous. No one would stand for a car manufacturer to be held liable for someone using a car for an unintended purpose to harm others. There are already rightly passed laws making negligence and intentional criminal acts like murder illegal (not to mention morally bad) I strongly encourage a bit against these two bills.
Dear committee I am writing to respectfully but firmly implore you not to advance gun control bills HB 175, 270, 318, 319, 362, 797, 798, 861, 1195, 1462. These bills will not stop or reduce crime. They will only strip the rights from law abiding citizens. One example is HB 1195, which creates a 5 day wait period. A right delayed is a right denied; if someone in danger needs a firearm to protect themselves, they are in more danger as they now have to wait. Not only is this unfair in light of Virginia's instant check system, but a court ruled against it. HB 318 Makes the firearm industry liable for the actions of criminals. This is unfair. You would not sue Ford if someone misused one of their products. You also have 2 bills that would limit training and the amount of certified instructors. This is insane as it goes against gun saftey: you WANT people to be trained on proper firearms use. You have bills that limit where one can carry, which is Unconstitutional under Bruen. You have bills that punish people if a firearm if left in their car in sight. Why not go after criminals? And it's not fair to punish people with only misdemeanors. As for the dating partner? That is problematic as a jilted partner , or and partner, can make a false statement about the other person. None of these bills will deter criminals nor will they do anything to address the saftey of people or the mental health issue. The better course of action would be to address mental health system. I DO want to see the following pro gun bills passed: HB 35, 945, 1230, 1235, 1325. These bills help people in crisis and even encourage safe storage of firearms without punishing people. I like the bill that offers tax credits for trigger locks/ safes . It's an incentive to encourage people to secure their firearms when not in use/ unattended. This is a great way to keep children safe and even puts some money back in people's pockets. I like the bill that turns an order of protection ( for the person that needs it ) into a concealed carry for a limited time. This will help vulnerable people protect themselves when they need to be able to do so. There are many things that can be done to make people safe, but not at the expense of freedom and constitutional rights. I am urging you to say Nay to the anti gun bills and Yay to the pro gun bills. A better course of action would be to fund and train police, enact harsh penalties for criminals, address the mental health system ( as the governor has said ) and pass pro gun legislation to both protect the Second Amendment and to encourage safe storage, increase the availability of training instructors, and allow people to protect themselves. And this also includes commonly-owned firearms such as AR15 and AK pattern rifles. Commonly-owned firearms such as these are protected under the Bruen decision. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Article 1 section 13 is a restriction on you, in order to protect the civil rights of all citizens but especially the minority. Whether it’s a racial minority or a religious minority or a political minority, we all have rights that cannot be taken away just because some group is in a majority. Even if it weren’t a right or a civil liberty, you would have to repeal article 1 Sect 13 of the Virginia constitution in order to have the authority to prohibit me from being armed, and not just with a firearm but armed in anyway I see fit. Gun control doesn’t work, we see the results in countless examples so this isn’t a new idea and it’s been proven to fail and actually harm the citizens. Gun control started with racist after the civil war and it continues today to be the same racist elitist ideology that says you’re not smart enough or responsible enough to protect yourself, you must have the government protect you, which of course is ridiculous because the police cannot be everywhere nor would we want that many police in our society Many victims will testify that being unarmed or having a waiting period or a background check did nothing to stop their attacker and only effected their ability to protect themself which lead to them being victimized by a criminal Murder is illegal, people are still murdered Speed limits are in place, people still speed Laws do not stop or prevent crime, the only thing that any law will do is establish a punishment AFTER you are caught, not before. There are no minority reports, there are no pre cogs you cannot stop a crime before it happens, the intended victim is the only one that can stop the crime when it happens and the only way to do that is to be armed
As a constituent of one of the Delegates of the Assembly, but not of your committee, I write to express my opposition to each/all of the anti-2A bills in this collection. Individually and collectively, they punish Virginia citizens who intend to comply with them, and fail to so much as deter those with criminal intent. While this is true of nearly all laws, these are a particularly vile assault on the innocent. I do not find any of you deplorable, for you have not yet cast a vote - but if you vote to send these bills onward (and I'll know, within hours...) then I will find you so, and will become your political enemy. I cannot wield a lot of power as an 80-year-old individual constituent, but that which I can, I will.
I oppose HB319 on the grounds that it appears that it will make it more difficult for responsible citizens to find classes that teach handgun safety. While those classes are offered as part of the requirement to apply for a concealed handgun permit, those classes also serve as a major source of handgun safety training that is readily available to the public. I believe HB319 would limit the prevalence of safety classes.
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 am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
Oppose this bill. Decreasing the amount of instructors only seeks to have a less trained and informed populace.
I support these bills!
I strongly oppose HB319. This bill will actually DECREASE gun safety in this state, because the NRA and USCCA are two of the biggest providers of firearm safety classes in the country. Regardless of whether you like the NRA's politics, they have trained countless Americans over the decades about the safe handling and use of firearms. This bill is petty and counterproductive. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
In regards to HB2 and additional proposed firearm-related legislation. I do not believe adding additional restrictions, especially financial burdens, is a fair and ethical way of combating crime and violence with firearms. I believe there should be more freedom for owning and carrying firearms, but like the idea of additional training requirements and locking devices (gun safes) when in a home with minors. If the state were to enact any bills or policies further restricting access, there needs to be a free (government funded) way to access these rights for law-abiding citizens free of discrimination of any kind.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am opposed to this bill. It is another "common sense" gun law that makes absolutely no sense at all and is only crafted to gain political points.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support these bills. To all responsible gun owners: you shouldn't be afraid of these common sense bills. These bills are directed at people who are not handling their firearms as the deadly weapons that they can be. Instead of thinking your rights are being taken away, consider instead how safe storage, permits and waiting periods could help the daily gun violence in our country. Keep your guns, we are not trying to take them away. These bills are an opportunity for you, as a responsible gun owner, to be a part of the solution to help cut down on needless violence.
I oppose this bill. I have to say, this bill is quite ridiculous. If Del. Helmer actually wants to promote firearm safety and mitigate gun violence then we need more people in the Commonwealth of Virginia to be properly trained to use firearms. By eliminating NRA training as a means to prove competency with firearms, Del. Helmer is restricting access to firearms training options. He is making it more difficult to obtain firearms training and thus ensuring the likelihood that more people go untrained. Instead of whittling down options that Virginians have to get trained, educated, and prove firearms competency in....Delegate Helmer would be better served in finding & developing more options for VA citizens. Education is one of the keys in preventing and mitigating gun violence. By clamping down on Virginians' options in obtaining firearms training, Del. Helmer is increasing the likelihood of gun violence in our communities. This bill is foolish and I am disappointed that Del. Helmer, both a veteran and an instructor at West Point, would think that limiting options in regards to obtaining education/proving proficiency with firearms would lead to anything positive.
Remember Delegates...you took an Oath to 'Support and Defend the Constitution of the Unites States of America' which includes the 2nd Amendment!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
This bill, simply put, is hysterical partisan lunacy. The NRA has donated to Republicans that support the Second Amendment, and Democrats feel the need to make them pay a political price for it. That said, the NRA has the mostly professional, highly qualified safety instructors in our country. Why would you not want the most knowledgeable people to teach a safety course? Use some common sense and throw this bill in the shredder.
First, repealing the NRA license plates is incredibly petty and pointless. Probably a free speech violation as well. Much more importantly, removing NRA and USCCA certifications for concealed carry permission slips is wild. This is a very clear attempt to create a large barrier to entry to exercise our rights. NRA and USCCA certified instructors are far too common so the goal is to only validate a very niche set of certifications that have limited spaces to attend. With limitations like this, people with luke-warm interest will generally not bother which is the end goal: create apathy so citizens are willing to just roll over and accept more infringement.
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.
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'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill.
HB351 - Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Law abiding citizens should not be punished for exercising their constitutional rights. Bill HB2 causes half of the state to become felons, just for exercising their rights to own firearms. HB1424 is unconstitutional because nothing in the second amendment says anything about having to have a license to own a gun. SB522 , similarly to HB1424 , is unconstitutional. The second amendment states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. People shouldn’t have to take a training course to own a gun. It’s your right to bear arms without government approval, or having to take a training course. It forces you to give up your ability to exercise your own rights. SB57 causes law abiding people to be in danger of criminals coming into a restaurant with a gun and not being able to defend themselves. SB327 once again is unconstitutional. The second amendment says nothing about an age restriction on any type of firearm. SB273 is unconstitutional because nothing states that you have to wait a certain amount of time to own a firearm. SB2 , just like HB2, shouldn’t cause law abiding people to not be able to own an “Assault weapon” or ammunition for an “Assault weapon”; because the second amendment doesn’t prohibit any style of firearm or ammunition from being sold or possessed.
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.
Many of these gun laws are unfair to law abiding citizens and do not affect criminals. These gun laws should be vetoed.
State Legislature members, A right delayed is a right denied. Quoting the 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen Supreme Court Case: 'The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not “a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.” McDonald, 561 U. S., at 780 (plurality opinion). The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self defense is no different.' The recent NYSRPA v. Bruen case highlighted the significance of individual self-defense, and it's crucial to consider the rights of law-abiding citizens in crafting firearm legislation. While the goal of enhancing public safety is commendable, an outright ban on certain firearms and magazines will disproportionately impact responsible gun owners who use these tools for legitimate purposes, such as self-defense and sport. It is essential to strike a balance between public safety and the preservation of individual rights. Instead of blanket bans, and bureaucratic obstacles that only harass lawful firearm owners, we should focus on comprehensive measures that address the root causes of gun violence. This approach respects the constitutional rights of citizens while fostering a safer society. Criminals are not deterred by restrictions on lawful purchase at federally-licensed FFL Dealers. They do not bother going through the process of applying for a concealed carry permit, because they do not intend to carry lawfully. People who want to use weapons to hurt innocent citizens of Virginia will not be impeded by these House and Senate Bills. Instead, the only individuals who will have their behavior modified are lawful men and women who are unable to defend themselves against those who will commit crimes regardless of what is written into law this Legislative Session. If you pass the above laws, it will only serve to waste hard-working Taxpayers' money fighting them in Federal Court. California and New York have lost their cases seeking to uphold unconstitutional gun laws, and the sponsors of these bills will lose too. Do the right thing - the hard thing - enforce the laws we already have, get the small minority of violent criminals off the streets of Virginia, and uphold the constitutional rights of your polity.
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.
There are approximately 47 bills regarding gun control between the House and Senate. Rather than fix issues that actually protect and enhance the lives of Virginians, many of these bills seek to disenfranchise and reduce the safety of the citizens in this great Commonwealth. Firearms are so fundamental to the founding and continued existence of our free society that they are listed just second to the freedom of speech in amendments to the constitution. It is plainly clear to all that countries and states who have banned or severely restricted firearms that violence does not end with their banning. Unjust deaths are not prevented. It simply ensures that law abiding citizens are left defenseless from those that wish to harm them, whether that be individuals or an organization. I write this knowing that it will be completely disregarded by the bills authors, but in hopes that others feel galvanized to speak up against unjust actions made in the name of progress. To those who wish to protect themselves with firearms while simultaneously stripping them from the common man, may you take heed of the Virginia state motto.
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!
These proposed laws will do nothing but make more victims out of citizens that are exercising their 2nd amendment rights. Criminals do not care about these restrictions, these laws are merely an extension of the culture war. They are meant to punish anyone that the Northern Virginia and big city politicians don’t like. While violent criminals continue to arm themselves, the law abiding citizens of The Commonwealth would be left without defense. These laws are feckless and meant only to virtue signal. One with even a basic understanding of our constitution would see these as exactly what they are: illegal and Un-American.
There is no acceptable reason to infringe upon the Constitutionally-protected (both US and Virginia's Constitutions) rights of Americans and Virginians. None of these bills purported to reduce gun-related violence actually seem to prioritize the reduction of causal effects of overall violence. Many of these are merely attempts to curb the rights of the People to keep and bear arms, because our legislative bodies are full of corrupt, weak, and contemptible individuals. Show us the bills for addressing the root causes of violence: mental health, income inequality, social instability, lack of education and educational opportunities, drug & human trafficking, or employment & wages (this list is not all-inclusive).
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.
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
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.
Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We can all agree violence is an issue but making more unconstitutional, on a national and state level, gun laws will not help with the rates of violent crimes and property crimes as we see from states with stricter gun laws. We need to increase access to mental health and community resources to address the root causes of issues rather than criminalizing responsible gun owners. I am opposed to this attack on the second amendment which is the fundamental backbone that protects the other freedoms guranteed in the constitution.
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.
Dear Honorable Members of the House of Delegates, I write to you today as a concerned citizen, deeply invested in the well-being and safety of our communities, and as someone who values the principles upon which our nation was founded. The issue at hand, the introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is one that I believe warrants a thoughtful reconsideration in light of its broader implications. 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.*** Constituents see this robust effort to "see what sticks" as a weakness within our party. Comparatively imbalanced with the diverse range of issues and concerns that we face everyday. A waste. As we move forward, I encourage you to approach this issue with a balanced perspective, one that recognizes the need for effective strategies to combat gun violence while also safeguarding the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our nation. The path to meaningful change is complex, requiring a nuanced understanding of the issues at hand and a commitment to policies that truly serve the best interests of all our citizens. In closing, 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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
You guys make it harder and harder to vote Democrat every single cycle. Complete ban on Semi Automatics more or less making the state even stricter towards guns then states like Maryland? I oppose all these even the "herp common sense derp" ones because the states party has made it clear they don't give a crap about anything but putting hollow wins for politicians because hhheeeyyy punishing law abiding gun owners is a whole lot easier then creating jobs or reducing crime. If these bills die before getting to the governors desk, especially the bans, then I will gladly continue to vote DNC. But if Youngkin has to veto these and you make me say something I never thought I would "Thank god Youngkin won" then I look forward to blindly going down the ticket in 2024 and checking "R" on everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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.
These anti gun laws are an infringement on all Virginian's 2A rights.
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.
I am against all of these blatantly unconstitutional firearms restrictions. I'm strongly against: SB2| Deeds | Assault firearms certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. This tries to ban things that are in common use, which has never worked well for the government, remember Prohibition? Remember the war on drugs? Just like the last assault weapons ban, this will literally just make AR-15s more popular and easier to get illegally. And I am against: HB585 | Mundon King | Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools, penalties. That specifically targets home-based FFLs whose house is somewhere near a school. This would put hundreds of Virginia residents out of business just because of where they live.
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.
An inordinate focus on the control of firearms only serves to infringe the rights of the law-abiding citizen in defense of his life and property. The State should instead focus on the apprehension and incarceration of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and associated misuse of firearms.
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.
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.
These laws are mostly going to effect law abiding citizens like myself and all the people I know. WHEN HAVE CRIMINALS FOLLOWED LAWS??? The only thing these criminals that commit gun related offenses is some kind of force of action. Why are you going to try to take our 2nd Amendment Rights away from people who follow the laws and love our great country? We should be focusing on increasing penalties against those who commit the crimes. Stop focusing on the law abiding citizens and focus on the criminals that are terrorizing all of our towns. Our government is letting millions and millions of unknown people in our country without having a clue what kind of person they are. I'm sure most are good people like you and me but not all of them are. We need our guns to be able to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our country if needed. Our founding fathers have it right and put a lot of thoughts into our constitution and bill of rights. I thought Democrats were about equality and the working man/woman. If you all want good for us law abiding citizens, work together, make compromises, and start doing your duty. We do not need more "big government" taking more rights. What we need is a closed border so we can fight this drug crisis. Slow the flow of drugs and these gangs fall apart. Once they fall apart maybe these shootings would slow down. Please do the right thing and do not sign these gun bills. All this woke crap is ruining our country. Y'all need to please make changes and focus on what's going to help all of us not just the minority.
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
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 strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
These all seem like infringements that will do nothing to curb any crime. Further they will only create criminals out of everyday law abiding folk. These are laws that seem to be targeting victimless crimes.
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
HB113 | Sullivan | Handguns; possession, purchase, or transportation by persons convicted of certain drug offenses. HB1174 | Sickles | Assault firearms; age requirement for purchase, penalty. HB1195 | Hayes | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. HB12 | Jones | Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required. HB1235 | Zehr | Concealed handguns; protective orders. HB1424 | Hope | Firearms; valid permit to purchase, penalties. HB1462 | Laufer | Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. HB158 | McClure | Firearm locking device; required for sale or transfer of firearm. HB16 | Garrett | Firearm or explosive material; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, etc. HB173 | Simon | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. HB175 | Simon | Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty. HB183 | Simon | Firearms; storage in residence where minor or person prohibited from possessing is present, penalty. HB2 | Helmer | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, sales, transfers, etc., prohibited. HB22 | Jones | Auto sears; definition, prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. HB270 | Reid | Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc. HB319 | Helmer | Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code. HB35 | Clark | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. HB351 | Clark | Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty. HB362 | McClure | Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against an intimate or dating partner. HB454 | Callsen | Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth. HB46 | Bennett-Parker | Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. HB466 | Helmer | Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. HB791 | Henson | Pneumatic guns; Class 6 felony to possess. HB797 | Hope | Concealed handguns; demonstrated competence for a permit, firearms instructors and safety programs. HB798 | Hope | Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation. HB799 | Hope | Concealed handgun permit applications; fingerprints required by local governments. HB861 | Hernandez | Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services. HB945 | Lopez | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. SB100 | Ebbin | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. SB2 | Deeds | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. SB210 | Perry | Auto sears; prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. SB273 | Subramanyam | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. I oppose all these bills.
I oppose this bill as it seeks to infringe on the Consitutionally proctected rights of lawabiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, criminals who do not follow the law. This bill makes it harder for someone to keep themselves safe and is primarily a solution 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 due to gun control laws, in fact as gun control laws increase, s o does the rate of violent crimes. Criminals are not afraid of police, they are afraid of armed citizens. The subject of this bill has already been defeated in courts, passing this into law will only subject the Commonwealth to more lawsuits to have it repealed costing us more in taxes. Enough of our taxpayers money has been wasted in politicians attempting to pass "feel good" bills to try and prove they are doing their job. I urge the legistature to focus on enforcing and imposing stricter penalties for those that break our exsiting laws over creating new laws that only serve to pe nalize the law abiding citizens.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please support HB 318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB798, HB799, HB 861, HB16, HB45 Let's keep our children and other innocent bystanders safe!
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
Dear Sir or Madame. Last year in Newport News I was assaulted by a 27 year old black man from Chesapeake because of his road rage.. This was at my local bank 11;30 in the morning. This young man almost lost his life at my hand because you cannot reel in your problem young men. His words feet from me were ' im going to kick your ass and then kill you'. My pistol changed his mind. I saw for myself the woke judges and a woke system that perpetuates the problem. The criminal justice system has been flung far far left which IS causing a public safety hazzard. No new gun control is needed. More jail time for the trash that i dealt with is. My Congressman Bobby Scott and Delegate Cia Price do not represent me.
I am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
When Democrats violate the Covenant between the PEOPLE and the US Constitution as well as the VA Constitution they are acting lawlessly and undermining the commitment toward good Government agreed on for over 200 + years. Seems Democrats didn't learn anything from the Civil war. The mentality of the "Tyrant" and the "Slave Holder" still exists among the Demo-rat Party, removing statues and trying to hide and rewrite history is not good government. Oaths, integrity, and Good Government, mean nothing to this Cabal of Evil minded men and women. We the PEOPLE need and demand good government not a patch work or illegal laws we are expected to "obey" while the "perps" that pass them have no consequence for breaking Constitutional law or good Government. The Demo-rat Party needs to be dismantled and the "ignorant" ejected from the Virginia legislature at once and for all. Peter Buckingham Crozet, VA 22932
OPPOSITION to HB12 - Jones OPPOSITION to HB23 - Laufer OPPOSITION to HB158 - McClure OPPOSITION to HB183 - Simon SUPPORT of HB289 - Wiley OPPOSITION to HB351 - Clark OPPOSITION to HB585 – Mundon King SUPPORT of HB756 - Walker OPPOSITION to HB791 - Henson OPPOSITION to HB861 - Hernandez SUPPORT of HB872 - Earley SUPPORT of HB1141 - Cordoza OPPOSITION to HB1174 - Sickles SUPPORT of HB1198 - Scott
I am writing in support of HB 12, 23, 158, 183, 351, 585, 791 and 861. I also write in opposition to HB 289, 756, 872, 1141 and 1198. There is ample evidence that minimal restrictions on firearms has resulted in countless deaths and injuries. Sensible restrictions on access to lethal weapons are sorely needed at this time. In fact, the Supreme Court, in deciding on the right to bear arms, has also stated that “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. [It is] not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” If, unfortunately, assault-style weapons continue to be manufactured and owned, their access must be limited by age. In that case I would support HB 1174. Thank you for your attention to these comments.
I am a member of the Charlottesville Coalition for Gun Violence Prevention and the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice. I support all the gun safety bills: 12 23 158 183 351 585 791 861 1141 1174 I oppose these bills: 289 756 872 1198
On behalf of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, please support HB351. Thank you
Please stop wasting your time and my money on bills that have proven to be have zero impact on public safety, Please refer to Maryland, California, and the other states that already have these laws
Good afternoon, I am writing to implore you to STOP with all of the gun control bills. You are punishing law abiding citizens, who now have their RIGHTS THAT SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, infringed. And the criminals who do NOT follow these laws but who they are directed at, are not affected. Please enforce ALL of the laws that are presently in the books and prosecute those people breaking the laws and stop letting them out on bail and bond through the Soros DA’s.
In reference to all of the above proposed house bills…. In short there is NO need for any more restrictions of any type on the purchase (to include locations of ffls in reference to schools and forcing purchasers to buy locks when they already safely store their firearms), carry, storage, and use of any type of firearms. It is extremely clear that more restrictions do not do anything to stem the flow of violent crimes which may or may not involve firearms (using DC, Chicago, NYC etc as examples, where very strict firearms laws have done nothing to lower violent crime). Instead, we need to focus on allowing law enforcement to aggressively enforce the numerous existing laws, demand commonwealth attorneys offices hold criminals responsible and ensure long prison sentences on offenders. As a citizen of the commonwealth for my entire life, and a local law enforcement officer for over 2 decades I can tell you from personal experience simply adding restrictions and more laws is worthless and simply slows down the system. As they say when seconds count, the police are only minutes away…. Do not place any more restrictions on residents of the commonwealth who are forced to live in increasingly dangerous localities due to the legal changes of the past 5 years, which allow offenders to go unpunished or under punished. Simply because you do not like firearms does not mean that others should not have lessened access to purchase, use, and carry the firearms of their choice. Thank you for your consideration
I would like for the Commonwealth of Virginia to have Constitutional Carry as the law of the entire state , our right as stated in the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the Commonwealth of virginia as written by our founders gives each citizen the right to keep and bear arms with no exclusions, to be secure in their persons, unless that right has been forfeited,. Exercising this right should never lead to forfeiture of this right.
I would like for the Commonwealth of Virginia to have Constitutional Carry as the law of the entire state , our right as stated in the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the Commonwealth of virginia as written by our founders gives each citizen the right to keep and bear arms with no exclusions, to be secure in their persons, unless that right has been forfeited,. Exercising this right should never lead to forfeiture of this right.
This is absolutely egregious. A home-based FFL is an enterprise that is cleared at a higher level of proficiency and familiarity with firearms issues than any authority VA - the FFL holders are cleared and backed by the ATF. Further, an FFL, home-based or otherwise, is an enterprise in the business of safe transfer of weapons to individuals after doing criminal checks on the prospective buyer. The location near a school is irrelevant - it does not constitute a threat to a school simply because an FFL is nearby. This is a bad faith argument, and false equivalence. It’s a thin veneer. Simply put, it’s been proposed by people who do not like private ownership of firearms, and schools were picked because (deceptively) because they are evenly districted and spread through the state - after all, they’re supposed to be, to allow children access to education without having to travel unreasonably far. This also means that selecting schools as the criteria for a “no home FFL bubble” means you effectively throw a blanket over the industry. This has nothing to do with the safety of children. I find this frankly offensive and dishonest. Show me evidence where an FFL near a school has caused a problem? More than that, show me a single instance where the location was any sort of relevant. You cannot. Because it’s not true. It’s false equivalence. Let me be clear. I am a liberal person. But part of being liberal means remembering that fear mongering and bad faith, secretive agendas hurt progress. They turn people against it. Drop this frivolous nonsense. Stop making us look like idiots, please. Your crusade against portions of the bill of rights (because come on folks, we know what it is, it’s misguided) opens up very dangerous precedents for other bad faith actors to whittle down the contents of the other amendments. Read a history book. Please.
Constitutional issues when made political do no justice to representatives or their constituents. Dishonesty to the public erodes any ability for trust and assumptions based on party affiliation close down civil discussion. Some representatives run for office for gun control matters and get voted in but are you being honest with your constituents. I can quote statistics as could those supporting gun control but there are logical truths being ignored. We should change our terminology from gun control, to gun control over law biding citizens because each law that is passed in most situation only further restricts law biding citizens. Most gun laws only increase the ability to become a victim to criminal actions because in order to abide by laws implemented it puts the citizen at a considerable disadvantage . Gun free zones only mean unarmed citizens open to criminal behavior due to the inability to defend one's self. Law enforcement only enforce the laws, and cannot be there to prevent the actual crimes in most situations. Criminals intent on malfeasance will not abide by any laws put in place but exploit any such laws that allow for an advantage against an unarmed individual. This is not to say that I am apposed to back ground checks even at gun shows to avoid loop holes as I support such measures but to restrict carrying at locations or gun free zones only makes for sitting ducks. Restricting common circulation of rifles or any similar type to the AR-15 platform again only further limits the citizen from criminals AND tyrannical infrastructures within the state and federal levels. We can never assume that our representatives are in power for support of the people and our constitution I am not in support of any of the current gun control bills, I am in support of all the pro gun bills. In light of whatever is voted into law ,if it further restricts my constitutional rights and civil rights I simply cannot and will not comply. Thank you for your time on this matter.
As a fellow resident of Virginia, I urge you to OPPOSE the multiple anti-gun bills being heard today (1/25/24) in the House Public Safety Subcommittee on Firearms, including: HB 12 HB 158 HB 183 HB 351 HB 23 HB 861 HB 585 HB 1174 Please focus more on protecting lawful gun owners and enforcing the laws that career criminals routinely disregard. Thank you.
Dear Delegates of the House Public Safety- Firearms subcommittee, The selected bills are flagrantly and utterly unconstitutional and they stand as a direct violation on the sovereignty and liberties of the citizenry of the Commonwealth. Plainly stated they violate the United States Constitution ( the Supreme Law of the Land) and the God given rights of the people which the Commonwealth purports to “protect”. Such legislation is also preposterous factually as firearms are not the “problem” , they are merely tools and as such they are inert objects that are incapable of exerting will without an evil individual wielding them for malevolent purposes. Criminality is the problem , as criminals do not have any regard for the law or the well being of their fellow man, hence the definition of criminal. Therefore all of the selected legislation put hence forth only seeks to disarm law abiding citizens, those that are neither inclined nor committed to violating the law. Law abiding citizens possess firearms to defend our lives, the lives of our families, and to ensure that our sovereignty and liberty is not stripped away from us by tyrannical Marxist ideologues masquerading as “compassionate” and “caring” legislators. This is not Washington, Illinois, or even Maryland, this is the great Commonwealth of Virginia. That Virginia which led the American revolution under George Washington and in the defense of liberty against the tyrannical crown of England that once sought to oppress and yoke the citizens of the American colonies. The motto that adorns the seal of Virginia and our great state flag is “Sic Semper Tyrannis”, which means “Death to Tyrants”. Such a motto is more apropos in the tumultuous political climate of modernity than ever before, perhaps even more so than during the revolution in which it was founded. Being elected to represent the people does not confer upon any individual the power to strip the people of their inalienable rights, those rights that were enshrined by our great founders in the Constitution. To violate the United States Constitution in an effort to subjugate the people of the republic is by definition treason. The citizenry of the Commonwealth has spoken, we demand that you cease attempting to violate the rights of the people and do the actual job that you were elected to do . If such malevolently contrived shibboleth manages to pass out of the House of Delegates and Senate without veto from Governor Youngkin we will not abide by, adhere to, or sanction unconstitutional mandates in any way. Mass noncompliance will be the response to such attempts to strip the people of their Liberty. Thank you for your attention and your time, vote no to this abhorrent legislation. L.S. McClung RN, PMH-BC, CARN
I'm a law abiding citizen, retired law enforcement officer, and responding Public Safety 1st Responder Chaplain. I have been called out, responding to or serving at a number of violent acts, anf times, often in dangerous areas. I believe in these violent times, and knowing that criminals don't and won't obey the laws, that I have a need and right to be able to defend and protect myself, and be able to continue carrying, as I have for many years. Our drivers permit is for all 50 states, and we don't have to stop at a state border. I believe a concealed carry permit should be the same, recognized in all 50 states. To have to leave my firearm inside my car, to go into a public building or rest area on the highway, can put me in needless danger. If I have to take off a d put my firearm in my trunk, it let's a criminal see where it is and I don't have it. That can let them steal the firearm and/or harm me. Please allow our law abiding citizens use their 2nd Amendment Right To Keep and Bear (bear = to carry) arms. We need to fully prosecuted existing gun laws snd crimes, Not Add More Gun Controls that criminals won't obey any way. Murder has been against the law for centuries, but increasingly still going on, sometimes unpunished.
Please keep your gun grabbing hands off legally owned guns.Why not enforce the laws already on the books. Tell D.A. To do their jobs, go after the illegal guns. It is not legal guns that is the problem, it is the illegal guns. If more people carried legally crime could go down because the bad guys won’t know whose packing and could respond to crime. Thank you for reading my response. Alexander G. Morris IV.
Please do not vote for or advance any anti gun bills. Each one limits a citizens 2nd Amendment rights... I.E. banning commonly owned and used semi automatic rifles, which is unconstitutional under Bruen... Raising the age to purchase firearms. If one can serve in the military, one can purchase a firearm. Plus, its unconstitutional under Bruen AND a Virginia court ruled against it as well. Limiting where one can carry. This only creates more soft targets which criminals will not obey anyway. Banning unserialized firearms . Unconstitutional since some were made before 1968, when numbers were not required. Also, people have the right to build unserialized firearms in their homes for personal use. This has never been an issue, but decriminalization of crimes is causing an increase in violent crimes. THAT is a problem. Limiting how many firearms one can purchase in a given period is unfair. These are just a few . Please understand all the anti gun bills are unconstitutional, especially in light of the Bruen decision. I do urge you to vote for any pro gun bills. The right to keep and bear arms is a constitutional right. The Heller, McDonald, and Bruen decisions reinforce that right. The only limits on this right should be for criminals, illegal aliens, and anyone who has been mentally adjudicated/ forced into an institution. The issue we face should be how to repair our broken mental health infrastructure, not to limit the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Our freedom was won with illegal and unregistered firearms. Please look to the G.O. A. And VCDL for guidance on Second Amendment issues. Freedom first, safety second.
I support these bills!
Hello, My name is Sameet Singh, I was born in Punjab, India and moved to Northern Virginia when I was 1 year old. Since then, I’veattended some great K-12 schools in the NOVA area, graduated from George Mason University in 2020, and now work in the Cyber Security field, serving one of our largest US Government Departments. My message to you today is not regarding any single bill in particular, but more of a mindset. I’m sure everyone here has a family that they would do anything for. We work hard everyday to provide for and to protect our families. And a big part in being able to protect, is having the right tool to protect yourself and your family members. This is why the best tool to have at your disposal is a firearm, a gun. Because if you or your family were attacked by someone in your home or out and about in public, a firearm, would be the best tool to have to save yourself and them from an attacker. Even if you’re able to call the police, it’ll at least take a few minutes for them to arrive, and sadly, within those minutes, only a few seconds are needed to completely change your world. Therefore, you are always your OWN first responser, before any other help arrives. This is why, anything, that would hinder your ability to protect yourself or your family with the best tool that you could use, a firearm, should really be re-thought. Unfortunately our society is not at the point where crime dosen’t happen, there’s no supernatural being or superhero that will swoop in to protect us in our times of need, there’s no Spider-Man or Superman who will save the day for us. However, the next best thing we have, is an responsibly armed citizen. A citizen who who is able to be gentle and loving with their kids and partner, but at the same time, prepared and alert at a moments notice when danger reveals itself. Thank you for listening, and thank you for your service to your communities, I wish you all a prosperous new year. Best, Sameet Singh
HB12 - Jones . I not not support . All firearms dealers currently offer a Firearm locking device on the sale or transfer of handguns. All new firearm come with a locking device and warning labels. child safety warning required. This doesn't change the current practice by dealers in offering for free locking devices. HB 23 Weapons; possession or transportation into facility that provides mental health services, etc. I do not support,. This bill does not exempt ems medical services or the fire service which many carry concealed when transporting patients to an emergency room or mental health facility on the duty. HB158 - McClure I do not support . All firearms dealers currently offer a Firearm locking device on the sale or transfer of handguns. All new firearm come with a locking device and warning labels. child safety warning required. This doesn't change the current practice by dealers in offering for free locking devices. HB183 - Simon HB289 - Wiley I support carrying a concealed handgun with a permit into public parking lots and storing there gun makes sense and do not unarm the citizen while in their personal vehicle. HB351 - Clark I not not support . All firearms dealers currently offer a Firearm locking device on the sale or transfer of handguns. All new firearm come with a locking device and warning labels. child safety warning required. This doesn't change the current practice by dealers in offering for free locking devices. most police departments give away free locking devices. HB585 - Mundon King I do not support this bill changes little firearms transactions which must be performed at a already approved ATF dealer location. 1.5miles is overreach by the state. HB756 - Walker I do not support. This limits gun rights. Not protection for EMS or fire personnel HB791 - Henson I do not support. This bill eliminates the number of programs that have pneumatic bb gun competition for 4 H at private or religious schools. HB861 - Hernandez I do not support,. This bill does not exempt ems medical services or the fire service which many carry concealed when transporting patients to an emergency room or mental health facility in the duty. HB872 - Earley I support . Always a lawful citizen to store a lawfully possessed firearm and ammunition in a locked private motor vehicle parked at any parking area owned or controlled by the Commonwealth. HB1141 - Cordoza I support HB1174 - Sickles I do not support changing the definition of an assault weapon widely and increasing the age which will make little difference. HB1198 - Scott, P.A. I support in reducing the fee
Vietnam Veteran - Retired Special Agent & LEO ( military 19 yrs & Federal 10 plus years) - that is me. Please consider the Bill of Rights; law abiding citizens rights to freedoms and rights of self protection. Criminals don’t follow laws against violence and criminal acts. Thank you
I oppose all of the gun control measures proposed in this session. I support Mr. Freitas' proposal for permitless carry.
Seems to me the General Assembly needs to pay attention to the Supreme Court rulings. Most of these bills if not all ignore what the Court has ruled on. Does the Gov. of Virginia think they are above the highest court in the land? Also, do not think for a Nano second that I believe these bills are about crime control. They are all about people control PERIOD. A Tyrannical state. I will fight this!!
NOT ONE OF THESE BILLS ARE CONSTITUTIONAL &/OR NECESSARY! THEY'RE SIMPLY SOLUTIONS IN SEARCH OF NONEXISTENT PROBLEMS! HB 12: Federal law already covers this and it is an unnecessary expense for gun dealers. HB 23: Not constitutional under Bruen and disarms visitors, family, and staff. HB 158: Federal law already covers this and it is an unnecessary expense for gun dealers. HB 183: Current law already covers 14 and under. 15, 16, and 17-year-olds have used guns to save lives by stopping home invasions or violent attacks on family members. HB 585: Unconstitutional and a solution to a non-existent problem. Home-based gun dealers don't have signs outside of their home generally. The customer has to be invited in. Convenience stores that have liquor, tobacco products, and vaping products are open to the public and within 1.5 miles of schools, yet there is no concern about that. HB 791: Another solution to a problem that doesn't exist. HB 861: Not constitutional under Bruen and disarms visitors, family, and staff. HB 1174: A Virginia court has struck down part of the Universal Background Check law because it made it impossible for 18, 19, and 20-year-olds to purchase a handgun. Other states have also struck down such prohibitions under Bruen. Thank you.
So there is nothing as important in and for Virginia other then Supporting Communist Legislation against the Constitution of VA and the US Constitution that all this effort must be the first thing on the agenda when a Demo-rat Majority is fraudulently elected to the House and Senate. You fools must make the people that pay you off very happy to have you ear and sell yourself to the Communist Party. Demo-rats are an embarrassment to Freedom and Good Government. Patrick Henry, you may have heard of him? Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men, without a consequent loss of liberty? ********************************** The eternal difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate, it is immutable. ********************************** The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests. ********************************** Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands? ********************************** Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.... The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun.
I strongly support House bills 12, 23, 158, 183, 351, 861 and 585, These bills will make our communities safer by requiring safe storage of firearms, banning the sales of assault weapons to people under 21 years of age, and restricting the public places where people can carry firearms, including mental health facilities. Safe storage will protect children and teens from inadvertent shootings and school shootings, and everyone from suicide. Waiting periods for purchase can prevent impulsive misuse. I oppose bills 389, 872, 1141, and 1198. Allowing more guns into more places will not make us safer. Every shooter is a law-abiding citizen with 2nd amendment rights, until they open fire on other people. I don't trust a "good guy" with a gun to have the current training or expertise to shoot down a criminal without accidentally hitting innocent people, or themselves. There is always the threat that a criminal will grab a gun from the "good guy" and turn it on him/her. As a diplomat representing the United States in foreign countries during my 33 years in the U.S. State Department, my heart bled every time we had another mass shooting. People there would ask me, "What is wrong with your society?" The first seven gun safety bills passed in 2020 made Virginia a leader in gun safety legislation. Subsequent shootings, such as six-year old shooting his teacher with his mother's gun, demonstrate the need for evidence-driven initiatives that will reduce gun death and injuries in our Commonwealth.
In regards to HB2 and additional proposed firearm-related legislation. I do not believe adding additional restrictions, especially financial burdens, is a fair and ethical way of combating crime and violence with firearms. I believe there should be more freedom for owning and carrying firearms, but like the idea of additional training requirements and locking devices (gun safes) when in a home with minors. If the state were to enact any bills or policies further restricting access, there needs to be a free (government funded) way to access these rights for law-abiding citizens free of discrimination of any kind.
These proposals are solutions in search of problems. Many of these violate the Bruen decision. I would love for us to eliminate sovereign immunity. These politicians must be able to be sued personally, held both criminally and civilly liable for any vote in favor of a law, if they knew or should have known it violates or God given rights.
I feel violated. This legislation scares me and I'm a constituent. Show me the evidence that the legislation you are proposing will actually reduce crime and violence. There is none. These are "do something" acts that restrict my right as a good, sane, sober, moral and prudent citizen to keep and bear arms. If there were a violent criminal act for which I was now unprepared, restricted in my ability to defend innocent life, who will bear responsibility for that?
As a born and bred Virginian; a father and husband; a disabled veteran and active member in the community; I cannot understand why individuals who are elected, willingly do what they can to violate both the Virginia and United States Constitutions to penalize law-abiding citizens such as myself. I have spent a life of duty and dedication in service and occupations to protect our State and Country from those who wish to subjecgate its citizens or worse. Not only do all of these restrictions seek a perspective only solution, they do so at the cost of innocent citizens. Law-abiding citizens do not commit drug gang offenses, home invasions, mass shootings. These are the acts of career criminals or mentally disturbed individuals. None of these proposed bills addresses those issues or the deeper problem of why people are so quick to commit these acts. Murder is murder, whether a gun is used or a cane, it is still wrong. I'm more concerned about why, instead of the tool. Obviously, certain politicians are only worried about the tools. These proposed bills are all clearly agenda focused without factual information to support true results that may be gained by violating state and federal laws to enact. The Supreme Court very clearly defined the right to arms and most of these bills would violate those freedoms. Nor is it legislators purview to dictate what citizens do with what they have within the confines if their own home. THAT, is yet another violation. It is also disturbing that legislators seem to be focused on separating Virginia from reciprocity, thus affecting relations with other states, which ultimately led to a civil war last time. They are also creating more areas where people who mean to harm can do so without fear of being stopped such as adding a new gun free zone. This is a very bad and ill-conceived premise. If the point has not been made yet, then perhaps citizens need to start holding legislators civilly responsible for lives lost as a result of such zones. Clearly they are not effective. I ask that you stop operating under partisan politics and quid pro quo agendas which only serve to penalize and subjegate our citizenry. This is not what servicemembers and veterans served, sacrificed and vowed to defend. Freedom has a cost, and it is difficult to understand, especially through the fear and pain. There is NO such thing as safety. There never was, and never will be. America has MANY enemies out there in the world, and it's citizens; it's armed citizens; are the LAST line of defense. Continuing to attempt to disarm law-abiding citizens only further prompts the question by citizens for the legislators... "Whose side are you truly on?" Please repeal these bills and focus more on actual crime, deterrence for early release, stiffer penalties for existing criminals who continue to commit them and stop bringing in more and more illegal immigrants. Thank you for your attention. Lessons of the Past, Lost to Actions of the Present, Will Forever Damn the Future. -Sean Flippin - 1989
Everyone of these bills further restricting the rights of the law abiding citizen should be voted down.
I do not support any proposed gun restriction bills. I have been a resident of VA for 40 years and have never been in trouble with the law. I do not think the bills that are being proposed will deter gun violence. The issue is not guns. It is mental health.
HB 12, Jones, requires a locking device and informational stickers to be included with every handgun sold. Federal law already covers this and it is an unnecessary expense for gun dealers. HB 23, Laufer, prohibits guns in hospitals and emergency rooms. Not constitutional under Bruen and disarms visitors, family, and staff. HB 158, McClure - Federal law already covers this and it is an unnecessary expense for gun dealers. HB 183, Simon - Current law already covers 14 and under. 15, 16, and 17-year-olds have used guns to save lives by stopping home invasions or violent attacks on family members. HB 585, Mundon King, is Unconstitutional and a solution to a non-existent problem. Home-based gun dealers don't have signs outside of their home generally. The customer has to be invited in. Convenience stores that have liquor, tobacco products, and vaping products are open to the public and within 1.5 miles of schools, yet there is no concern about that. HB 791, Hanson, makes BB gun possession on school groups a FELONY. Another solution to a problem that doesn't exist. HB 861, Hernandez, is not constitutional under Bruen and disarms visitors, family, and staff. HB 1174, Sickles, A Virginia court has struck down part of the Universal Background Check law because it made it impossible for 18, 19, and 20-year-olds to purchase a handgun. Other states have also struck down such prohibitions under Bruen.
Why is it that you want to continue to go against your sworn oath to office and institute further gun restrictions and control on law biding citizens? With control of the senate and house why don't you focus on the root of the problem which is more to improve the socio-economic issues regions face which should in turn lower drug and gang related problems which in turn is the true reason behind your "gun violence" issue you continue to speak on. WE DO NOT HAVE A GUN VIOLENCE ISSUE, we have violence issue that you need to address not through more gun restrictions. Enough with the gun control bills, it is the first thing the democratic party pushes when they get control of the majority. Use this time to better the communities or is that just tok difficult for you? As all you want to do is make it so criminals have more power over law biding citizens, pull our children into gang and drug culture and go easy on crime so they know there is no accountability for their actions.
"The right to keepand bear arms shall not be infringed..." Those who carry firearms should not leave them in vehicles. Many guns used in crimes are stolen, often from vehicles. Hospitals and other places people gather are where trained armed civilians can thwart a crime or mass shooting. The AR-15 is a civilian multi-purpose rifle -- easy to operate, inexpensive, accurate, low recoil, low cost ammo, and potentially lethal when necessary. It is the best rifle ever invented for U.S. civilian use...hunting, self and home defense, and target shooting. Resources in VA should be used for law enforcement, crime prevention and mental health. Take ILLEGAL guns off the streets.
Given the second amendment of the constitution, there shall be no laws that prevent me from being able to protect myself. I am a conceal carry holder and have been for almost 10 years now. We vehemently oppose any laws that would prevent Conceal Carry Holders from carrying our weapon. Our goal is to have protection and not need it rather than needing protection, and not being able to have it. We will not comply.
When will misguided legislators learn that infringing the right of law abiding citizens to exercise our Second Amendment liberties does nothing to make the public safe? In fact, it makes us all less safe because criminals love restrictions on lawful firearm ownership. Wake up! Follow the Constitution. “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed!” Bishop E.W. Jackson STAND Virginia PAC
First, SCOTUS has addressed gun rights; access to magazines & ammo multiple times. Multiple times, SCOTUS' decision has sided with law abiding gun owners. I am curious as to why you continue to suppress our God given constitutionally protected right to bear arms? I can only assume one of two reasons. Either (A) you are completely uneducated as to the writers of the constitution, as well as their separate and several memoirs on the right to keep and bear arms; and furthermore ignorant of the right of the People to keep and bear arms as a result of the People having fought against tyranny using NOT federally provided military arms and ammunition - rather, PRIVATELY owned arms and ammunition. Below are just a few examples of historically accurate statements on said RIGHTS : “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” – Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776 “A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.” – Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785 “Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops.” – Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, October 10, 1787 “To disarm the people…[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them.” – George Mason, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788 “I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers.” – George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788 My questions are simply these, who do you expect to follow these laws that you put forth? Criminals? Why would you expect someone who is a CRIMINAL to obey the law? Maybe you should take some time and learn the definition? Which brings me to part (B) as to why I think you are trying to bar citizens from owning semi-auto rifles & there average magazines - you fear us to the point where you want to disarm us in much the same way HITLER disarmed HIS constituency. Clearly Thomas Jefferson had it correct - when he said “The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes…. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” – Thomas Jefferson, Commonplace Book (quoting 18th century criminologist Cesare Beccaria), 1774-1776. Tyranny is the only reasonable explanation for your efforts because the lies spread by the US Government regarding death tolls, etc., is a complete fallacy. All you have to do is a little independent research regarding 'mass shootings.' And yes, private citizens did in fact have legal ownership of canons all the way through the Civil War era. Only an idiot would believe the lies that they did not.
Please leave law abiding citizens alone and focus the Commonwealth’s limited resources on the arrest, conviction, and incarceration of violent individuals. Paul Trible Blue Grass, VA
Suggest instead of Firearms Safety Subcommittee... Crimes Safety Subcommittee. greatly more effective! THE REAL ISSUE!
None of these proposals will impact the behavior of a criminal - only making law abiding citizens vulnerable as a new "gun free" zone attracts people seeking to make a statement with a gun and want time to do so before someone with a gun shows up. Additionally, most of these targeted problems are not currently problems or represent a growing trend that needs additional protections enacted to address. In my view, these bills have limited to no chance to provide additional protections or impact criminal behavior but DO further strip your constituents God give rights to provide the illusion of protection.
I'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
My fellow Virginia’s I write today to comment on the bills before you. I am a retired Army veterans. I grew up in Virginia, went to ODU and instead of seeking residency in other states, stayed a Virginian and paid taxes while on active duty. I fought in war and lost good Soldiers and friends defending this nation, you and our Constitution. I retired in Virginia because I love this state. Your body will decide, with its vote, to either infringe on our rights or defend them. I ask you to defend them like those friends and Soldiers that also did. I am a responsible gun owner who raised his children to be responsible gun owners (all three are serving or served). I am also a CCP holder who is willing to defend his fellow citizens. If you vote for any of these bills to limit our rights it will impact my ability to defend myself and my family. Please do the right thing and defend the 2nd Amd. My wife and I already decided to leave the state if you enact these measures to limit our rights. Thank you Oliver Rose
This proposed legislation is blatantly unconstitutional and, if passed, it will, no doubt, be challenged in court. The taxpayers of Virginia will then be obligated to defend these unconstitutional measures, and those defenses will almost certainly lose. This will result in costly, meaningless court costs for all Virginia taxpayers. Those tax dollars could be spent on more meaningful and productive activities that benefit all citizens.
It is outrageous that the General Assembly is using our 2nd Amendment right to punish law abiding citizens who have done nothing wrong other then to defend themselves. It’s clear that Democrats pander to their bases without a thought about the citizens of this Commonwealth or this nation. This issue amongst others, galvanize the voters to get out and vote for the party that does not seek to encroach our rights under the State and Federal Constitution. There is zero proof that We The People are deranged killers, a mob or even the radical right that the Democrat who currently occupies the White House has said. He’d called us Nazis and portrayed honest, hardworking and law abiding citizens as the problem. We are not. Opens border, out of control spending, child indoctrination and parroting the DNC is the problem that is self inflicted and deserves nothing less then our disgust and rebuke come November 2024. The General Assembly reflects the divide between Northern Virginia to Richmond and the difference in South Eastern, Western Virginia. The Democrat party and Legislature know full well that gun control laws if enacted, will not reduce violence but increase victimhood that they’ll blame on Republicans and the cycle continues. Pathetic fools and they wonder why I’ve stopped contributing to candidates who never deliver to fools who govern us.
Please, NO more gun control. You all KNOW that criminals do not follow your laws. All your gun control does is limit my and my family's rights to self defense and peaceful enjoyment of the shooting sports. Instead, put, and keep, actual violent offenders in jail. It really is that simple.
As a woman and a 30 plus year Emergency Department nurse I ask you to reject these onerous gun control laws. Laws like these discourage women who are most at risk from being able to obtain the means to defend themselves. I worked many a late night shift in Northern Virginia and walked through empty parking lots and garages worried about my safety. Women should not have to suffer this and should have ready access to the means to defend themselves. You aren't disarming criminals your are disarming women.
The bills under consideration will do nothing to increase the safety of Virginians while infringing on our right to defend ourselves. They are designed to make it more difficult to obtain a firearm, possess a firearm, or use a firearm to defend oneself or others. Meanwhile criminals will continue unabated. Moreover, most of these unconstitutional laws have been rendered moot as they have been struck down by state and federal courts. As a former police officer and detective I implore you to reject these useless and unconstitutional laws. Thank you
No more gun control legislation. It's not the gun that's the issue. It's the mentally ill folks that obtained a gun.
No more unconstitutional gun control.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support these bills. To all responsible gun owners: you shouldn't be afraid of these common sense bills. These bills are directed at people who are not handling their firearms as the deadly weapons that they can be. Instead of thinking your rights are being taken away, consider instead how safe storage, permits and waiting periods could help the daily gun violence in our country. Keep your guns, we are not trying to take them away. These bills are an opportunity for you, as a responsible gun owner, to be a part of the solution to help cut down on needless violence.
Remember Delegates...you took an Oath to 'Support and Defend the Constitution of the Unites States of America' which includes the 2nd Amendment!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
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.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
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
THe Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
THe Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
Every gun law is an infringement. I am a parent and I oppose HB351.
I'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill.
HB362 - Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery of a family or household member, etc.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
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.
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.
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.
There are approximately 47 bills regarding gun control between the House and Senate. Rather than fix issues that actually protect and enhance the lives of Virginians, many of these bills seek to disenfranchise and reduce the safety of the citizens in this great Commonwealth. Firearms are so fundamental to the founding and continued existence of our free society that they are listed just second to the freedom of speech in amendments to the constitution. It is plainly clear to all that countries and states who have banned or severely restricted firearms that violence does not end with their banning. Unjust deaths are not prevented. It simply ensures that law abiding citizens are left defenseless from those that wish to harm them, whether that be individuals or an organization. I write this knowing that it will be completely disregarded by the bills authors, but in hopes that others feel galvanized to speak up against unjust actions made in the name of progress. To those who wish to protect themselves with firearms while simultaneously stripping them from the common man, may you take heed of the Virginia state motto.
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!
These proposed laws will do nothing but make more victims out of citizens that are exercising their 2nd amendment rights. Criminals do not care about these restrictions, these laws are merely an extension of the culture war. They are meant to punish anyone that the Northern Virginia and big city politicians don’t like. While violent criminals continue to arm themselves, the law abiding citizens of The Commonwealth would be left without defense. These laws are feckless and meant only to virtue signal. One with even a basic understanding of our constitution would see these as exactly what they are: illegal and Un-American.
There is no acceptable reason to infringe upon the Constitutionally-protected (both US and Virginia's Constitutions) rights of Americans and Virginians. None of these bills purported to reduce gun-related violence actually seem to prioritize the reduction of causal effects of overall violence. Many of these are merely attempts to curb the rights of the People to keep and bear arms, because our legislative bodies are full of corrupt, weak, and contemptible individuals. Show us the bills for addressing the root causes of violence: mental health, income inequality, social instability, lack of education and educational opportunities, drug & human trafficking, or employment & wages (this list is not all-inclusive).
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 am writing to voice my opposition to the multiple house and senate bills that do nothing to penalize violent criminals and arbitrarily turn law abiding gun owning citizens into criminals or strip these citizens of their rights and valuable property without due process. I am also opposed to further limitations being placed on citizens who have fulfilled the requirements to obtain a VA Concealed Handgun Permit. Again, the very people who have invested time and money in their committment to adhere to the law are being penalized.
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
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.
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We can all agree violence is an issue but making more unconstitutional, on a national and state level, gun laws will not help with the rates of violent crimes and property crimes as we see from states with stricter gun laws. We need to increase access to mental health and community resources to address the root causes of issues rather than criminalizing responsible gun owners. I am opposed to this attack on the second amendment which is the fundamental backbone that protects the other freedoms guranteed in the constitution.
Dear Honorable Members of the House of Delegates, I write to you today as a concerned citizen, deeply invested in the well-being and safety of our communities, and as someone who values the principles upon which our nation was founded. The issue at hand, the introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is one that I believe warrants a thoughtful reconsideration in light of its broader implications. 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.*** Constituents see this robust effort to "see what sticks" as a weakness within our party. Comparatively imbalanced with the diverse range of issues and concerns that we face everyday. A waste. As we move forward, I encourage you to approach this issue with a balanced perspective, one that recognizes the need for effective strategies to combat gun violence while also safeguarding the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our nation. The path to meaningful change is complex, requiring a nuanced understanding of the issues at hand and a commitment to policies that truly serve the best interests of all our citizens. In closing, 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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
You guys make it harder and harder to vote Democrat every single cycle. Complete ban on Semi Automatics more or less making the state even stricter towards guns then states like Maryland? I oppose all these even the "herp common sense derp" ones because the states party has made it clear they don't give a crap about anything but putting hollow wins for politicians because hhheeeyyy punishing law abiding gun owners is a whole lot easier then creating jobs or reducing crime. If these bills die before getting to the governors desk, especially the bans, then I will gladly continue to vote DNC. But if Youngkin has to veto these and you make me say something I never thought I would "Thank god Youngkin won" then I look forward to blindly going down the ticket in 2024 and checking "R" on everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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.
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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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.
These anti gun laws are an infringement on all Virginian's 2A rights.
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.
I am against all of these blatantly unconstitutional firearms restrictions. I'm strongly against: SB2| Deeds | Assault firearms certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. This tries to ban things that are in common use, which has never worked well for the government, remember Prohibition? Remember the war on drugs? Just like the last assault weapons ban, this will literally just make AR-15s more popular and easier to get illegally. And I am against: HB585 | Mundon King | Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools, penalties. That specifically targets home-based FFLs whose house is somewhere near a school. This would put hundreds of Virginia residents out of business just because of where they live.
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.
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.
An inordinate focus on the control of firearms only serves to infringe the rights of the law-abiding citizen in defense of his life and property. The State should instead focus on the apprehension and incarceration of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and associated misuse of firearms.
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.
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.
These laws are mostly going to effect law abiding citizens like myself and all the people I know. WHEN HAVE CRIMINALS FOLLOWED LAWS??? The only thing these criminals that commit gun related offenses is some kind of force of action. Why are you going to try to take our 2nd Amendment Rights away from people who follow the laws and love our great country? We should be focusing on increasing penalties against those who commit the crimes. Stop focusing on the law abiding citizens and focus on the criminals that are terrorizing all of our towns. Our government is letting millions and millions of unknown people in our country without having a clue what kind of person they are. I'm sure most are good people like you and me but not all of them are. We need our guns to be able to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our country if needed. Our founding fathers have it right and put a lot of thoughts into our constitution and bill of rights. I thought Democrats were about equality and the working man/woman. If you all want good for us law abiding citizens, work together, make compromises, and start doing your duty. We do not need more "big government" taking more rights. What we need is a closed border so we can fight this drug crisis. Slow the flow of drugs and these gangs fall apart. Once they fall apart maybe these shootings would slow down. Please do the right thing and do not sign these gun bills. All this woke crap is ruining our country. Y'all need to please make changes and focus on what's going to help all of us not just the minority.
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
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 strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
These all seem like infringements that will do nothing to curb any crime. Further they will only create criminals out of everyday law abiding folk. These are laws that seem to be targeting victimless crimes.
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 oppose all these unconstitutional, dangerous, and pointless laws.
I oppose all useless firearm changes. Criminals will not obey
HB113 | Sullivan | Handguns; possession, purchase, or transportation by persons convicted of certain drug offenses. HB1174 | Sickles | Assault firearms; age requirement for purchase, penalty. HB1195 | Hayes | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. HB12 | Jones | Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required. HB1235 | Zehr | Concealed handguns; protective orders. HB1424 | Hope | Firearms; valid permit to purchase, penalties. HB1462 | Laufer | Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. HB158 | McClure | Firearm locking device; required for sale or transfer of firearm. HB16 | Garrett | Firearm or explosive material; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, etc. HB173 | Simon | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. HB175 | Simon | Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty. HB183 | Simon | Firearms; storage in residence where minor or person prohibited from possessing is present, penalty. HB2 | Helmer | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, sales, transfers, etc., prohibited. HB22 | Jones | Auto sears; definition, prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. HB270 | Reid | Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc. HB319 | Helmer | Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code. HB35 | Clark | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. HB351 | Clark | Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty. HB362 | McClure | Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against an intimate or dating partner. HB454 | Callsen | Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth. HB46 | Bennett-Parker | Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. HB466 | Helmer | Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. HB791 | Henson | Pneumatic guns; Class 6 felony to possess. HB797 | Hope | Concealed handguns; demonstrated competence for a permit, firearms instructors and safety programs. HB798 | Hope | Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation. HB799 | Hope | Concealed handgun permit applications; fingerprints required by local governments. HB861 | Hernandez | Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services. HB945 | Lopez | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. SB100 | Ebbin | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. SB2 | Deeds | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. SB210 | Perry | Auto sears; prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. SB273 | Subramanyam | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. I oppose all these bills.
I oppose this bill as it seeks to infringe on the Consitutionally proctected rights of lawabiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, criminals who do not follow the law. This bill makes it harder for someone to keep themselves safe and is primarily a solution 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 due to gun control laws, in fact as gun control laws increase, s o does the rate of violent crimes. Criminals are not afraid of police, they are afraid of armed citizens. The subject of this bill has already been defeated in courts, passing this into law will only subject the Commonwealth to more lawsuits to have it repealed costing us more in taxes. Enough of our taxpayers money has been wasted in politicians attempting to pass "feel good" bills to try and prove they are doing their job. I urge the legistature to focus on enforcing and imposing stricter penalties for those that break our exsiting laws over creating new laws that only serve to pe nalize the law abiding citizens.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please support HB 318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB798, HB799, HB 861, HB16, HB45 Let's keep our children and other innocent bystanders safe!
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
Everything we can do to keep our children and communities safe must be of the utmost priority. Our country has blood on its hands and state and federal leaders must open their eyes and hearts to pushing forward for what’s best for us as a society- that does not include firearms, ammunition, and hate. Mental health is but one part of the issue at hand here and it’s critical we solve the gun violence epidemic in a bipartisan and comprehensive fashion. I support all efforts to improve mental health services and school and community safety including eliminating access to automatic weapons, increasing the purchase age and increasing background check and screenings.
In the U.S. today, an average of 70 women a month are shot and killed by an intimate partner. The League of Women Voters of Virginia joins other gun violence prevention organizations in supporting this bill that will close the boyfriend loophole and protect women from those intimate partners who intend to use their firearms to harm themselves or others.
As a lawful firearm owner and concealed carry holder in multiple state, I urge you to oppose these unconstitutional bills. These bills will do nothing but infringe on our rights and do nothing to punish those who use firearms in an unlawful manner. Here are a few examples of why these bills are bad: HB 270 and HB 1195 - what problem does this solve for? Virginia has an "instant check" system and this bill makes that moot. HB 319 and HB 797 - reducing the places where someone can get trained on how to safely and effectively use firearms is counterintuitive. If anything, the number of firearm training locations should be increased to maximize the safe operations of firearms. HB 362 and HB 798 - misdemeanors should never deprive an individual of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. HB 861 - this is another attempt to reduce a person's ability to protect themselves. Rather than take away the rights of lawful American citizens, please focus on punishing actual criminals and, if need be, make those penalties more harsh. All of these bills are intended to make law-abiding American citizens less able to protect themselves. They do nothing to impact the criminal or mentally unstable element of society and those are the people who commit violence whether that be with firearms, knives, hammers, or their bare hands. As legislators, you need to focus on stopping the bad buy and maximizing the freedoms and liberties of the good guys. These bills are anti-American and should be opposed vehemently.
To Firearms Subcommittee of House Public Safety, I have read and reviewed the bills referenced in this correspondence and see little value in them. All do nothing more than punish and add restrictions to law-abiding gun owners that will do nothing to prevent violent crimes committed with a firearm. In some cases, these bills seem to be personal vendettas against the NRA and USCCA. I urge members of this committee to reject all of the bills I have referenced in this correspondence.
Makes battery in a “dating relationship” a misdemeanor and takes away the right to purchase, possess, or transport a firearm for three years. Misdemeanors should never take away a civil right. This will also not stand up to court challenge under the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision as there was no history or tradition of taking away a person’s right to keep and bear arms over misdemeanor battery of anyone.
Constitutionally protected civil rights should NEVER be taken away for a misdemeanor. McClure's and Hope's bills must be soundly rejected. Vote NO.
I am a volunteer with Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and we support these bills.
I support these bills.
Please oppose HB175, which should be called the "scary looking gun prohibition bill". Does nothing to advance safety and in unconstitutional per Bruen. Please oppose HB270, which is a back door gun show ban, a callous disarming of women facing domestic abusers, and puts the Commonwealth in the business of buying legal firearms. Please oppose HB318, which imposes civil penalties on manufacturers and distributors in one of the most highly regulated industries in the country for end user behavior. Additionally, it is terribly worded, adding civil liability for even things like safety devices. Please oppose HB24/861. a "facility that provides mental health" services could include any emergency room. Think about where our ER's and trauma centers are. HB319 and HB797 are comical on their face. One cannot credibly claim that training programs from the National Rifle Association are inadequate. This is politics, plain and simple. HB799 is a solution in search of a problem. 10 years ago the fingerprint req't was eliminated - what's changed? This is an attempt to add friction to people trying their best to comply with an already intrusive process. Please support HB1230, which puts defenders closer to our children when time is of the essence and creates an effective deterrent. Please support HB1235, which enables women to protect themselves against abusers and rapists while a protective order is in place. Please support HB1325, which eliminates paperwork made unnecessary.
Apparently, you all think your authority comes from you; is deserved by you; and should be used to further your agenda in disarming law abiding citizens. SCOTUS decisions in Heller and Bruen have already decided the fate of your bills. You are likely going to get sued, your bills will lose and you will have done nothing whatsoever but waste taxpayer time and money on a frivolous pursuit. Which brings me to question what, exactly is the end result? Is it to weaponize laws against law abiding citizens in lawfare? Maybe you think we will run out of money or out of steam in defending our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS. Good luck with that, you will need it. The US Constitution has been argued multiple times regarding gun rights and clearly you either do not care about the rulings; about the Constitution as ratified and adopted by Virginia; nor the views of your constituents. You neither deserve, nor are owed, any kind of allegiance from us. WE DO NOT serve YOU. As a matter of fact our government, across the entire United States, is actually opposite your entitled, two-tiered justice, elitist hypocrisy; which is to say YOU SERVE US! Your lawfare tactics; constantly thumbing your nose at our RIGHTS because 'scary gun bad,' is not going to go in your favor. We are well aware of your marxist ideologies and how much you hate your country and how you believe that the rights of the individual are outweighed by your need to subjugate. We are well aware of your continuation to craft laws carving out, little by little, more power for yourselves and less freedom for us. God will not judge us for standing against you. You took an oath to support, protect and defend the Constitution. You have an opportunity, to simply admit you are wrong and turn away from this course of action. Impaling yourself because you'd rather do that than admit you are wrong is not the way to go. I understand an admission of wrong action will come with a swath of angry people jeering and cheering against you, however, redirecting course is still a better option than trying to force your constituency to rely on 'government,' to help which is tantamount to murder. The national average police response is around 12 minutes to a crime scene, coupled with the fact that SCOTUS has ruled many times that a law enforcement officer has no duty to place him/herself in harms way to protect anyone (DeShaney vs. Winnebago and Town of Castle Rock vs. Gonzales, and Warren vs. District of Columbia), and all you have done is place criminals at the top of the food chain offering up your constituency as nothing more than their next meal.
As a parent, I support these common-sense gun reform bills.
Tilting at windmills: The debate on whether an AR-15 is a military or non-military firearm is moot The anti-gunners panties are in a tight wad over AR-15s because they don’t like black guns, especially if those guns have various cosmetic features, such as a bayonet lug. You know - the scourge of drive-by bayonetings going on in Chicago? So, the anti’s latest tactic is to scream (that’s pretty much their main mode of communication) that an AR-15 is a weapon of war and should not be owned by anyone but the military, government agencies, and the police. So, if citizens don’t need so-called “weapons of war”, why exactly would the police and government bureaucrats need them? <Crickets chirping quietly in the background> Armies have not used AR-15s in war, so it’s hard to call one a weapon of war. The M-16/M-4 is superior for that purpose with its semi-automatic, burst, and fully automatic selector switch. That said, could one fight a war with an AR-15? Sure. AR-15s have a lot in common with their M-16/M-4 cousin. AR-15s use the same mid-power cartridge and the same 20 or 30-round magazine as the M-16/M-4. And the really scary issue for the antis is the AR-15 LOOKS LIKE an M-16! But all of this is totally moot. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution both protect the right of the People to own and carry bearable weapons of war! Even the Supreme Court back in 1939 in US v Miller made it clear that any weapon of use to a militia (think “weapon of war”) is protected by the Second Amendment. And American history and tradition back up that right. From the beginning, Americans have owned and carried weapons in use by the military: from muskets to revolvers, to pistols, to pump and semi-automatic shotguns, to lever-action, bolt-action, and semi-automatic rifles, and, to a lesser degree, both fully-automatic rifles and pistols. So, to my anti-gun friends: I am tired of arguing with you about whether an AR-15 is a sporting gun or a “weapon of war.” Call it what you want, but it is protected by the Second Amendment either way.
I ask the subcommittee to oppose the passage of these bills.
I, Carolyn Kochard, on behalf of Virginia Moms for Change support the above bills because data shows that these laws help reduce gun-related deaths.
Dear Members; What part of 'shall not infringe' do you not understand ? Donald Trump on the ballot and let's go Brandon. My congressmen Bobby Scott and my delegate Cia Price do NOT represent me ! Thank you John Zielanski
I moved to Virginia 15 years ago after I retired. I chose Virginia because of the reasonable, common sense gun laws, among other reasons, as compared to where I came from. I am an avid competitive shooter and hunter and made Virginia my home on that basis. I pay considerably more in taxes, with the exception of real estate, to support my state and county governments and ask and get little in return. In the last 8 years the state of Virginia has enacted a myriad of new firearms regulations that do nothing to prevent crime or make us safer. The new laws being considered will have the same effect. Your focus should be on crime and how to punish criminals, not law abiding taxpayers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Where I live we realistically have a 25 to 45 minute response time for fire, ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. We have an excellent sheriff’s department and volunteer corps of fire and first aid responders but sheer numbers of staff and size of our county make it what it is. People need to be self reliant and not have to worry about being punished for inadvertently breaking an ineffective gun law. Again, your focus should be be on crime and how to punish criminals and not law abiding citizens. Thanks for your time.
I think there should be a law that allows us, the citizens of Virginia, to remove officials from office who violate their constitutional oath to protect our 2nd amendment and other constitutional amendments. I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is of swearing into office as servant to the public and take an oath only to turn around and purpose laws under the guise of reducing crime that further restrict already law abiding citizens. These laws will never EVER stop criminals, it will never EVER slow or stop people with nefarious intentions and only limit already law abiding citizens. Frankly I grow so tired and more and more disappointed in certain officials in office that don't keep their oath and just lie to the public that gun control stop criminal. IT DOES NO WORK, armed law biding citizens scare criminals from making people into victims because it creates uncertainty to the criminal's actions not knowing if people are armed would they other wise take criminal actions. Why is it people who support gun control fail to make connects to the correlations that place with security are less likely to be targeted for that very reason, because the person would face resistance to their actions. I do not support any of these gun control bills, I do support the pro gun bills and will not comply with any of these gun control bills should they pass as they are unconstitutional and violate my rights as a US citizen.
Please quit making new laws when we don’t enforce what is on the books now. Target criminals not the everyday law abiding citizens of Virginia!
As a 20 year Virginia constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills. As a whole they do nothing to increase safety of the public, ignore actual crime stats & root causes and focus solely on infringing upon rights of law-abiding Virginians, actually making us LESS safe in our ability to defend ourselves from violent criminals. Multiple bills flagrantly violate the Supreme Court rulings in the Heller v DC and Bruen v NYSRPA cases which established clear historical and Constitutional thresholds which must be met for ALL gun control laws. These bills also violate the Virginia State Constitution's sections related to keeping and bearing arms. As legislators you took an oath to UPHOLD those Constitutions, not marginalize or cut apart the Rights contained therein. * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms; are car makers or alcohol companies liable for DUIs which kill people? Are knife makers held liable for murders or robberies using a knife? * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Let me know how you are going to vote on these bills.
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Thanks Garry Dudley
It continues to puzzle me as to why the General Assembly continues to hamper the rights of law abiding gun owners with silly legislation (some of which is clearly unconstitutional) verses addressing the actual underlying problems. Until you do so, you'll continue to look like the political hacks and stooges that you are, beholden to party marching orders rather than what's good for the Commonwealth and it's citizens. Truly sad indeed!
Keep your hands off legally owned guns. Do more to get the bad gun guns. Why do not see the laws on the books get enforced? Uphold your oath of office and protect us from bad guys,illegals, and others.
I am writing to inform the tone deaf and those in this assembly that while they dither and equivocate over Constitutional "God given Rights" of a Free People, codified into law, 16,250 innocent children are "murdered", put to death, mutilated, in the state of Virginia each and every year and each and every new session of this Legislature 16, 250 more innocents die at the hands of the inaction of this body as a whole. And we thought the Germans of the 30's were criminal for their actions with deliberate DEATH and maiming. The crime of murder in any form is a serious crime and just because it is "legalized" it is still a Sin again against humanity and the People of Virginia, who apparently foot the bill for this atrocity. Just as you should not be legalizing "Firearm Control" murder is still a unjustified morally and should be rejected as normal. If there are still anyone on the Democrat side of this body that understands morality and stands up for LIFE and LIBERTY of the People, consider well how and what you vote in favor of. May the punishment of this heinous crime be published and stopped before another thing is done, legally or illegally in this body. Sincerely, Peter Buckingham 301-646-5300 Crozet, VA 22932
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
HB35 - promotes actual firearms safety without imposing upon the rights of innocent gun owners for the crimes of others. Absolutely worth the support of the legislature. HB1230 - a step in the correct direction, towards making schools LESS of a soft target, LESS attractive to mass-murderers compared to how they are now. This permits some of the people we never needed to worry about in the first place to be armed against the possibility of someone wanting to murder them in a place which was previously a victim-disarmament zone. HB1235 - this shouldn't even be a QUESTION to support it. A protective order is a mere piece of paper, and it is well known that such a piece of paper has failed miserably in defending some people from their attackers. Permitting them to carry is the ONLY proper choice. HB1321 and 1325 do not earn my support or disapproval. ALL other bills being proposed for this day's consideration should be rejected - HB175 - ANY prohibition on so-called "assault firearms" is AT BEST meaningless and worthy of opposition for that reason alone. Add to that the fact that owners and users of these firearms are overwhelmingly peaceful VA citizens innocent of any wrongdoing and this bill CANNOT be passed. HB270 - more nonsense restrictions on so-called assault weapons" and standard-capacity magazines, which are unConstitutional on their face under both the US and VA Constitutions. Nuke this proposal. HB318 - proposes to hold "firearms industry members" responsible for crimes committed by third parties due to govt's inability or unwillingness to enforce EXISTING laws already covering the crimes detailed in this bill. This is a prima-facie attempt to execute lawfare against retailers and manufacturers innocent of any actual wrongdoing. Nuke it. HB319 - a petty attempt to remove NRA and USCCA instructors and ranges from certification at what they are literally the class-of-the-world in doing, teaching firearms safety and the legalities of carry, because the proposer doesn't LIKE those groups. The mere PROPOSAL is incredibly childish and unprofessional. Nuke it. HB362 - if you want to forbid ownership or possession of someone for a violent crime, that crime needs to be a felony. Period. And you'd better be able to JUSTIFY it being a felony crime. Nuke it. HB797 - another childish and unprofessional attack on the groups best-suited and -capable of instruction in actual firearms safety. NUKE IT. HB798 - see comments for HB362. NUKE IT. HB799 - This is tiresome. See comments for HB319 and 797. NUKE IT. HB861 - the only people who need to be restricted from carrying a weapon into a hospital already ARE prohibited from even TOUCHING one. Your inability or unwillingness to deal with that does not justify more laws. NUKE IT. HB916 - VA has had laws covering the issues of emergency TROs for YEARS already. So-called "red flag" laws are an abomination, violating most of the Bill Of Right and leaving someone you claim is a threat in the position to act on that threat. NUKE IT. HB945 - Not incredibly offensive, just wholly unnecessary. Nuke it. HB1195 - Any waiting period is Constitutionally-impermissible. A right delayed is a right denied, and the state seeks to delay here. NUKE IT. HB1386 - VA has no power to set workplace rules like this. NUKE IT. HB1462 - seeks to re-victimize victims of crime AND to make it impossible for people not a threat to anyone to carry outside of victim-disarmament zones. NUKE IT.
As a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment and a lifelong Virginian, I am compelled to express my deep concerns over the direction of recent legislative efforts surrounding firearm laws. I have always placed a high value on security, freedom, and the principles of logical, effective policy-making. It has become increasingly apparent that in the wake of tragic incidents, there is a tendency among some lawmakers to resort to knee-jerk reactions, such as proposing bans or stringent registration requirements for firearms the list goes on and on. While these measures are often presented as solutions to reduce crime, they fail to address the root causes of violence and, instead, serve only to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. The proposal to ban or mandatorily register firearms under the guise of public safety is not only ineffective but also a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights. Such actions presuppose that restricting the freedoms of the majority, who are responsible and law-abiding, will somehow prevent the criminal actions of the few. This is not only a flawed premise but also a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational liberties upon which our nation was built. Moreover, the creation of firearm-free zones and the push for restrictive gun laws are misguided attempts that offer a false promise of safety. History and evidence have shown that criminals do not adhere to such regulations; instead, these zones often end up as soft targets, inadvertently putting innocent lives at greater risk. In light of these considerations, I urge you and your colleagues in the Virginia House and Senate to: Stand firmly against the ineffective and reactionary proposals to ban or mandatorily register firearms. Reconsider and rescind policies that establish firearm-free zones, recognizing their failure to protect and their potential to harm. Focus on realistic, effective solutions that address the underlying causes of violence without compromising the rights and freedoms of Virginia's citizens. Our commitment to the Second Amendment is not a matter of political convenience but a fundamental principle that ensures our liberty and security. The right to bear arms is intrinsic to the American way of life, providing individuals the means to defend themselves, their families, and their freedoms. There are many egregious bills pending. firearm lock requirements, storage requirements, waiting periods, the list goes on and on I remind you democrats that you swore an oath to defend the constitution all these laws you are considering are contrary to the constitution itself and will be challenged and defeated because of the post bruen Supreme Court decisions. I am confident that with thoughtful consideration and a commitment to the principles of our Constitution, we can forge policies that genuinely enhance public safety without infringing upon our cherished liberties. I, alongside countless Virginia patriots, assert that we will not comply with laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights. This stance is rooted in a deep respect for the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Thank you for your attention to my concerns and for your ongoing service to the people of Virginia. I trust that you will approach this issue with the gravity and respect it deserves, recognizing the importance of preserving our constitutional rights in all legislative actions.
None of the gun control bills being put forward will stop a single criminal event. Not one. They are designed to punish and harm Virginians exercising their natural right to self defense and are in conflict with the US and Virginia constitution. Stop. This is not in the best interest of Virginians.
The gun control bills being heard today all have one thing in common, that is to disarm the honest, law abiding citizen. There is no other reason and they will have no other effect. Gun control as a method to curb crime has failed everywhere it has been implemented. Gun control to advance tyranny , subjugation and genocide has succeeded. Please vote NO on these Unconstitutional bills.
A pro-gun vote is a vote for freedom. All the anti-gun bills are just solutions in search of problems. They thicken the code of Virginia and add nothing of value. Please, do NOT fatten the code for no reason. - Thank you
Dear committee I am writing to respectfully but firmly implore you not to advance gun control bills HB 175, 270, 318, 319, 362, 797, 798, 861, 1195, 1462. These bills will not stop or reduce crime. They will only strip the rights from law abiding citizens. One example is HB 1195, which creates a 5 day wait period. A right delayed is a right denied; if someone in danger needs a firearm to protect themselves, they are in more danger as they now have to wait. Not only is this unfair in light of Virginia's instant check system, but a court ruled against it. HB 318 Makes the firearm industry liable for the actions of criminals. This is unfair. You would not sue Ford if someone misused one of their products. You also have 2 bills that would limit training and the amount of certified instructors. This is insane as it goes against gun saftey: you WANT people to be trained on proper firearms use. You have bills that limit where one can carry, which is Unconstitutional under Bruen. You have bills that punish people if a firearm if left in their car in sight. Why not go after criminals? And it's not fair to punish people with only misdemeanors. As for the dating partner? That is problematic as a jilted partner , or and partner, can make a false statement about the other person. None of these bills will deter criminals nor will they do anything to address the saftey of people or the mental health issue. The better course of action would be to address mental health system. I DO want to see the following pro gun bills passed: HB 35, 945, 1230, 1235, 1325. These bills help people in crisis and even encourage safe storage of firearms without punishing people. I like the bill that offers tax credits for trigger locks/ safes . It's an incentive to encourage people to secure their firearms when not in use/ unattended. This is a great way to keep children safe and even puts some money back in people's pockets. I like the bill that turns an order of protection ( for the person that needs it ) into a concealed carry for a limited time. This will help vulnerable people protect themselves when they need to be able to do so. There are many things that can be done to make people safe, but not at the expense of freedom and constitutional rights. I am urging you to say Nay to the anti gun bills and Yay to the pro gun bills. A better course of action would be to fund and train police, enact harsh penalties for criminals, address the mental health system ( as the governor has said ) and pass pro gun legislation to both protect the Second Amendment and to encourage safe storage, increase the availability of training instructors, and allow people to protect themselves. And this also includes commonly-owned firearms such as AR15 and AK pattern rifles. Commonly-owned firearms such as these are protected under the Bruen decision. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Article 1 section 13 is a restriction on you, in order to protect the civil rights of all citizens but especially the minority. Whether it’s a racial minority or a religious minority or a political minority, we all have rights that cannot be taken away just because some group is in a majority. Even if it weren’t a right or a civil liberty, you would have to repeal article 1 Sect 13 of the Virginia constitution in order to have the authority to prohibit me from being armed, and not just with a firearm but armed in anyway I see fit. Gun control doesn’t work, we see the results in countless examples so this isn’t a new idea and it’s been proven to fail and actually harm the citizens. Gun control started with racist after the civil war and it continues today to be the same racist elitist ideology that says you’re not smart enough or responsible enough to protect yourself, you must have the government protect you, which of course is ridiculous because the police cannot be everywhere nor would we want that many police in our society Many victims will testify that being unarmed or having a waiting period or a background check did nothing to stop their attacker and only effected their ability to protect themself which lead to them being victimized by a criminal Murder is illegal, people are still murdered Speed limits are in place, people still speed Laws do not stop or prevent crime, the only thing that any law will do is establish a punishment AFTER you are caught, not before. There are no minority reports, there are no pre cogs you cannot stop a crime before it happens, the intended victim is the only one that can stop the crime when it happens and the only way to do that is to be armed
As a constituent of one of the Delegates of the Assembly, but not of your committee, I write to express my opposition to each/all of the anti-2A bills in this collection. Individually and collectively, they punish Virginia citizens who intend to comply with them, and fail to so much as deter those with criminal intent. While this is true of nearly all laws, these are a particularly vile assault on the innocent. I do not find any of you deplorable, for you have not yet cast a vote - but if you vote to send these bills onward (and I'll know, within hours...) then I will find you so, and will become your political enemy. I cannot wield a lot of power as an 80-year-old individual constituent, but that which I can, I will.
I am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
I support these bills!
In regards to HB2 and additional proposed firearm-related legislation. I do not believe adding additional restrictions, especially financial burdens, is a fair and ethical way of combating crime and violence with firearms. I believe there should be more freedom for owning and carrying firearms, but like the idea of additional training requirements and locking devices (gun safes) when in a home with minors. If the state were to enact any bills or policies further restricting access, there needs to be a free (government funded) way to access these rights for law-abiding citizens free of discrimination of any kind.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support these bills. To all responsible gun owners: you shouldn't be afraid of these common sense bills. These bills are directed at people who are not handling their firearms as the deadly weapons that they can be. Instead of thinking your rights are being taken away, consider instead how safe storage, permits and waiting periods could help the daily gun violence in our country. Keep your guns, we are not trying to take them away. These bills are an opportunity for you, as a responsible gun owner, to be a part of the solution to help cut down on needless violence.
Remember Delegates...you took an Oath to 'Support and Defend the Constitution of the Unites States of America' which includes the 2nd Amendment!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
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.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
I SUPPORT this common sense legislation to make our communities safer. This is my number one issue.
In support of the bills checked above for safer communities .
HB362 Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against person in dating relationship. The League of Women Voters of Virginia is in support of this legislation. It is far too long that we have not closed the “dating” gap in firearm safety legislation. It is imperative that all people with the charge of assault and battery of any partner even if not legally married be penalized.
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 have a hard time believing in this day and age, after SCOTUS has made MULTIPLE opinions and decisions in FAVOR of law abiding fire arms owners, that the talk of banning & restriciton IN VIRGINIA, no less, is still a topic for debate. Law abiding gun owners ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. Check the flag! Sic Semper Tyrannis is our motto, and you people are doing everything you can to ensure ALL of VA is NOT adequately represented, tyranny; that we the people go disarmed & at the mercy of criminals WHO DO NOT OBEY LAWS, tyranny; that we the people will be disarmed & dependant upon a government that clearly has forgotten who the governing authority truly is, tyranny; and thats the problem! If we the people, are disarmed, then that means all of you should be as well. No bodygaurds, no police escorts, no firearms of your own. On top of this, all police officers should be disarmed. If we the people can't have protection under our God given, Constitutionally protected RIGHT to keep and bear arms, per James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and many MANY other patriots - then neither should ANY of you!
I support these bills as I believe they take positive steps toward reducing gun violence in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I cannot stomach that my daughters (ages 2 and 4) are growing up in a nation where the top cause of death for the 1-19 age group is gun violence. It must change!
THe Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
I support these bills.
I support this legislation. Please help to protect our children!! My family is from the UK and their kids don’t need to practice active shooter drills. There is no reason our children should be put in danger on a daily basis in this country!!!
I support the above bills checked and hope to see them pass out of committee, as they will help improve public safety. Support: - HB2 - Helmer - HB22 - Jones - HB46 - Bennett-Parker - HB113 - Sullivan - HB173 - Simon - HB362 - McClure - HB454 - Callsen - HB466 - Helmer I Oppose: - HB390 - Griffin - HB395 - Griffin
Virginia Moms for Change supports bills HB2, HB22, HB46, HB113, HB173, HB362, HB454, & HB466. Gun violence is preventable and want our state laws to protect kids not guns.
Virginia Moms for Change supports bills HB2, HB22, HB46, HB113, HB173, HB362, HB454, & HB466. Gun violence is preventable and want our state laws to protect kids not guns.
Virginia Moms for Change supports bills HB2, HB22, HB46, HB113, HB173, HB362, HB454, & HB466. We believe that gun violence is preventable and want our state laws to protect kids not guns.
My name is Rev. Rachel Sutphin and I live in Earlysville, Virginia. As a pastor, I look forward to the day when swords are turned into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4). For the protection of all life, especially the most vulnerable, including children, I urge you to vote in support of all bills that aim to reduce gun violence. I support HB2, HB22, HB46, HB113, HB173, HB362, HB 454, and HB466.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
THe Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
THe Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
All these bills violate The Bill of Rights. If you violate The Second Amendment, you violate the Bill of Rights.
Every gun law is an infringement. In addition, I also oppose HB362 because it makes battery in a dating relationship a misdemeanor and takes away gun-rights for three years. Misdemeanors should never take away a person's basic civil rights. It is also unconstitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court's Bruen decision, as there is no history or tradition of taking a person's right to keep and bear arms over misdemeanor battery of anyone.
The Virginia NAACP supports this bill. We support common sense gun legislation that will have a significant impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives; this includes comprehensive background checks on the sale of firearms, limitations on purchasing firearms and prohibition of selling and transporting assault weapons - this is necessary legislation to keep Virginians safe.
I'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill.
HB457 - Decreasing probation period; establishes criteria for mandatory reduction.
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Michael Sizemore from SAARA of Virginia speaking to endorse the bill.
Please Vote to refer HB457. It provides incentives for self improvement and shortens the probation period. This in turn will lighten the load of our overworked probation officers and lower costs to the Virginia taxpayer. Everyone wins. Please Vote YES for HB457.
I would like for the committee to consider the the bill on the table today. So many individuals incarcerated are far removed from the people they were 10, 5 ,20 years ago.
HB602 - Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention, Virginia Center for, etc.; created.
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Hi I am writing to you on behalf of The Well Connection UK, a media and publishing company. We could easily get virginia.gov featured in various publications such as magazines, online blogs and news sites. This would undoubtedly help virginia.gov with publicity, reputation, domain authority and organic search engine rankings. We have a wide range of options including completely free collaborations, sponsored posts, guest posts and banner ads. If this sounds of interest, please reach out to the senior business development manager, Anita at info@thewellconnection.co.uk and whatsapp +447395206515 (GMT) Kind regards Clifton Junior Outreach Assistant
My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Law abiding citizens should not be punished for exercising their constitutional rights. Bill HB2 causes half of the state to become felons, just for exercising their rights to own firearms. HB1424 is unconstitutional because nothing in the second amendment says anything about having to have a license to own a gun. SB522 , similarly to HB1424 , is unconstitutional. The second amendment states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. People shouldn’t have to take a training course to own a gun. It’s your right to bear arms without government approval, or having to take a training course. It forces you to give up your ability to exercise your own rights. SB57 causes law abiding people to be in danger of criminals coming into a restaurant with a gun and not being able to defend themselves. SB327 once again is unconstitutional. The second amendment says nothing about an age restriction on any type of firearm. SB273 is unconstitutional because nothing states that you have to wait a certain amount of time to own a firearm. SB2 , just like HB2, shouldn’t cause law abiding people to not be able to own an “Assault weapon” or ammunition for an “Assault weapon”; because the second amendment doesn’t prohibit any style of firearm or ammunition from being sold or possessed.
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.
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.
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.
State Legislature members, A right delayed is a right denied. Quoting the 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen Supreme Court Case: 'The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not “a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.” McDonald, 561 U. S., at 780 (plurality opinion). The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self defense is no different.' The recent NYSRPA v. Bruen case highlighted the significance of individual self-defense, and it's crucial to consider the rights of law-abiding citizens in crafting firearm legislation. While the goal of enhancing public safety is commendable, an outright ban on certain firearms and magazines will disproportionately impact responsible gun owners who use these tools for legitimate purposes, such as self-defense and sport. It is essential to strike a balance between public safety and the preservation of individual rights. Instead of blanket bans, and bureaucratic obstacles that only harass lawful firearm owners, we should focus on comprehensive measures that address the root causes of gun violence. This approach respects the constitutional rights of citizens while fostering a safer society. Criminals are not deterred by restrictions on lawful purchase at federally-licensed FFL Dealers. They do not bother going through the process of applying for a concealed carry permit, because they do not intend to carry lawfully. People who want to use weapons to hurt innocent citizens of Virginia will not be impeded by these House and Senate Bills. Instead, the only individuals who will have their behavior modified are lawful men and women who are unable to defend themselves against those who will commit crimes regardless of what is written into law this Legislative Session. If you pass the above laws, it will only serve to waste hard-working Taxpayers' money fighting them in Federal Court. California and New York have lost their cases seeking to uphold unconstitutional gun laws, and the sponsors of these bills will lose too. Do the right thing - the hard thing - enforce the laws we already have, get the small minority of violent criminals off the streets of Virginia, and uphold the constitutional rights of your polity.
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.
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.
There is no acceptable reason to infringe upon the Constitutionally-protected (both US and Virginia's Constitutions) rights of Americans and Virginians. None of these bills purported to reduce gun-related violence actually seem to prioritize the reduction of causal effects of overall violence. Many of these are merely attempts to curb the rights of the People to keep and bear arms, because our legislative bodies are full of corrupt, weak, and contemptible individuals. Show us the bills for addressing the root causes of violence: mental health, income inequality, social instability, lack of education and educational opportunities, drug & human trafficking, or employment & wages (this list is not all-inclusive).
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.
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We can all agree violence is an issue but making more unconstitutional, on a national and state level, gun laws will not help with the rates of violent crimes and property crimes as we see from states with stricter gun laws. We need to increase access to mental health and community resources to address the root causes of issues rather than criminalizing responsible gun owners. I am opposed to this attack on the second amendment which is the fundamental backbone that protects the other freedoms guranteed in the constitution.
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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
You guys make it harder and harder to vote Democrat every single cycle. Complete ban on Semi Automatics more or less making the state even stricter towards guns then states like Maryland? I oppose all these even the "herp common sense derp" ones because the states party has made it clear they don't give a crap about anything but putting hollow wins for politicians because hhheeeyyy punishing law abiding gun owners is a whole lot easier then creating jobs or reducing crime. If these bills die before getting to the governors desk, especially the bans, then I will gladly continue to vote DNC. But if Youngkin has to veto these and you make me say something I never thought I would "Thank god Youngkin won" then I look forward to blindly going down the ticket in 2024 and checking "R" on everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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 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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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 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.
I am against all of these blatantly unconstitutional firearms restrictions. I'm strongly against: SB2| Deeds | Assault firearms certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. This tries to ban things that are in common use, which has never worked well for the government, remember Prohibition? Remember the war on drugs? Just like the last assault weapons ban, this will literally just make AR-15s more popular and easier to get illegally. And I am against: HB585 | Mundon King | Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools, penalties. That specifically targets home-based FFLs whose house is somewhere near a school. This would put hundreds of Virginia residents out of business just because of where they live.
I strongly oppose any bill, law or ordinance that infringes on the undeniable constitutional right to keep and bear arms. These include any ban, any further age restrictions, if a person (18) is old enough to join the military and use real "assault weapons" then they should be fully capable to purchase a semi automatic firearm of their choice. I oppose any law or ordinance that restricts my ability to defend my family and myself as I see fit, this includes bans on where I can carry my lawful firearm, what type of firearm and the magazine size of my choice. How about we make laws that are tougher on criminals and stop punishing law abiding people who actually care and follow the law.
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.
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.
An inordinate focus on the control of firearms only serves to infringe the rights of the law-abiding citizen in defense of his life and property. The State should instead focus on the apprehension and incarceration of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and associated misuse of firearms.
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.
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.
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
I strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
These all seem like infringements that will do nothing to curb any crime. Further they will only create criminals out of everyday law abiding folk. These are laws that seem to be targeting victimless crimes.
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 this bill as it seeks to infringe on the Consitutionally proctected rights of lawabiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, criminals who do not follow the law. This bill makes it harder for someone to keep themselves safe and is primarily a solution 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 due to gun control laws, in fact as gun control laws increase, s o does the rate of violent crimes. Criminals are not afraid of police, they are afraid of armed citizens. The subject of this bill has already been defeated in courts, passing this into law will only subject the Commonwealth to more lawsuits to have it repealed costing us more in taxes. Enough of our taxpayers money has been wasted in politicians attempting to pass "feel good" bills to try and prove they are doing their job. I urge the legistature to focus on enforcing and imposing stricter penalties for those that break our exsiting laws over creating new laws that only serve to pe nalize the law abiding citizens.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please support HB 318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB798, HB799, HB 861, HB16, HB45 Let's keep our children and other innocent bystanders safe!
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
Dear Sir or Madame. Last year in Newport News I was assaulted by a 27 year old black man from Chesapeake because of his road rage.. This was at my local bank 11;30 in the morning. This young man almost lost his life at my hand because you cannot reel in your problem young men. His words feet from me were ' im going to kick your ass and then kill you'. My pistol changed his mind. I saw for myself the woke judges and a woke system that perpetuates the problem. The criminal justice system has been flung far far left which IS causing a public safety hazzard. No new gun control is needed. More jail time for the trash that i dealt with is. My Congressman Bobby Scott and Delegate Cia Price do not represent me.
I am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
This debate over guns was settled in 1791. We have all the laws we need to cover the action of a criminal. Murder is illegal no matter the tool used. Assualt is illegal no matter the tool used. Your ridiculous attack on the rights of all Virginians is just another chapter in the failure our our legislature to deal with the true issues that plague our state. Restore our rights and work to better the state and stop with the petty and vindictive law making that only hurts the innocent. Every day our governing bodies from congress to you become less relevant as a part of our lives, since all you ever manage to do is destroy and steal.
In Ohio one year after constitution carry passed gun crimes went down
I've commend prior on these issue but would like to reemphasize that more laws of these nature only impose on those of us that already obey the law and I think that you could explain this to your constituents demanding more gun control. I always find it ironic and dubious that those wanting more gun control either don't own a gun, have never fired a gun or don't want to purchase one but wish to infringe upon those of us who are responsible gun owners. Many of these bills on gun control shouldn't even be proposed and if you are supporting these bills you're being dishonest to your own base in tell them that this will reduce crime. It can't reduce crime and never has since other cities such as Chicago ,crime ALWAYS increases with more gun control and Always goes down with less in most situations. I have friend who lives in Chicago and had to sue because they outlawed all firearms several years back. The citizens won that case and were allowed to own AR-15's and all various forms of semi automatic fire arms pistol and rifle. According to him and the data CRIME WENT DOWN. The exception to gun laws which are already on the book as always is proper back ground checks so criminals cannot exploit the legal process by purchasing as a felon. As for removing someone's rights to own a gun under a DUI or DWI I fail to see any relevance or correlation and causation to the issue of guns in general. I am apposed to all these gun control bills and support the two pro guns bills being proposed.
I support these bills!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support these bills. To all responsible gun owners: you shouldn't be afraid of these common sense bills. These bills are directed at people who are not handling their firearms as the deadly weapons that they can be. Instead of thinking your rights are being taken away, consider instead how safe storage, permits and waiting periods could help the daily gun violence in our country. Keep your guns, we are not trying to take them away. These bills are an opportunity for you, as a responsible gun owner, to be a part of the solution to help cut down on needless violence.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
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.
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
HB611 - Civilian deaths in custody; report.
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I oppose all these unconstitutional, dangerous, and pointless laws.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
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.
HB798 - Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
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 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.
There are approximately 47 bills regarding gun control between the House and Senate. Rather than fix issues that actually protect and enhance the lives of Virginians, many of these bills seek to disenfranchise and reduce the safety of the citizens in this great Commonwealth. Firearms are so fundamental to the founding and continued existence of our free society that they are listed just second to the freedom of speech in amendments to the constitution. It is plainly clear to all that countries and states who have banned or severely restricted firearms that violence does not end with their banning. Unjust deaths are not prevented. It simply ensures that law abiding citizens are left defenseless from those that wish to harm them, whether that be individuals or an organization. I write this knowing that it will be completely disregarded by the bills authors, but in hopes that others feel galvanized to speak up against unjust actions made in the name of progress. To those who wish to protect themselves with firearms while simultaneously stripping them from the common man, may you take heed of the Virginia state motto.
A lot of these laws contradict one another. I can’t support them. Both of our parties have failed us.
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.
These proposed laws will do nothing but make more victims out of citizens that are exercising their 2nd amendment rights. Criminals do not care about these restrictions, these laws are merely an extension of the culture war. They are meant to punish anyone that the Northern Virginia and big city politicians don’t like. While violent criminals continue to arm themselves, the law abiding citizens of The Commonwealth would be left without defense. These laws are feckless and meant only to virtue signal. One with even a basic understanding of our constitution would see these as exactly what they are: illegal and Un-American.
There is no acceptable reason to infringe upon the Constitutionally-protected (both US and Virginia's Constitutions) rights of Americans and Virginians. None of these bills purported to reduce gun-related violence actually seem to prioritize the reduction of causal effects of overall violence. Many of these are merely attempts to curb the rights of the People to keep and bear arms, because our legislative bodies are full of corrupt, weak, and contemptible individuals. Show us the bills for addressing the root causes of violence: mental health, income inequality, social instability, lack of education and educational opportunities, drug & human trafficking, or employment & wages (this list is not all-inclusive).
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.
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We can all agree violence is an issue but making more unconstitutional, on a national and state level, gun laws will not help with the rates of violent crimes and property crimes as we see from states with stricter gun laws. We need to increase access to mental health and community resources to address the root causes of issues rather than criminalizing responsible gun owners. I am opposed to this attack on the second amendment which is the fundamental backbone that protects the other freedoms guranteed in the constitution.
Dear Honorable Members of the House of Delegates, I write to you today as a concerned citizen, deeply invested in the well-being and safety of our communities, and as someone who values the principles upon which our nation was founded. The issue at hand, the introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is one that I believe warrants a thoughtful reconsideration in light of its broader implications. 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.*** Constituents see this robust effort to "see what sticks" as a weakness within our party. Comparatively imbalanced with the diverse range of issues and concerns that we face everyday. A waste. As we move forward, I encourage you to approach this issue with a balanced perspective, one that recognizes the need for effective strategies to combat gun violence while also safeguarding the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our nation. The path to meaningful change is complex, requiring a nuanced understanding of the issues at hand and a commitment to policies that truly serve the best interests of all our citizens. In closing, 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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
You guys make it harder and harder to vote Democrat every single cycle. Complete ban on Semi Automatics more or less making the state even stricter towards guns then states like Maryland? I oppose all these even the "herp common sense derp" ones because the states party has made it clear they don't give a crap about anything but putting hollow wins for politicians because hhheeeyyy punishing law abiding gun owners is a whole lot easier then creating jobs or reducing crime. If these bills die before getting to the governors desk, especially the bans, then I will gladly continue to vote DNC. But if Youngkin has to veto these and you make me say something I never thought I would "Thank god Youngkin won" then I look forward to blindly going down the ticket in 2024 and checking "R" on everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
I oppose this legislation.
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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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
These anti gun laws are an infringement on all Virginian's 2A rights.
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.
I am against all of these blatantly unconstitutional firearms restrictions. I'm strongly against: SB2| Deeds | Assault firearms certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. This tries to ban things that are in common use, which has never worked well for the government, remember Prohibition? Remember the war on drugs? Just like the last assault weapons ban, this will literally just make AR-15s more popular and easier to get illegally. And I am against: HB585 | Mundon King | Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools, penalties. That specifically targets home-based FFLs whose house is somewhere near a school. This would put hundreds of Virginia residents out of business just because of where they live.
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.
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.
An inordinate focus on the control of firearms only serves to infringe the rights of the law-abiding citizen in defense of his life and property. The State should instead focus on the apprehension and incarceration of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and associated misuse of firearms.
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.
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.
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
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 strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
I oppose all these unconstitutional, dangerous, and pointless laws.
HB113 | Sullivan | Handguns; possession, purchase, or transportation by persons convicted of certain drug offenses. HB1174 | Sickles | Assault firearms; age requirement for purchase, penalty. HB1195 | Hayes | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. HB12 | Jones | Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required. HB1235 | Zehr | Concealed handguns; protective orders. HB1424 | Hope | Firearms; valid permit to purchase, penalties. HB1462 | Laufer | Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. HB158 | McClure | Firearm locking device; required for sale or transfer of firearm. HB16 | Garrett | Firearm or explosive material; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, etc. HB173 | Simon | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. HB175 | Simon | Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty. HB183 | Simon | Firearms; storage in residence where minor or person prohibited from possessing is present, penalty. HB2 | Helmer | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, sales, transfers, etc., prohibited. HB22 | Jones | Auto sears; definition, prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. HB270 | Reid | Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc. HB319 | Helmer | Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code. HB35 | Clark | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. HB351 | Clark | Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty. HB362 | McClure | Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against an intimate or dating partner. HB454 | Callsen | Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth. HB46 | Bennett-Parker | Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. HB466 | Helmer | Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. HB791 | Henson | Pneumatic guns; Class 6 felony to possess. HB797 | Hope | Concealed handguns; demonstrated competence for a permit, firearms instructors and safety programs. HB798 | Hope | Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation. HB799 | Hope | Concealed handgun permit applications; fingerprints required by local governments. HB861 | Hernandez | Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services. HB945 | Lopez | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. SB100 | Ebbin | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. SB2 | Deeds | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. SB210 | Perry | Auto sears; prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. SB273 | Subramanyam | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. I oppose all these bills.
I oppose this bill as it seeks to infringe on the Consitutionally proctected rights of lawabiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, criminals who do not follow the law. This bill makes it harder for someone to keep themselves safe and is primarily a solution 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 due to gun control laws, in fact as gun control laws increase, s o does the rate of violent crimes. Criminals are not afraid of police, they are afraid of armed citizens. The subject of this bill has already been defeated in courts, passing this into law will only subject the Commonwealth to more lawsuits to have it repealed costing us more in taxes. Enough of our taxpayers money has been wasted in politicians attempting to pass "feel good" bills to try and prove they are doing their job. I urge the legistature to focus on enforcing and imposing stricter penalties for those that break our exsiting laws over creating new laws that only serve to pe nalize the law abiding citizens.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please support HB 318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB798, HB799, HB 861, HB16, HB45 Let's keep our children and other innocent bystanders safe!
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
Everything we can do to keep our children and communities safe must be of the utmost priority. Our country has blood on its hands and state and federal leaders must open their eyes and hearts to pushing forward for what’s best for us as a society- that does not include firearms, ammunition, and hate. Mental health is but one part of the issue at hand here and it’s critical we solve the gun violence epidemic in a bipartisan and comprehensive fashion. I support all efforts to improve mental health services and school and community safety including eliminating access to automatic weapons, increasing the purchase age and increasing background check and screenings.
As a voter and active community member I support the right to responsible gun ownerships. For that reason I support that part of HB35 and all of HB1195. I also support HB861, as well as HB916 which establishes a Substantial Risk Order Reporting System so that government officials are better able to track incidents and determine appropriate legistlation. I support HB945, expands definition of a firearm safety device so that even more responsible gun owners may benefit from the tax credit.
As a lawful firearm owner and concealed carry holder in multiple state, I urge you to oppose these unconstitutional bills. These bills will do nothing but infringe on our rights and do nothing to punish those who use firearms in an unlawful manner. Here are a few examples of why these bills are bad: HB 270 and HB 1195 - what problem does this solve for? Virginia has an "instant check" system and this bill makes that moot. HB 319 and HB 797 - reducing the places where someone can get trained on how to safely and effectively use firearms is counterintuitive. If anything, the number of firearm training locations should be increased to maximize the safe operations of firearms. HB 362 and HB 798 - misdemeanors should never deprive an individual of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. HB 861 - this is another attempt to reduce a person's ability to protect themselves. Rather than take away the rights of lawful American citizens, please focus on punishing actual criminals and, if need be, make those penalties more harsh. All of these bills are intended to make law-abiding American citizens less able to protect themselves. They do nothing to impact the criminal or mentally unstable element of society and those are the people who commit violence whether that be with firearms, knives, hammers, or their bare hands. As legislators, you need to focus on stopping the bad buy and maximizing the freedoms and liberties of the good guys. These bills are anti-American and should be opposed vehemently.
Constitutionally protected civil rights should NEVER be taken away for a misdemeanor. McClure's and Hope's bills must be soundly rejected. Vote NO.
I am a volunteer with Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and we support these bills.
I support these bills.
Apparently, you all think your authority comes from you; is deserved by you; and should be used to further your agenda in disarming law abiding citizens. SCOTUS decisions in Heller and Bruen have already decided the fate of your bills. You are likely going to get sued, your bills will lose and you will have done nothing whatsoever but waste taxpayer time and money on a frivolous pursuit. Which brings me to question what, exactly is the end result? Is it to weaponize laws against law abiding citizens in lawfare? Maybe you think we will run out of money or out of steam in defending our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS. Good luck with that, you will need it. The US Constitution has been argued multiple times regarding gun rights and clearly you either do not care about the rulings; about the Constitution as ratified and adopted by Virginia; nor the views of your constituents. You neither deserve, nor are owed, any kind of allegiance from us. WE DO NOT serve YOU. As a matter of fact our government, across the entire United States, is actually opposite your entitled, two-tiered justice, elitist hypocrisy; which is to say YOU SERVE US! Your lawfare tactics; constantly thumbing your nose at our RIGHTS because 'scary gun bad,' is not going to go in your favor. We are well aware of your marxist ideologies and how much you hate your country and how you believe that the rights of the individual are outweighed by your need to subjugate. We are well aware of your continuation to craft laws carving out, little by little, more power for yourselves and less freedom for us. God will not judge us for standing against you. You took an oath to support, protect and defend the Constitution. You have an opportunity, to simply admit you are wrong and turn away from this course of action. Impaling yourself because you'd rather do that than admit you are wrong is not the way to go. I understand an admission of wrong action will come with a swath of angry people jeering and cheering against you, however, redirecting course is still a better option than trying to force your constituency to rely on 'government,' to help which is tantamount to murder. The national average police response is around 12 minutes to a crime scene, coupled with the fact that SCOTUS has ruled many times that a law enforcement officer has no duty to place him/herself in harms way to protect anyone (DeShaney vs. Winnebago and Town of Castle Rock vs. Gonzales, and Warren vs. District of Columbia), and all you have done is place criminals at the top of the food chain offering up your constituency as nothing more than their next meal.
As a parent, I support these common-sense gun reform bills.
Tilting at windmills: The debate on whether an AR-15 is a military or non-military firearm is moot The anti-gunners panties are in a tight wad over AR-15s because they don’t like black guns, especially if those guns have various cosmetic features, such as a bayonet lug. You know - the scourge of drive-by bayonetings going on in Chicago? So, the anti’s latest tactic is to scream (that’s pretty much their main mode of communication) that an AR-15 is a weapon of war and should not be owned by anyone but the military, government agencies, and the police. So, if citizens don’t need so-called “weapons of war”, why exactly would the police and government bureaucrats need them? <Crickets chirping quietly in the background> Armies have not used AR-15s in war, so it’s hard to call one a weapon of war. The M-16/M-4 is superior for that purpose with its semi-automatic, burst, and fully automatic selector switch. That said, could one fight a war with an AR-15? Sure. AR-15s have a lot in common with their M-16/M-4 cousin. AR-15s use the same mid-power cartridge and the same 20 or 30-round magazine as the M-16/M-4. And the really scary issue for the antis is the AR-15 LOOKS LIKE an M-16! But all of this is totally moot. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution both protect the right of the People to own and carry bearable weapons of war! Even the Supreme Court back in 1939 in US v Miller made it clear that any weapon of use to a militia (think “weapon of war”) is protected by the Second Amendment. And American history and tradition back up that right. From the beginning, Americans have owned and carried weapons in use by the military: from muskets to revolvers, to pistols, to pump and semi-automatic shotguns, to lever-action, bolt-action, and semi-automatic rifles, and, to a lesser degree, both fully-automatic rifles and pistols. So, to my anti-gun friends: I am tired of arguing with you about whether an AR-15 is a sporting gun or a “weapon of war.” Call it what you want, but it is protected by the Second Amendment either way.
I ask the subcommittee to oppose the passage of these bills.
I, Carolyn Kochard, on behalf of Virginia Moms for Change support the above bills because data shows that these laws help reduce gun-related deaths.
Dear Members; What part of 'shall not infringe' do you not understand ? Donald Trump on the ballot and let's go Brandon. My congressmen Bobby Scott and my delegate Cia Price do NOT represent me ! Thank you John Zielanski
I moved to Virginia 15 years ago after I retired. I chose Virginia because of the reasonable, common sense gun laws, among other reasons, as compared to where I came from. I am an avid competitive shooter and hunter and made Virginia my home on that basis. I pay considerably more in taxes, with the exception of real estate, to support my state and county governments and ask and get little in return. In the last 8 years the state of Virginia has enacted a myriad of new firearms regulations that do nothing to prevent crime or make us safer. The new laws being considered will have the same effect. Your focus should be on crime and how to punish criminals, not law abiding taxpayers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Where I live we realistically have a 25 to 45 minute response time for fire, ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. We have an excellent sheriff’s department and volunteer corps of fire and first aid responders but sheer numbers of staff and size of our county make it what it is. People need to be self reliant and not have to worry about being punished for inadvertently breaking an ineffective gun law. Again, your focus should be be on crime and how to punish criminals and not law abiding citizens. Thanks for your time.
I think there should be a law that allows us, the citizens of Virginia, to remove officials from office who violate their constitutional oath to protect our 2nd amendment and other constitutional amendments. I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is of swearing into office as servant to the public and take an oath only to turn around and purpose laws under the guise of reducing crime that further restrict already law abiding citizens. These laws will never EVER stop criminals, it will never EVER slow or stop people with nefarious intentions and only limit already law abiding citizens. Frankly I grow so tired and more and more disappointed in certain officials in office that don't keep their oath and just lie to the public that gun control stop criminal. IT DOES NO WORK, armed law biding citizens scare criminals from making people into victims because it creates uncertainty to the criminal's actions not knowing if people are armed would they other wise take criminal actions. Why is it people who support gun control fail to make connects to the correlations that place with security are less likely to be targeted for that very reason, because the person would face resistance to their actions. I do not support any of these gun control bills, I do support the pro gun bills and will not comply with any of these gun control bills should they pass as they are unconstitutional and violate my rights as a US citizen.
Please quit making new laws when we don’t enforce what is on the books now. Target criminals not the everyday law abiding citizens of Virginia!
As a 20 year Virginia constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills. As a whole they do nothing to increase safety of the public, ignore actual crime stats & root causes and focus solely on infringing upon rights of law-abiding Virginians, actually making us LESS safe in our ability to defend ourselves from violent criminals. Multiple bills flagrantly violate the Supreme Court rulings in the Heller v DC and Bruen v NYSRPA cases which established clear historical and Constitutional thresholds which must be met for ALL gun control laws. These bills also violate the Virginia State Constitution's sections related to keeping and bearing arms. As legislators you took an oath to UPHOLD those Constitutions, not marginalize or cut apart the Rights contained therein. * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms; are car makers or alcohol companies liable for DUIs which kill people? Are knife makers held liable for murders or robberies using a knife? * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Let me know how you are going to vote on these bills.
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Thanks Garry Dudley
It continues to puzzle me as to why the General Assembly continues to hamper the rights of law abiding gun owners with silly legislation (some of which is clearly unconstitutional) verses addressing the actual underlying problems. Until you do so, you'll continue to look like the political hacks and stooges that you are, beholden to party marching orders rather than what's good for the Commonwealth and it's citizens. Truly sad indeed!
Keep your hands off legally owned guns. Do more to get the bad gun guns. Why do not see the laws on the books get enforced? Uphold your oath of office and protect us from bad guys,illegals, and others.
I am writing to inform the tone deaf and those in this assembly that while they dither and equivocate over Constitutional "God given Rights" of a Free People, codified into law, 16,250 innocent children are "murdered", put to death, mutilated, in the state of Virginia each and every year and each and every new session of this Legislature 16, 250 more innocents die at the hands of the inaction of this body as a whole. And we thought the Germans of the 30's were criminal for their actions with deliberate DEATH and maiming. The crime of murder in any form is a serious crime and just because it is "legalized" it is still a Sin again against humanity and the People of Virginia, who apparently foot the bill for this atrocity. Just as you should not be legalizing "Firearm Control" murder is still a unjustified morally and should be rejected as normal. If there are still anyone on the Democrat side of this body that understands morality and stands up for LIFE and LIBERTY of the People, consider well how and what you vote in favor of. May the punishment of this heinous crime be published and stopped before another thing is done, legally or illegally in this body. Sincerely, Peter Buckingham 301-646-5300 Crozet, VA 22932
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
HB35 - promotes actual firearms safety without imposing upon the rights of innocent gun owners for the crimes of others. Absolutely worth the support of the legislature. HB1230 - a step in the correct direction, towards making schools LESS of a soft target, LESS attractive to mass-murderers compared to how they are now. This permits some of the people we never needed to worry about in the first place to be armed against the possibility of someone wanting to murder them in a place which was previously a victim-disarmament zone. HB1235 - this shouldn't even be a QUESTION to support it. A protective order is a mere piece of paper, and it is well known that such a piece of paper has failed miserably in defending some people from their attackers. Permitting them to carry is the ONLY proper choice. HB1321 and 1325 do not earn my support or disapproval. ALL other bills being proposed for this day's consideration should be rejected - HB175 - ANY prohibition on so-called "assault firearms" is AT BEST meaningless and worthy of opposition for that reason alone. Add to that the fact that owners and users of these firearms are overwhelmingly peaceful VA citizens innocent of any wrongdoing and this bill CANNOT be passed. HB270 - more nonsense restrictions on so-called assault weapons" and standard-capacity magazines, which are unConstitutional on their face under both the US and VA Constitutions. Nuke this proposal. HB318 - proposes to hold "firearms industry members" responsible for crimes committed by third parties due to govt's inability or unwillingness to enforce EXISTING laws already covering the crimes detailed in this bill. This is a prima-facie attempt to execute lawfare against retailers and manufacturers innocent of any actual wrongdoing. Nuke it. HB319 - a petty attempt to remove NRA and USCCA instructors and ranges from certification at what they are literally the class-of-the-world in doing, teaching firearms safety and the legalities of carry, because the proposer doesn't LIKE those groups. The mere PROPOSAL is incredibly childish and unprofessional. Nuke it. HB362 - if you want to forbid ownership or possession of someone for a violent crime, that crime needs to be a felony. Period. And you'd better be able to JUSTIFY it being a felony crime. Nuke it. HB797 - another childish and unprofessional attack on the groups best-suited and -capable of instruction in actual firearms safety. NUKE IT. HB798 - see comments for HB362. NUKE IT. HB799 - This is tiresome. See comments for HB319 and 797. NUKE IT. HB861 - the only people who need to be restricted from carrying a weapon into a hospital already ARE prohibited from even TOUCHING one. Your inability or unwillingness to deal with that does not justify more laws. NUKE IT. HB916 - VA has had laws covering the issues of emergency TROs for YEARS already. So-called "red flag" laws are an abomination, violating most of the Bill Of Right and leaving someone you claim is a threat in the position to act on that threat. NUKE IT. HB945 - Not incredibly offensive, just wholly unnecessary. Nuke it. HB1195 - Any waiting period is Constitutionally-impermissible. A right delayed is a right denied, and the state seeks to delay here. NUKE IT. HB1386 - VA has no power to set workplace rules like this. NUKE IT. HB1462 - seeks to re-victimize victims of crime AND to make it impossible for people not a threat to anyone to carry outside of victim-disarmament zones. NUKE IT.
As a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment and a lifelong Virginian, I am compelled to express my deep concerns over the direction of recent legislative efforts surrounding firearm laws. I have always placed a high value on security, freedom, and the principles of logical, effective policy-making. It has become increasingly apparent that in the wake of tragic incidents, there is a tendency among some lawmakers to resort to knee-jerk reactions, such as proposing bans or stringent registration requirements for firearms the list goes on and on. While these measures are often presented as solutions to reduce crime, they fail to address the root causes of violence and, instead, serve only to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. The proposal to ban or mandatorily register firearms under the guise of public safety is not only ineffective but also a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights. Such actions presuppose that restricting the freedoms of the majority, who are responsible and law-abiding, will somehow prevent the criminal actions of the few. This is not only a flawed premise but also a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational liberties upon which our nation was built. Moreover, the creation of firearm-free zones and the push for restrictive gun laws are misguided attempts that offer a false promise of safety. History and evidence have shown that criminals do not adhere to such regulations; instead, these zones often end up as soft targets, inadvertently putting innocent lives at greater risk. In light of these considerations, I urge you and your colleagues in the Virginia House and Senate to: Stand firmly against the ineffective and reactionary proposals to ban or mandatorily register firearms. Reconsider and rescind policies that establish firearm-free zones, recognizing their failure to protect and their potential to harm. Focus on realistic, effective solutions that address the underlying causes of violence without compromising the rights and freedoms of Virginia's citizens. Our commitment to the Second Amendment is not a matter of political convenience but a fundamental principle that ensures our liberty and security. The right to bear arms is intrinsic to the American way of life, providing individuals the means to defend themselves, their families, and their freedoms. There are many egregious bills pending. firearm lock requirements, storage requirements, waiting periods, the list goes on and on I remind you democrats that you swore an oath to defend the constitution all these laws you are considering are contrary to the constitution itself and will be challenged and defeated because of the post bruen Supreme Court decisions. I am confident that with thoughtful consideration and a commitment to the principles of our Constitution, we can forge policies that genuinely enhance public safety without infringing upon our cherished liberties. I, alongside countless Virginia patriots, assert that we will not comply with laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights. This stance is rooted in a deep respect for the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Thank you for your attention to my concerns and for your ongoing service to the people of Virginia. I trust that you will approach this issue with the gravity and respect it deserves, recognizing the importance of preserving our constitutional rights in all legislative actions.
None of the gun control bills being put forward will stop a single criminal event. Not one. They are designed to punish and harm Virginians exercising their natural right to self defense and are in conflict with the US and Virginia constitution. Stop. This is not in the best interest of Virginians.
The gun control bills being heard today all have one thing in common, that is to disarm the honest, law abiding citizen. There is no other reason and they will have no other effect. Gun control as a method to curb crime has failed everywhere it has been implemented. Gun control to advance tyranny , subjugation and genocide has succeeded. Please vote NO on these Unconstitutional bills.
A pro-gun vote is a vote for freedom. All the anti-gun bills are just solutions in search of problems. They thicken the code of Virginia and add nothing of value. Please, do NOT fatten the code for no reason. - Thank you
Dear committee I am writing to respectfully but firmly implore you not to advance gun control bills HB 175, 270, 318, 319, 362, 797, 798, 861, 1195, 1462. These bills will not stop or reduce crime. They will only strip the rights from law abiding citizens. One example is HB 1195, which creates a 5 day wait period. A right delayed is a right denied; if someone in danger needs a firearm to protect themselves, they are in more danger as they now have to wait. Not only is this unfair in light of Virginia's instant check system, but a court ruled against it. HB 318 Makes the firearm industry liable for the actions of criminals. This is unfair. You would not sue Ford if someone misused one of their products. You also have 2 bills that would limit training and the amount of certified instructors. This is insane as it goes against gun saftey: you WANT people to be trained on proper firearms use. You have bills that limit where one can carry, which is Unconstitutional under Bruen. You have bills that punish people if a firearm if left in their car in sight. Why not go after criminals? And it's not fair to punish people with only misdemeanors. As for the dating partner? That is problematic as a jilted partner , or and partner, can make a false statement about the other person. None of these bills will deter criminals nor will they do anything to address the saftey of people or the mental health issue. The better course of action would be to address mental health system. I DO want to see the following pro gun bills passed: HB 35, 945, 1230, 1235, 1325. These bills help people in crisis and even encourage safe storage of firearms without punishing people. I like the bill that offers tax credits for trigger locks/ safes . It's an incentive to encourage people to secure their firearms when not in use/ unattended. This is a great way to keep children safe and even puts some money back in people's pockets. I like the bill that turns an order of protection ( for the person that needs it ) into a concealed carry for a limited time. This will help vulnerable people protect themselves when they need to be able to do so. There are many things that can be done to make people safe, but not at the expense of freedom and constitutional rights. I am urging you to say Nay to the anti gun bills and Yay to the pro gun bills. A better course of action would be to fund and train police, enact harsh penalties for criminals, address the mental health system ( as the governor has said ) and pass pro gun legislation to both protect the Second Amendment and to encourage safe storage, increase the availability of training instructors, and allow people to protect themselves. And this also includes commonly-owned firearms such as AR15 and AK pattern rifles. Commonly-owned firearms such as these are protected under the Bruen decision. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Article 1 section 13 is a restriction on you, in order to protect the civil rights of all citizens but especially the minority. Whether it’s a racial minority or a religious minority or a political minority, we all have rights that cannot be taken away just because some group is in a majority. Even if it weren’t a right or a civil liberty, you would have to repeal article 1 Sect 13 of the Virginia constitution in order to have the authority to prohibit me from being armed, and not just with a firearm but armed in anyway I see fit. Gun control doesn’t work, we see the results in countless examples so this isn’t a new idea and it’s been proven to fail and actually harm the citizens. Gun control started with racist after the civil war and it continues today to be the same racist elitist ideology that says you’re not smart enough or responsible enough to protect yourself, you must have the government protect you, which of course is ridiculous because the police cannot be everywhere nor would we want that many police in our society Many victims will testify that being unarmed or having a waiting period or a background check did nothing to stop their attacker and only effected their ability to protect themself which lead to them being victimized by a criminal Murder is illegal, people are still murdered Speed limits are in place, people still speed Laws do not stop or prevent crime, the only thing that any law will do is establish a punishment AFTER you are caught, not before. There are no minority reports, there are no pre cogs you cannot stop a crime before it happens, the intended victim is the only one that can stop the crime when it happens and the only way to do that is to be armed
As a constituent of one of the Delegates of the Assembly, but not of your committee, I write to express my opposition to each/all of the anti-2A bills in this collection. Individually and collectively, they punish Virginia citizens who intend to comply with them, and fail to so much as deter those with criminal intent. While this is true of nearly all laws, these are a particularly vile assault on the innocent. I do not find any of you deplorable, for you have not yet cast a vote - but if you vote to send these bills onward (and I'll know, within hours...) then I will find you so, and will become your political enemy. I cannot wield a lot of power as an 80-year-old individual constituent, but that which I can, I will.
I am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
I support these bills!
In regards to HB2 and additional proposed firearm-related legislation. I do not believe adding additional restrictions, especially financial burdens, is a fair and ethical way of combating crime and violence with firearms. I believe there should be more freedom for owning and carrying firearms, but like the idea of additional training requirements and locking devices (gun safes) when in a home with minors. If the state were to enact any bills or policies further restricting access, there needs to be a free (government funded) way to access these rights for law-abiding citizens free of discrimination of any kind.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
Remember Delegates...you took an Oath to 'Support and Defend the Constitution of the Unites States of America' which includes the 2nd Amendment!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
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.
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
HB803 - Juveniles; expungement of court records.
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I oppose your idea of excusing juveniles of their criminal records. This is one of the reasons our society has been plagued by ill-behaved in schools and the public sector. I do agree it depends upon the severity of the circumstances because we all make mistakes, but some are more serious than others and must be recorded. Most of all the home is where it all begins. Parents are the child’s first teachers.
Hb803: vote yes. A lot of children make mistakes, sometimes horrible ones but having a criminal record inhibits them from becoming successful adults. We need kids to grow up to be healthy, contributing members of society
Vote no
HB916 - Substantial Risk Order Reporting System; established.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
I am writing to voice my opposition to the multiple house and senate bills that do nothing to penalize violent criminals and arbitrarily turn law abiding gun owning citizens into criminals or strip these citizens of their rights and valuable property without due process. I am also opposed to further limitations being placed on citizens who have fulfilled the requirements to obtain a VA Concealed Handgun Permit. Again, the very people who have invested time and money in their committment to adhere to the law are being penalized.
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
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please support HB 318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB798, HB799, HB 861, HB16, HB45 Let's keep our children and other innocent bystanders safe!
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
I support HB916 and urge the Committee to pass it.
Everything we can do to keep our children and communities safe must be of the utmost priority. Our country has blood on its hands and state and federal leaders must open their eyes and hearts to pushing forward for what’s best for us as a society- that does not include firearms, ammunition, and hate. Mental health is but one part of the issue at hand here and it’s critical we solve the gun violence epidemic in a bipartisan and comprehensive fashion. I support all efforts to improve mental health services and school and community safety including eliminating access to automatic weapons, increasing the purchase age and increasing background check and screenings.
I am writing as a gun violence prevention advocate and voter in Loudoun County, VA. We supported many of our elected officials in the November election with the hope that they will represent the voices who have had enough. I am grateful for the Delegates who are willing to speak on behalf of those we have lost and the children and families that deserve safer communities. We stand behind you in your efforts. I support bills HB270, HB318, HB319, HB916 and those that focus on gun violence prevention. Thank you.
I support this bill and urge the committee to pass it
I support this bill because it promotes safety.
As a retired military member professionally trained in firearm usage and a current gun owner, I support this bill and urge the Committee to pass it.
I support this bill and urge you to pass it.
I support this bill and urge the e committee to pass it! Laws like this save lives and help law enforcement keep families and domestic partners safe.
To Firearms Subcommittee of House Public Safety, I have read and reviewed the bills referenced in this correspondence and see little value in them. All do nothing more than punish and add restrictions to law-abiding gun owners that will do nothing to prevent violent crimes committed with a firearm. In some cases, these bills seem to be personal vendettas against the NRA and USCCA. I urge members of this committee to reject all of the bills I have referenced in this correspondence.
I am a volunteer with Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and we support these bills.
I support these bills.
I would like to be a voice in support of all bills that increase safety and awareness for everyone in relation to guns/weapons. I live in Loudoun County; conversations with law enforcement reinforce that information about gun laws/legislation/general information is not always distributed to all involved. At a recent Mental Health and Wellness Fair, sheriff's offices admitted they did not know about the tax break for safe gun storage, for example. Thank you for all you do to make life better for everyone.
Statistics show that young people are at growing risk of harm or death by gun violence. Responsibility for them is on us, the voting generation, to do something. Please support these bills.
Apparently, you all think your authority comes from you; is deserved by you; and should be used to further your agenda in disarming law abiding citizens. SCOTUS decisions in Heller and Bruen have already decided the fate of your bills. You are likely going to get sued, your bills will lose and you will have done nothing whatsoever but waste taxpayer time and money on a frivolous pursuit. Which brings me to question what, exactly is the end result? Is it to weaponize laws against law abiding citizens in lawfare? Maybe you think we will run out of money or out of steam in defending our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS. Good luck with that, you will need it. The US Constitution has been argued multiple times regarding gun rights and clearly you either do not care about the rulings; about the Constitution as ratified and adopted by Virginia; nor the views of your constituents. You neither deserve, nor are owed, any kind of allegiance from us. WE DO NOT serve YOU. As a matter of fact our government, across the entire United States, is actually opposite your entitled, two-tiered justice, elitist hypocrisy; which is to say YOU SERVE US! Your lawfare tactics; constantly thumbing your nose at our RIGHTS because 'scary gun bad,' is not going to go in your favor. We are well aware of your marxist ideologies and how much you hate your country and how you believe that the rights of the individual are outweighed by your need to subjugate. We are well aware of your continuation to craft laws carving out, little by little, more power for yourselves and less freedom for us. God will not judge us for standing against you. You took an oath to support, protect and defend the Constitution. You have an opportunity, to simply admit you are wrong and turn away from this course of action. Impaling yourself because you'd rather do that than admit you are wrong is not the way to go. I understand an admission of wrong action will come with a swath of angry people jeering and cheering against you, however, redirecting course is still a better option than trying to force your constituency to rely on 'government,' to help which is tantamount to murder. The national average police response is around 12 minutes to a crime scene, coupled with the fact that SCOTUS has ruled many times that a law enforcement officer has no duty to place him/herself in harms way to protect anyone (DeShaney vs. Winnebago and Town of Castle Rock vs. Gonzales, and Warren vs. District of Columbia), and all you have done is place criminals at the top of the food chain offering up your constituency as nothing more than their next meal.
As a parent, I support these common-sense gun reform bills.
Tilting at windmills: The debate on whether an AR-15 is a military or non-military firearm is moot The anti-gunners panties are in a tight wad over AR-15s because they don’t like black guns, especially if those guns have various cosmetic features, such as a bayonet lug. You know - the scourge of drive-by bayonetings going on in Chicago? So, the anti’s latest tactic is to scream (that’s pretty much their main mode of communication) that an AR-15 is a weapon of war and should not be owned by anyone but the military, government agencies, and the police. So, if citizens don’t need so-called “weapons of war”, why exactly would the police and government bureaucrats need them? <Crickets chirping quietly in the background> Armies have not used AR-15s in war, so it’s hard to call one a weapon of war. The M-16/M-4 is superior for that purpose with its semi-automatic, burst, and fully automatic selector switch. That said, could one fight a war with an AR-15? Sure. AR-15s have a lot in common with their M-16/M-4 cousin. AR-15s use the same mid-power cartridge and the same 20 or 30-round magazine as the M-16/M-4. And the really scary issue for the antis is the AR-15 LOOKS LIKE an M-16! But all of this is totally moot. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution both protect the right of the People to own and carry bearable weapons of war! Even the Supreme Court back in 1939 in US v Miller made it clear that any weapon of use to a militia (think “weapon of war”) is protected by the Second Amendment. And American history and tradition back up that right. From the beginning, Americans have owned and carried weapons in use by the military: from muskets to revolvers, to pistols, to pump and semi-automatic shotguns, to lever-action, bolt-action, and semi-automatic rifles, and, to a lesser degree, both fully-automatic rifles and pistols. So, to my anti-gun friends: I am tired of arguing with you about whether an AR-15 is a sporting gun or a “weapon of war.” Call it what you want, but it is protected by the Second Amendment either way.
I ask the subcommittee to oppose the passage of these bills.
I, Carolyn Kochard, on behalf of Virginia Moms for Change support the above bills because data shows that these laws help reduce gun-related deaths.
Dear Members; What part of 'shall not infringe' do you not understand ? Donald Trump on the ballot and let's go Brandon. My congressmen Bobby Scott and my delegate Cia Price do NOT represent me ! Thank you John Zielanski
I support this bill and strongly urge the Committee to pass it. This kind of transparency is needed to ensure localities are using the tools at their disposal to reduce gun violence in our communities.
I moved to Virginia 15 years ago after I retired. I chose Virginia because of the reasonable, common sense gun laws, among other reasons, as compared to where I came from. I am an avid competitive shooter and hunter and made Virginia my home on that basis. I pay considerably more in taxes, with the exception of real estate, to support my state and county governments and ask and get little in return. In the last 8 years the state of Virginia has enacted a myriad of new firearms regulations that do nothing to prevent crime or make us safer. The new laws being considered will have the same effect. Your focus should be on crime and how to punish criminals, not law abiding taxpayers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Where I live we realistically have a 25 to 45 minute response time for fire, ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. We have an excellent sheriff’s department and volunteer corps of fire and first aid responders but sheer numbers of staff and size of our county make it what it is. People need to be self reliant and not have to worry about being punished for inadvertently breaking an ineffective gun law. Again, your focus should be be on crime and how to punish criminals and not law abiding citizens. Thanks for your time.
Given that the sheriff in Loudoun is on record saying that he does not believe in red flag laws and is clearly not using them, we really need this bill to pass. Red flag laws save lives. Especially lives of women. Thank you, Heather Gottlieb
I think there should be a law that allows us, the citizens of Virginia, to remove officials from office who violate their constitutional oath to protect our 2nd amendment and other constitutional amendments. I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is of swearing into office as servant to the public and take an oath only to turn around and purpose laws under the guise of reducing crime that further restrict already law abiding citizens. These laws will never EVER stop criminals, it will never EVER slow or stop people with nefarious intentions and only limit already law abiding citizens. Frankly I grow so tired and more and more disappointed in certain officials in office that don't keep their oath and just lie to the public that gun control stop criminal. IT DOES NO WORK, armed law biding citizens scare criminals from making people into victims because it creates uncertainty to the criminal's actions not knowing if people are armed would they other wise take criminal actions. Why is it people who support gun control fail to make connects to the correlations that place with security are less likely to be targeted for that very reason, because the person would face resistance to their actions. I do not support any of these gun control bills, I do support the pro gun bills and will not comply with any of these gun control bills should they pass as they are unconstitutional and violate my rights as a US citizen.
Please quit making new laws when we don’t enforce what is on the books now. Target criminals not the everyday law abiding citizens of Virginia!
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Let me know how you are going to vote on these bills.
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Thanks Garry Dudley
It continues to puzzle me as to why the General Assembly continues to hamper the rights of law abiding gun owners with silly legislation (some of which is clearly unconstitutional) verses addressing the actual underlying problems. Until you do so, you'll continue to look like the political hacks and stooges that you are, beholden to party marching orders rather than what's good for the Commonwealth and it's citizens. Truly sad indeed!
Keep your hands off legally owned guns. Do more to get the bad gun guns. Why do not see the laws on the books get enforced? Uphold your oath of office and protect us from bad guys,illegals, and others.
I am writing to inform the tone deaf and those in this assembly that while they dither and equivocate over Constitutional "God given Rights" of a Free People, codified into law, 16,250 innocent children are "murdered", put to death, mutilated, in the state of Virginia each and every year and each and every new session of this Legislature 16, 250 more innocents die at the hands of the inaction of this body as a whole. And we thought the Germans of the 30's were criminal for their actions with deliberate DEATH and maiming. The crime of murder in any form is a serious crime and just because it is "legalized" it is still a Sin again against humanity and the People of Virginia, who apparently foot the bill for this atrocity. Just as you should not be legalizing "Firearm Control" murder is still a unjustified morally and should be rejected as normal. If there are still anyone on the Democrat side of this body that understands morality and stands up for LIFE and LIBERTY of the People, consider well how and what you vote in favor of. May the punishment of this heinous crime be published and stopped before another thing is done, legally or illegally in this body. Sincerely, Peter Buckingham 301-646-5300 Crozet, VA 22932
HB35 - promotes actual firearms safety without imposing upon the rights of innocent gun owners for the crimes of others. Absolutely worth the support of the legislature. HB1230 - a step in the correct direction, towards making schools LESS of a soft target, LESS attractive to mass-murderers compared to how they are now. This permits some of the people we never needed to worry about in the first place to be armed against the possibility of someone wanting to murder them in a place which was previously a victim-disarmament zone. HB1235 - this shouldn't even be a QUESTION to support it. A protective order is a mere piece of paper, and it is well known that such a piece of paper has failed miserably in defending some people from their attackers. Permitting them to carry is the ONLY proper choice. HB1321 and 1325 do not earn my support or disapproval. ALL other bills being proposed for this day's consideration should be rejected - HB175 - ANY prohibition on so-called "assault firearms" is AT BEST meaningless and worthy of opposition for that reason alone. Add to that the fact that owners and users of these firearms are overwhelmingly peaceful VA citizens innocent of any wrongdoing and this bill CANNOT be passed. HB270 - more nonsense restrictions on so-called assault weapons" and standard-capacity magazines, which are unConstitutional on their face under both the US and VA Constitutions. Nuke this proposal. HB318 - proposes to hold "firearms industry members" responsible for crimes committed by third parties due to govt's inability or unwillingness to enforce EXISTING laws already covering the crimes detailed in this bill. This is a prima-facie attempt to execute lawfare against retailers and manufacturers innocent of any actual wrongdoing. Nuke it. HB319 - a petty attempt to remove NRA and USCCA instructors and ranges from certification at what they are literally the class-of-the-world in doing, teaching firearms safety and the legalities of carry, because the proposer doesn't LIKE those groups. The mere PROPOSAL is incredibly childish and unprofessional. Nuke it. HB362 - if you want to forbid ownership or possession of someone for a violent crime, that crime needs to be a felony. Period. And you'd better be able to JUSTIFY it being a felony crime. Nuke it. HB797 - another childish and unprofessional attack on the groups best-suited and -capable of instruction in actual firearms safety. NUKE IT. HB798 - see comments for HB362. NUKE IT. HB799 - This is tiresome. See comments for HB319 and 797. NUKE IT. HB861 - the only people who need to be restricted from carrying a weapon into a hospital already ARE prohibited from even TOUCHING one. Your inability or unwillingness to deal with that does not justify more laws. NUKE IT. HB916 - VA has had laws covering the issues of emergency TROs for YEARS already. So-called "red flag" laws are an abomination, violating most of the Bill Of Right and leaving someone you claim is a threat in the position to act on that threat. NUKE IT. HB945 - Not incredibly offensive, just wholly unnecessary. Nuke it. HB1195 - Any waiting period is Constitutionally-impermissible. A right delayed is a right denied, and the state seeks to delay here. NUKE IT. HB1386 - VA has no power to set workplace rules like this. NUKE IT. HB1462 - seeks to re-victimize victims of crime AND to make it impossible for people not a threat to anyone to carry outside of victim-disarmament zones. NUKE IT.
As a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment and a lifelong Virginian, I am compelled to express my deep concerns over the direction of recent legislative efforts surrounding firearm laws. I have always placed a high value on security, freedom, and the principles of logical, effective policy-making. It has become increasingly apparent that in the wake of tragic incidents, there is a tendency among some lawmakers to resort to knee-jerk reactions, such as proposing bans or stringent registration requirements for firearms the list goes on and on. While these measures are often presented as solutions to reduce crime, they fail to address the root causes of violence and, instead, serve only to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. The proposal to ban or mandatorily register firearms under the guise of public safety is not only ineffective but also a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights. Such actions presuppose that restricting the freedoms of the majority, who are responsible and law-abiding, will somehow prevent the criminal actions of the few. This is not only a flawed premise but also a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational liberties upon which our nation was built. Moreover, the creation of firearm-free zones and the push for restrictive gun laws are misguided attempts that offer a false promise of safety. History and evidence have shown that criminals do not adhere to such regulations; instead, these zones often end up as soft targets, inadvertently putting innocent lives at greater risk. In light of these considerations, I urge you and your colleagues in the Virginia House and Senate to: Stand firmly against the ineffective and reactionary proposals to ban or mandatorily register firearms. Reconsider and rescind policies that establish firearm-free zones, recognizing their failure to protect and their potential to harm. Focus on realistic, effective solutions that address the underlying causes of violence without compromising the rights and freedoms of Virginia's citizens. Our commitment to the Second Amendment is not a matter of political convenience but a fundamental principle that ensures our liberty and security. The right to bear arms is intrinsic to the American way of life, providing individuals the means to defend themselves, their families, and their freedoms. There are many egregious bills pending. firearm lock requirements, storage requirements, waiting periods, the list goes on and on I remind you democrats that you swore an oath to defend the constitution all these laws you are considering are contrary to the constitution itself and will be challenged and defeated because of the post bruen Supreme Court decisions. I am confident that with thoughtful consideration and a commitment to the principles of our Constitution, we can forge policies that genuinely enhance public safety without infringing upon our cherished liberties. I, alongside countless Virginia patriots, assert that we will not comply with laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights. This stance is rooted in a deep respect for the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Thank you for your attention to my concerns and for your ongoing service to the people of Virginia. I trust that you will approach this issue with the gravity and respect it deserves, recognizing the importance of preserving our constitutional rights in all legislative actions.
None of the gun control bills being put forward will stop a single criminal event. Not one. They are designed to punish and harm Virginians exercising their natural right to self defense and are in conflict with the US and Virginia constitution. Stop. This is not in the best interest of Virginians.
The gun control bills being heard today all have one thing in common, that is to disarm the honest, law abiding citizen. There is no other reason and they will have no other effect. Gun control as a method to curb crime has failed everywhere it has been implemented. Gun control to advance tyranny , subjugation and genocide has succeeded. Please vote NO on these Unconstitutional bills.
A pro-gun vote is a vote for freedom. All the anti-gun bills are just solutions in search of problems. They thicken the code of Virginia and add nothing of value. Please, do NOT fatten the code for no reason. - Thank you
Dear committee I am writing to respectfully but firmly implore you not to advance gun control bills HB 175, 270, 318, 319, 362, 797, 798, 861, 1195, 1462. These bills will not stop or reduce crime. They will only strip the rights from law abiding citizens. One example is HB 1195, which creates a 5 day wait period. A right delayed is a right denied; if someone in danger needs a firearm to protect themselves, they are in more danger as they now have to wait. Not only is this unfair in light of Virginia's instant check system, but a court ruled against it. HB 318 Makes the firearm industry liable for the actions of criminals. This is unfair. You would not sue Ford if someone misused one of their products. You also have 2 bills that would limit training and the amount of certified instructors. This is insane as it goes against gun saftey: you WANT people to be trained on proper firearms use. You have bills that limit where one can carry, which is Unconstitutional under Bruen. You have bills that punish people if a firearm if left in their car in sight. Why not go after criminals? And it's not fair to punish people with only misdemeanors. As for the dating partner? That is problematic as a jilted partner , or and partner, can make a false statement about the other person. None of these bills will deter criminals nor will they do anything to address the saftey of people or the mental health issue. The better course of action would be to address mental health system. I DO want to see the following pro gun bills passed: HB 35, 945, 1230, 1235, 1325. These bills help people in crisis and even encourage safe storage of firearms without punishing people. I like the bill that offers tax credits for trigger locks/ safes . It's an incentive to encourage people to secure their firearms when not in use/ unattended. This is a great way to keep children safe and even puts some money back in people's pockets. I like the bill that turns an order of protection ( for the person that needs it ) into a concealed carry for a limited time. This will help vulnerable people protect themselves when they need to be able to do so. There are many things that can be done to make people safe, but not at the expense of freedom and constitutional rights. I am urging you to say Nay to the anti gun bills and Yay to the pro gun bills. A better course of action would be to fund and train police, enact harsh penalties for criminals, address the mental health system ( as the governor has said ) and pass pro gun legislation to both protect the Second Amendment and to encourage safe storage, increase the availability of training instructors, and allow people to protect themselves. And this also includes commonly-owned firearms such as AR15 and AK pattern rifles. Commonly-owned firearms such as these are protected under the Bruen decision. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Article 1 section 13 is a restriction on you, in order to protect the civil rights of all citizens but especially the minority. Whether it’s a racial minority or a religious minority or a political minority, we all have rights that cannot be taken away just because some group is in a majority. Even if it weren’t a right or a civil liberty, you would have to repeal article 1 Sect 13 of the Virginia constitution in order to have the authority to prohibit me from being armed, and not just with a firearm but armed in anyway I see fit. Gun control doesn’t work, we see the results in countless examples so this isn’t a new idea and it’s been proven to fail and actually harm the citizens. Gun control started with racist after the civil war and it continues today to be the same racist elitist ideology that says you’re not smart enough or responsible enough to protect yourself, you must have the government protect you, which of course is ridiculous because the police cannot be everywhere nor would we want that many police in our society Many victims will testify that being unarmed or having a waiting period or a background check did nothing to stop their attacker and only effected their ability to protect themself which lead to them being victimized by a criminal Murder is illegal, people are still murdered Speed limits are in place, people still speed Laws do not stop or prevent crime, the only thing that any law will do is establish a punishment AFTER you are caught, not before. There are no minority reports, there are no pre cogs you cannot stop a crime before it happens, the intended victim is the only one that can stop the crime when it happens and the only way to do that is to be armed
As a constituent of one of the Delegates of the Assembly, but not of your committee, I write to express my opposition to each/all of the anti-2A bills in this collection. Individually and collectively, they punish Virginia citizens who intend to comply with them, and fail to so much as deter those with criminal intent. While this is true of nearly all laws, these are a particularly vile assault on the innocent. I do not find any of you deplorable, for you have not yet cast a vote - but if you vote to send these bills onward (and I'll know, within hours...) then I will find you so, and will become your political enemy. I cannot wield a lot of power as an 80-year-old individual constituent, but that which I can, I will.
I am a member of VA Moms For Change, a gun violence prevention group and I support these bills
I support these bills!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support these bills. To all responsible gun owners: you shouldn't be afraid of these common sense bills. These bills are directed at people who are not handling their firearms as the deadly weapons that they can be. Instead of thinking your rights are being taken away, consider instead how safe storage, permits and waiting periods could help the daily gun violence in our country. Keep your guns, we are not trying to take them away. These bills are an opportunity for you, as a responsible gun owner, to be a part of the solution to help cut down on needless violence.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
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.
HB1084 - Disabled parking placards; extends validity, eliminates fees.
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HB1195 - Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty.
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My name is Laura, and I’m your constituent. Gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support hi. Safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. These are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
Please do not make life more difficult for responsible gun owners. Many of the proposed laws are clearly unconstitutional and will be struck down anyway. Others may be constitutional but are completely draconian. Virginia already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country All the bills I am providing feedback for would not make VA safer. Next time Republicans are in power they will reverse those anyway. But even if that does not happen, you are contributing to the further polarization of politics. There won't be any bipartisanship left on 2nd amendment issues or even other issues
Law abiding citizens should not be punished for exercising their constitutional rights. Bill HB2 causes half of the state to become felons, just for exercising their rights to own firearms. HB1424 is unconstitutional because nothing in the second amendment says anything about having to have a license to own a gun. SB522 , similarly to HB1424 , is unconstitutional. The second amendment states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. People shouldn’t have to take a training course to own a gun. It’s your right to bear arms without government approval, or having to take a training course. It forces you to give up your ability to exercise your own rights. SB57 causes law abiding people to be in danger of criminals coming into a restaurant with a gun and not being able to defend themselves. SB327 once again is unconstitutional. The second amendment says nothing about an age restriction on any type of firearm. SB273 is unconstitutional because nothing states that you have to wait a certain amount of time to own a firearm. SB2 , just like HB2, shouldn’t cause law abiding people to not be able to own an “Assault weapon” or ammunition for an “Assault weapon”; because the second amendment doesn’t prohibit any style of firearm or ammunition from being sold or possessed.
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.
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.
Many of these gun laws are unfair to law abiding citizens and do not affect criminals. These gun laws should be vetoed.
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.
State Legislature members, A right delayed is a right denied. Quoting the 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen Supreme Court Case: 'The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not “a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.” McDonald, 561 U. S., at 780 (plurality opinion). The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self defense is no different.' The recent NYSRPA v. Bruen case highlighted the significance of individual self-defense, and it's crucial to consider the rights of law-abiding citizens in crafting firearm legislation. While the goal of enhancing public safety is commendable, an outright ban on certain firearms and magazines will disproportionately impact responsible gun owners who use these tools for legitimate purposes, such as self-defense and sport. It is essential to strike a balance between public safety and the preservation of individual rights. Instead of blanket bans, and bureaucratic obstacles that only harass lawful firearm owners, we should focus on comprehensive measures that address the root causes of gun violence. This approach respects the constitutional rights of citizens while fostering a safer society. Criminals are not deterred by restrictions on lawful purchase at federally-licensed FFL Dealers. They do not bother going through the process of applying for a concealed carry permit, because they do not intend to carry lawfully. People who want to use weapons to hurt innocent citizens of Virginia will not be impeded by these House and Senate Bills. Instead, the only individuals who will have their behavior modified are lawful men and women who are unable to defend themselves against those who will commit crimes regardless of what is written into law this Legislative Session. If you pass the above laws, it will only serve to waste hard-working Taxpayers' money fighting them in Federal Court. California and New York have lost their cases seeking to uphold unconstitutional gun laws, and the sponsors of these bills will lose too. Do the right thing - the hard thing - enforce the laws we already have, get the small minority of violent criminals off the streets of Virginia, and uphold the constitutional rights of your polity.
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.
There are approximately 47 bills regarding gun control between the House and Senate. Rather than fix issues that actually protect and enhance the lives of Virginians, many of these bills seek to disenfranchise and reduce the safety of the citizens in this great Commonwealth. Firearms are so fundamental to the founding and continued existence of our free society that they are listed just second to the freedom of speech in amendments to the constitution. It is plainly clear to all that countries and states who have banned or severely restricted firearms that violence does not end with their banning. Unjust deaths are not prevented. It simply ensures that law abiding citizens are left defenseless from those that wish to harm them, whether that be individuals or an organization. I write this knowing that it will be completely disregarded by the bills authors, but in hopes that others feel galvanized to speak up against unjust actions made in the name of progress. To those who wish to protect themselves with firearms while simultaneously stripping them from the common man, may you take heed of the Virginia state motto.
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.
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 am writing to voice my opposition to the multiple house and senate bills that do nothing to penalize violent criminals and arbitrarily turn law abiding gun owning citizens into criminals or strip these citizens of their rights and valuable property without due process. I am also opposed to further limitations being placed on citizens who have fulfilled the requirements to obtain a VA Concealed Handgun Permit. Again, the very people who have invested time and money in their committment to adhere to the law are being penalized.
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
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.
STOP INFRINGING OUR RIGHTS. Get rid of every single gun control bill that is here and START ENFORCING THE LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE. Stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals. I am disgusted that all of these nonsense bills have even made it this far. You can have these laws in Northern Virginia where everyone hates guns but don’t force this garbage into the rest of the state. GET RID OF ALL OF THIS GARBAGE and keep your noses out of everyone’s business. More government is not the answer.
Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We can all agree violence is an issue but making more unconstitutional, on a national and state level, gun laws will not help with the rates of violent crimes and property crimes as we see from states with stricter gun laws. We need to increase access to mental health and community resources to address the root causes of issues rather than criminalizing responsible gun owners. I am opposed to this attack on the second amendment which is the fundamental backbone that protects the other freedoms guranteed in the constitution.
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.
Dear Honorable Members of the House of Delegates, I write to you today as a concerned citizen, deeply invested in the well-being and safety of our communities, and as someone who values the principles upon which our nation was founded. The issue at hand, the introduction of bills aimed at heavily regulating firearms, is one that I believe warrants a thoughtful reconsideration in light of its broader implications. 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.*** Constituents see this robust effort to "see what sticks" as a weakness within our party. Comparatively imbalanced with the diverse range of issues and concerns that we face everyday. A waste. As we move forward, I encourage you to approach this issue with a balanced perspective, one that recognizes the need for effective strategies to combat gun violence while also safeguarding the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our nation. The path to meaningful change is complex, requiring a nuanced understanding of the issues at hand and a commitment to policies that truly serve the best interests of all our citizens. In closing, 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.
You guys need to stop attacking our 2nd amendment and get help for these kids growing up with identity crisis’s . You coming after law abiding citizens is appalling and the fact that your leaning towards becoming the despicable state of California is saddening. If the president can have security which uses firearms that even the normal civilian can’t have this raises the issue of how can a civilian defend against a tyrannical government with a featureless 10 round ar-15 ? Keep this up and we know exactly what your end goal is.
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 can not, and nobody should, support these unconstitutional laws. THROW THEM ALL OUT.
You guys make it harder and harder to vote Democrat every single cycle. Complete ban on Semi Automatics more or less making the state even stricter towards guns then states like Maryland? I oppose all these even the "herp common sense derp" ones because the states party has made it clear they don't give a crap about anything but putting hollow wins for politicians because hhheeeyyy punishing law abiding gun owners is a whole lot easier then creating jobs or reducing crime. If these bills die before getting to the governors desk, especially the bans, then I will gladly continue to vote DNC. But if Youngkin has to veto these and you make me say something I never thought I would "Thank god Youngkin won" then I look forward to blindly going down the ticket in 2024 and checking "R" on everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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.
We dont need MORE laws regarding firearms, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. If enforcement is done then these laws are redundant and not necessary. Don't pass more laws just for the sake of passing laws. They do nothing but make law abiding citizens confused and they dont do anything to stop problems.
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.
These anti gun laws are an infringement on all Virginian's 2A rights.
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.
I am against all of these blatantly unconstitutional firearms restrictions. I'm strongly against: SB2| Deeds | Assault firearms certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. This tries to ban things that are in common use, which has never worked well for the government, remember Prohibition? Remember the war on drugs? Just like the last assault weapons ban, this will literally just make AR-15s more popular and easier to get illegally. And I am against: HB585 | Mundon King | Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools, penalties. That specifically targets home-based FFLs whose house is somewhere near a school. This would put hundreds of Virginia residents out of business just because of where they live.
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.
An inordinate focus on the control of firearms only serves to infringe the rights of the law-abiding citizen in defense of his life and property. The State should instead focus on the apprehension and incarceration of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and associated misuse of firearms.
A solution without a problem, HB 2 and SB 70 do nothing except criminalize the innocent Neither the House passed HB 2, nor Senate-amended SB 70 address the largest source of illegal guns, namely: straw purchases, which continue to occur despite the legal requirements of background checks, and the felony penalties for violating the law. A 2013 memo from the U.S. Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice stated that out of the universe of all guns in the United States, of the very small percent of firearms ever used in crimes, 47% were obtained through straw purchases, 20% from unregulated private sales, 13% from Gun shows/flea markets and 8% from retail sales. The National Institute of Justice memo also stated, “A perfect universal background check system can address the gun shows and might deter many unregulated private sellers. However, this does not address the largest sources (straw purchasers and theft), which would most likely become larger if background checks at gun shows and private sellers were addressed.” While the Senate Amended SB 70 has fewer problems than the draconian House passed HB 2, neither can fix the problem of straw purchases of guns by criminals. Obviously, criminals are undeterred by gun laws which they disobey even when faced with a felony prosecution threat. I agree with Gun Owners of America; either bill impacts only law-abiding citizens, not those intent on harming their neighbor. Please vote NO on both SB 70 and HB 2 and advise me how you vote. Thank you.
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 against any unconstitutional law and any law that strips Americans of their rights. These laws are an attack on the 2nd amendment and hold NO facts in stopping crime. They are a punishment for law-abiding people and will not make Virginia safer.
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.
Gun laws do not prevent firearm homicides, based upon gun control organization's own data (Giffords) •No correlation between strict gun laws and firearm homicide incidents •.07 coefficient of determination (AKA R2) where .90 is a strong association •There likely would be a weak association showing gun laws driving the firearm homicide rate higher if Washington, DC was given a score and ranked by Giffords.
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 strongly, along with many fellow Virginians oppose any villainous disarmament bills disguised as "public safety". The second amendment clearly states "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" and out of touch elitist politicians who enjoy the luxury of armed security are choosing to ignore the constitution and force us to rely on sub-par police protection. The same people who want to defund the police want to disarm us. Embracing the second amendment is what is keeping our crime rates low compared to New York and California. We have seen the blatant disregard that criminals have for these so-called laws; emboldened criminals who are not afraid of the consequences and innocent law-abiding people who are forced to live in fear because a bunch of tyrants are letting power corrupt them. I do not want to live in fear and neither do the rest of us. In addition; a lot of counties and cities have declared themselves as second amendment sanctuaries to protect the rights of free individuals from the overreach of tyrannical politicians. These bills are a Trojan horse that will lead to more crime. You anti-gun politicians should be ashamed of yourselves; give up your private security and train yourselves. Then you will change your minds; because in the end, nobody is coming to save you. I would rather have a fighting chance against armed assailants than die waiting for help to arrive. These bills are pure evil
These all seem like infringements that will do nothing to curb any crime. Further they will only create criminals out of everyday law abiding folk. These are laws that seem to be targeting victimless crimes.
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
HB113 | Sullivan | Handguns; possession, purchase, or transportation by persons convicted of certain drug offenses. HB1174 | Sickles | Assault firearms; age requirement for purchase, penalty. HB1195 | Hayes | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. HB12 | Jones | Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required. HB1235 | Zehr | Concealed handguns; protective orders. HB1424 | Hope | Firearms; valid permit to purchase, penalties. HB1462 | Laufer | Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. HB158 | McClure | Firearm locking device; required for sale or transfer of firearm. HB16 | Garrett | Firearm or explosive material; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, etc. HB173 | Simon | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. HB175 | Simon | Assault firearms; carrying in public areas prohibited, penalty. HB183 | Simon | Firearms; storage in residence where minor or person prohibited from possessing is present, penalty. HB2 | Helmer | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, sales, transfers, etc., prohibited. HB22 | Jones | Auto sears; definition, prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. HB270 | Reid | Commonwealth Comprehensive Gun Safety Program; established, etc. HB319 | Helmer | Firearms instructors & safety prog.; removes reference to NRA & U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. in Code. HB35 | Clark | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. HB351 | Clark | Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty. HB362 | McClure | Firearms; purchase, etc., following an assault and battery against an intimate or dating partner. HB454 | Callsen | Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth. HB46 | Bennett-Parker | Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. HB466 | Helmer | Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. HB791 | Henson | Pneumatic guns; Class 6 felony to possess. HB797 | Hope | Concealed handguns; demonstrated competence for a permit, firearms instructors and safety programs. HB798 | Hope | Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following an assault and battery or stalking violation. HB799 | Hope | Concealed handgun permit applications; fingerprints required by local governments. HB861 | Hernandez | Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services. HB945 | Lopez | Firearm safety device; expands definition of device. SB100 | Ebbin | Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. SB2 | Deeds | Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. SB210 | Perry | Auto sears; prohibition on manufacture, importation, sale, etc., penalty. SB273 | Subramanyam | Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. I oppose all these bills.
I oppose this bill as it seeks to infringe on the Consitutionally proctected rights of lawabiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, criminals who do not follow the law. This bill makes it harder for someone to keep themselves safe and is primarily a solution 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 due to gun control laws, in fact as gun control laws increase, s o does the rate of violent crimes. Criminals are not afraid of police, they are afraid of armed citizens. The subject of this bill has already been defeated in courts, passing this into law will only subject the Commonwealth to more lawsuits to have it repealed costing us more in taxes. Enough of our taxpayers money has been wasted in politicians attempting to pass "feel good" bills to try and prove they are doing their job. I urge the legistature to focus on enforcing and imposing stricter penalties for those that break our exsiting laws over creating new laws that only serve to pe nalize the law abiding citizens.
I was born in Henrico county and vote in every election. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18. I am writing to show my support for these bills because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! Thank you so much for your time.
My name is Laura Sledge and I am your constituent. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under the age of 18, and gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote. Here are the bills I support. Thank you for your time.
I support common sense bills HB 1181, 1195, 12, 1424, 1462, 158, 175, 183,23, 270. Safe storage and training make sense! Let's keep everyone safe.
Hello, My name is Hayley Redmond Cilley. Guns are currently the #1 killer of our children under age 18, and I am calling because gun violence prevention is my top priority. Please support gun safety legislation that is brought up for a vote! We need safer communities for all, but especially for our children.
Everything we can do to keep our children and communities safe must be of the utmost priority. Our country has blood on its hands and state and federal leaders must open their eyes and hearts to pushing forward for what’s best for us as a society- that does not include firearms, ammunition, and hate. Mental health is but one part of the issue at hand here and it’s critical we solve the gun violence epidemic in a bipartisan and comprehensive fashion. I support all efforts to improve mental health services and school and community safety including eliminating access to automatic weapons, increasing the purchase age and increasing background check and screenings.
As a voter and active community member I support the right to responsible gun ownerships. For that reason I support that part of HB35 and all of HB1195. I also support HB861, as well as HB916 which establishes a Substantial Risk Order Reporting System so that government officials are better able to track incidents and determine appropriate legistlation. I support HB945, expands definition of a firearm safety device so that even more responsible gun owners may benefit from the tax credit.
I'm with the League of Women Voters and we support this bill. This bill would help to prevent mass shootings such as the one last year in the Chesapeake Wal-Mart in which the gunman bought his weapon on the same day he used it to injure four, kill six co-workers including a sixteen year old student, before shooting and killing himself. People in crisis should not have easy and immediate access to firearms. Laws like this one save innocent lives and keep guns out of the hands of those who intend to do irreparable harm.
As a lawful firearm owner and concealed carry holder in multiple state, I urge you to oppose these unconstitutional bills. These bills will do nothing but infringe on our rights and do nothing to punish those who use firearms in an unlawful manner. Here are a few examples of why these bills are bad: HB 270 and HB 1195 - what problem does this solve for? Virginia has an "instant check" system and this bill makes that moot. HB 319 and HB 797 - reducing the places where someone can get trained on how to safely and effectively use firearms is counterintuitive. If anything, the number of firearm training locations should be increased to maximize the safe operations of firearms. HB 362 and HB 798 - misdemeanors should never deprive an individual of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. HB 861 - this is another attempt to reduce a person's ability to protect themselves. Rather than take away the rights of lawful American citizens, please focus on punishing actual criminals and, if need be, make those penalties more harsh. All of these bills are intended to make law-abiding American citizens less able to protect themselves. They do nothing to impact the criminal or mentally unstable element of society and those are the people who commit violence whether that be with firearms, knives, hammers, or their bare hands. As legislators, you need to focus on stopping the bad buy and maximizing the freedoms and liberties of the good guys. These bills are anti-American and should be opposed vehemently.
To Firearms Subcommittee of House Public Safety, I have read and reviewed the bills referenced in this correspondence and see little value in them. All do nothing more than punish and add restrictions to law-abiding gun owners that will do nothing to prevent violent crimes committed with a firearm. In some cases, these bills seem to be personal vendettas against the NRA and USCCA. I urge members of this committee to reject all of the bills I have referenced in this correspondence.
I am a volunteer with Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and we support these bills.
I support these bills.
Apparently, you all think your authority comes from you; is deserved by you; and should be used to further your agenda in disarming law abiding citizens. SCOTUS decisions in Heller and Bruen have already decided the fate of your bills. You are likely going to get sued, your bills will lose and you will have done nothing whatsoever but waste taxpayer time and money on a frivolous pursuit. Which brings me to question what, exactly is the end result? Is it to weaponize laws against law abiding citizens in lawfare? Maybe you think we will run out of money or out of steam in defending our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS. Good luck with that, you will need it. The US Constitution has been argued multiple times regarding gun rights and clearly you either do not care about the rulings; about the Constitution as ratified and adopted by Virginia; nor the views of your constituents. You neither deserve, nor are owed, any kind of allegiance from us. WE DO NOT serve YOU. As a matter of fact our government, across the entire United States, is actually opposite your entitled, two-tiered justice, elitist hypocrisy; which is to say YOU SERVE US! Your lawfare tactics; constantly thumbing your nose at our RIGHTS because 'scary gun bad,' is not going to go in your favor. We are well aware of your marxist ideologies and how much you hate your country and how you believe that the rights of the individual are outweighed by your need to subjugate. We are well aware of your continuation to craft laws carving out, little by little, more power for yourselves and less freedom for us. God will not judge us for standing against you. You took an oath to support, protect and defend the Constitution. You have an opportunity, to simply admit you are wrong and turn away from this course of action. Impaling yourself because you'd rather do that than admit you are wrong is not the way to go. I understand an admission of wrong action will come with a swath of angry people jeering and cheering against you, however, redirecting course is still a better option than trying to force your constituency to rely on 'government,' to help which is tantamount to murder. The national average police response is around 12 minutes to a crime scene, coupled with the fact that SCOTUS has ruled many times that a law enforcement officer has no duty to place him/herself in harms way to protect anyone (DeShaney vs. Winnebago and Town of Castle Rock vs. Gonzales, and Warren vs. District of Columbia), and all you have done is place criminals at the top of the food chain offering up your constituency as nothing more than their next meal.
As a parent, I support these common-sense gun reform bills.
Tilting at windmills: The debate on whether an AR-15 is a military or non-military firearm is moot The anti-gunners panties are in a tight wad over AR-15s because they don’t like black guns, especially if those guns have various cosmetic features, such as a bayonet lug. You know - the scourge of drive-by bayonetings going on in Chicago? So, the anti’s latest tactic is to scream (that’s pretty much their main mode of communication) that an AR-15 is a weapon of war and should not be owned by anyone but the military, government agencies, and the police. So, if citizens don’t need so-called “weapons of war”, why exactly would the police and government bureaucrats need them? <Crickets chirping quietly in the background> Armies have not used AR-15s in war, so it’s hard to call one a weapon of war. The M-16/M-4 is superior for that purpose with its semi-automatic, burst, and fully automatic selector switch. That said, could one fight a war with an AR-15? Sure. AR-15s have a lot in common with their M-16/M-4 cousin. AR-15s use the same mid-power cartridge and the same 20 or 30-round magazine as the M-16/M-4. And the really scary issue for the antis is the AR-15 LOOKS LIKE an M-16! But all of this is totally moot. The Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution both protect the right of the People to own and carry bearable weapons of war! Even the Supreme Court back in 1939 in US v Miller made it clear that any weapon of use to a militia (think “weapon of war”) is protected by the Second Amendment. And American history and tradition back up that right. From the beginning, Americans have owned and carried weapons in use by the military: from muskets to revolvers, to pistols, to pump and semi-automatic shotguns, to lever-action, bolt-action, and semi-automatic rifles, and, to a lesser degree, both fully-automatic rifles and pistols. So, to my anti-gun friends: I am tired of arguing with you about whether an AR-15 is a sporting gun or a “weapon of war.” Call it what you want, but it is protected by the Second Amendment either way.
I ask the subcommittee to oppose the passage of these bills.
I, Carolyn Kochard, on behalf of Virginia Moms for Change support the above bills because data shows that these laws help reduce gun-related deaths.
Dear Members; What part of 'shall not infringe' do you not understand ? Donald Trump on the ballot and let's go Brandon. My congressmen Bobby Scott and my delegate Cia Price do NOT represent me ! Thank you John Zielanski
I moved to Virginia 15 years ago after I retired. I chose Virginia because of the reasonable, common sense gun laws, among other reasons, as compared to where I came from. I am an avid competitive shooter and hunter and made Virginia my home on that basis. I pay considerably more in taxes, with the exception of real estate, to support my state and county governments and ask and get little in return. In the last 8 years the state of Virginia has enacted a myriad of new firearms regulations that do nothing to prevent crime or make us safer. The new laws being considered will have the same effect. Your focus should be on crime and how to punish criminals, not law abiding taxpayers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Where I live we realistically have a 25 to 45 minute response time for fire, ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. We have an excellent sheriff’s department and volunteer corps of fire and first aid responders but sheer numbers of staff and size of our county make it what it is. People need to be self reliant and not have to worry about being punished for inadvertently breaking an ineffective gun law. Again, your focus should be be on crime and how to punish criminals and not law abiding citizens. Thanks for your time.
In my other comments in support of HB1235, I mentioned how some politicians would not choose to arm those who are being threatened by someone, but some politicians would actually go so far as to support legislation that would make it impossible for those individuals being threatened to purchase a gun for self defense. Reid and Hays are examples of such politicians. Waiting periods threaten the lives of Americans in need of self defense. Killers plan out attacks for extended periods of time and would never be deterred by a waiting period of a few days. Additionally, half of the households in the country already have guns in them anyway. Waiting periods are not only unconstitutional, they are dangerous, and completely illogical. Reid and Hays should be required to provide evidence justifying these new infringements, and the evidence should meet the requirements set forth by the Supreme Court. They both know, as do any politicians who plan to support this, as do gun controllers everywhere, such evidence simply does not exist. The issue with our system is with enough votes, politicians willing to violate their oath to uphold the constitution can pass the bills anyway. It will then require even more money paid by their constituents to defeat those bills in court and put another legal precedent brick in the wall against gun control. Vote NO on these bills.
I think there should be a law that allows us, the citizens of Virginia, to remove officials from office who violate their constitutional oath to protect our 2nd amendment and other constitutional amendments. I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is of swearing into office as servant to the public and take an oath only to turn around and purpose laws under the guise of reducing crime that further restrict already law abiding citizens. These laws will never EVER stop criminals, it will never EVER slow or stop people with nefarious intentions and only limit already law abiding citizens. Frankly I grow so tired and more and more disappointed in certain officials in office that don't keep their oath and just lie to the public that gun control stop criminal. IT DOES NO WORK, armed law biding citizens scare criminals from making people into victims because it creates uncertainty to the criminal's actions not knowing if people are armed would they other wise take criminal actions. Why is it people who support gun control fail to make connects to the correlations that place with security are less likely to be targeted for that very reason, because the person would face resistance to their actions. I do not support any of these gun control bills, I do support the pro gun bills and will not comply with any of these gun control bills should they pass as they are unconstitutional and violate my rights as a US citizen.
Please quit making new laws when we don’t enforce what is on the books now. Target criminals not the everyday law abiding citizens of Virginia!
As a 20 year Virginia constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills. As a whole they do nothing to increase safety of the public, ignore actual crime stats & root causes and focus solely on infringing upon rights of law-abiding Virginians, actually making us LESS safe in our ability to defend ourselves from violent criminals. Multiple bills flagrantly violate the Supreme Court rulings in the Heller v DC and Bruen v NYSRPA cases which established clear historical and Constitutional thresholds which must be met for ALL gun control laws. These bills also violate the Virginia State Constitution's sections related to keeping and bearing arms. As legislators you took an oath to UPHOLD those Constitutions, not marginalize or cut apart the Rights contained therein. * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms; are car makers or alcohol companies liable for DUIs which kill people? Are knife makers held liable for murders or robberies using a knife? * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Let me know how you are going to vote on these bills.
As a constituent, I urge you to OPPOSE the following gun-control bills: * HB 175, Simon, unconstitutionally prohibits the carry of certain firearms in public * HB 270, Reid, creates a three day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 318, Helmer, ridiculously makes the firearm industry liable for criminal misuse of firearms * HB 319, Helmer, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training. A solution in search of a problem * HB 362, McClure, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor battery in a nebulous "dating relationship." Misdemeanors should never take away basic, protected civil rights for any reason * HB 797, Hope, greatly reduces the number of places where concealed handgun permit holders can get training and increases requirements to get a permit. A solution to a non-existing problem * HB 798, Hope, takes away gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction of a simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking * HB 799, Hope, requires fingerprinting for getting a concealed carry permit. Permits are only revoked for any reason at a minuscule rate of one-tenth of one percent! A solution in search of a problem. * HB 861, Hernandez, prohibits firearms in hospitals, unconstitutionally violating the rights of people to be able to protect themselves * HB 1195, Hays, creates a five day waiting period for a firearm purchase, making a mockery of Virginia's "instant check" system and breaking a promise to Virginia's gun owners * HB 1462, Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and towing for an unattended vehicle where a handgun is visible, punishing good people for what criminals do Thanks Garry Dudley
It continues to puzzle me as to why the General Assembly continues to hamper the rights of law abiding gun owners with silly legislation (some of which is clearly unconstitutional) verses addressing the actual underlying problems. Until you do so, you'll continue to look like the political hacks and stooges that you are, beholden to party marching orders rather than what's good for the Commonwealth and it's citizens. Truly sad indeed!
Keep your hands off legally owned guns. Do more to get the bad gun guns. Why do not see the laws on the books get enforced? Uphold your oath of office and protect us from bad guys,illegals, and others.
I am writing to inform the tone deaf and those in this assembly that while they dither and equivocate over Constitutional "God given Rights" of a Free People, codified into law, 16,250 innocent children are "murdered", put to death, mutilated, in the state of Virginia each and every year and each and every new session of this Legislature 16, 250 more innocents die at the hands of the inaction of this body as a whole. And we thought the Germans of the 30's were criminal for their actions with deliberate DEATH and maiming. The crime of murder in any form is a serious crime and just because it is "legalized" it is still a Sin again against humanity and the People of Virginia, who apparently foot the bill for this atrocity. Just as you should not be legalizing "Firearm Control" murder is still a unjustified morally and should be rejected as normal. If there are still anyone on the Democrat side of this body that understands morality and stands up for LIFE and LIBERTY of the People, consider well how and what you vote in favor of. May the punishment of this heinous crime be published and stopped before another thing is done, legally or illegally in this body. Sincerely, Peter Buckingham 301-646-5300 Crozet, VA 22932
HB35 - promotes actual firearms safety without imposing upon the rights of innocent gun owners for the crimes of others. Absolutely worth the support of the legislature. HB1230 - a step in the correct direction, towards making schools LESS of a soft target, LESS attractive to mass-murderers compared to how they are now. This permits some of the people we never needed to worry about in the first place to be armed against the possibility of someone wanting to murder them in a place which was previously a victim-disarmament zone. HB1235 - this shouldn't even be a QUESTION to support it. A protective order is a mere piece of paper, and it is well known that such a piece of paper has failed miserably in defending some people from their attackers. Permitting them to carry is the ONLY proper choice. HB1321 and 1325 do not earn my support or disapproval. ALL other bills being proposed for this day's consideration should be rejected - HB175 - ANY prohibition on so-called "assault firearms" is AT BEST meaningless and worthy of opposition for that reason alone. Add to that the fact that owners and users of these firearms are overwhelmingly peaceful VA citizens innocent of any wrongdoing and this bill CANNOT be passed. HB270 - more nonsense restrictions on so-called assault weapons" and standard-capacity magazines, which are unConstitutional on their face under both the US and VA Constitutions. Nuke this proposal. HB318 - proposes to hold "firearms industry members" responsible for crimes committed by third parties due to govt's inability or unwillingness to enforce EXISTING laws already covering the crimes detailed in this bill. This is a prima-facie attempt to execute lawfare against retailers and manufacturers innocent of any actual wrongdoing. Nuke it. HB319 - a petty attempt to remove NRA and USCCA instructors and ranges from certification at what they are literally the class-of-the-world in doing, teaching firearms safety and the legalities of carry, because the proposer doesn't LIKE those groups. The mere PROPOSAL is incredibly childish and unprofessional. Nuke it. HB362 - if you want to forbid ownership or possession of someone for a violent crime, that crime needs to be a felony. Period. And you'd better be able to JUSTIFY it being a felony crime. Nuke it. HB797 - another childish and unprofessional attack on the groups best-suited and -capable of instruction in actual firearms safety. NUKE IT. HB798 - see comments for HB362. NUKE IT. HB799 - This is tiresome. See comments for HB319 and 797. NUKE IT. HB861 - the only people who need to be restricted from carrying a weapon into a hospital already ARE prohibited from even TOUCHING one. Your inability or unwillingness to deal with that does not justify more laws. NUKE IT. HB916 - VA has had laws covering the issues of emergency TROs for YEARS already. So-called "red flag" laws are an abomination, violating most of the Bill Of Right and leaving someone you claim is a threat in the position to act on that threat. NUKE IT. HB945 - Not incredibly offensive, just wholly unnecessary. Nuke it. HB1195 - Any waiting period is Constitutionally-impermissible. A right delayed is a right denied, and the state seeks to delay here. NUKE IT. HB1386 - VA has no power to set workplace rules like this. NUKE IT. HB1462 - seeks to re-victimize victims of crime AND to make it impossible for people not a threat to anyone to carry outside of victim-disarmament zones. NUKE IT.
As a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment and a lifelong Virginian, I am compelled to express my deep concerns over the direction of recent legislative efforts surrounding firearm laws. I have always placed a high value on security, freedom, and the principles of logical, effective policy-making. It has become increasingly apparent that in the wake of tragic incidents, there is a tendency among some lawmakers to resort to knee-jerk reactions, such as proposing bans or stringent registration requirements for firearms the list goes on and on. While these measures are often presented as solutions to reduce crime, they fail to address the root causes of violence and, instead, serve only to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. The proposal to ban or mandatorily register firearms under the guise of public safety is not only ineffective but also a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights. Such actions presuppose that restricting the freedoms of the majority, who are responsible and law-abiding, will somehow prevent the criminal actions of the few. This is not only a flawed premise but also a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational liberties upon which our nation was built. Moreover, the creation of firearm-free zones and the push for restrictive gun laws are misguided attempts that offer a false promise of safety. History and evidence have shown that criminals do not adhere to such regulations; instead, these zones often end up as soft targets, inadvertently putting innocent lives at greater risk. In light of these considerations, I urge you and your colleagues in the Virginia House and Senate to: Stand firmly against the ineffective and reactionary proposals to ban or mandatorily register firearms. Reconsider and rescind policies that establish firearm-free zones, recognizing their failure to protect and their potential to harm. Focus on realistic, effective solutions that address the underlying causes of violence without compromising the rights and freedoms of Virginia's citizens. Our commitment to the Second Amendment is not a matter of political convenience but a fundamental principle that ensures our liberty and security. The right to bear arms is intrinsic to the American way of life, providing individuals the means to defend themselves, their families, and their freedoms. There are many egregious bills pending. firearm lock requirements, storage requirements, waiting periods, the list goes on and on I remind you democrats that you swore an oath to defend the constitution all these laws you are considering are contrary to the constitution itself and will be challenged and defeated because of the post bruen Supreme Court decisions. I am confident that with thoughtful consideration and a commitment to the principles of our Constitution, we can forge policies that genuinely enhance public safety without infringing upon our cherished liberties. I, alongside countless Virginia patriots, assert that we will not comply with laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights. This stance is rooted in a deep respect for the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Thank you for your attention to my concerns and for your ongoing service to the people of Virginia. I trust that you will approach this issue with the gravity and respect it deserves, recognizing the importance of preserving our constitutional rights in all legislative actions.
None of the gun control bills being put forward will stop a single criminal event. Not one. They are designed to punish and harm Virginians exercising their natural right to self defense and are in conflict with the US and Virginia constitution. Stop. This is not in the best interest of Virginians.
I strongly oppose this bill. There already is a background check run at time of purchase, if there' is a question on the check, it is already sent back as a pending. This is only targeting law abiding citizens and should not be passed into law. I encourage a NO vote on this bill.
The gun control bills being heard today all have one thing in common, that is to disarm the honest, law abiding citizen. There is no other reason and they will have no other effect. Gun control as a method to curb crime has failed everywhere it has been implemented. Gun control to advance tyranny , subjugation and genocide has succeeded. Please vote NO on these Unconstitutional bills.
A pro-gun vote is a vote for freedom. All the anti-gun bills are just solutions in search of problems. They thicken the code of Virginia and add nothing of value. Please, do NOT fatten the code for no reason. - Thank you
Dear committee I am writing to respectfully but firmly implore you not to advance gun control bills HB 175, 270, 318, 319, 362, 797, 798, 861, 1195, 1462. These bills will not stop or reduce crime. They will only strip the rights from law abiding citizens. One example is HB 1195, which creates a 5 day wait period. A right delayed is a right denied; if someone in danger needs a firearm to protect themselves, they are in more danger as they now have to wait. Not only is this unfair in light of Virginia's instant check system, but a court ruled against it. HB 318 Makes the firearm industry liable for the actions of criminals. This is unfair. You would not sue Ford if someone misused one of their products. You also have 2 bills that would limit training and the amount of certified instructors. This is insane as it goes against gun saftey: you WANT people to be trained on proper firearms use. You have bills that limit where one can carry, which is Unconstitutional under Bruen. You have bills that punish people if a firearm if left in their car in sight. Why not go after criminals? And it's not fair to punish people with only misdemeanors. As for the dating partner? That is problematic as a jilted partner , or and partner, can make a false statement about the other person. None of these bills will deter criminals nor will they do anything to address the saftey of people or the mental health issue. The better course of action would be to address mental health system. I DO want to see the following pro gun bills passed: HB 35, 945, 1230, 1235, 1325. These bills help people in crisis and even encourage safe storage of firearms without punishing people. I like the bill that offers tax credits for trigger locks/ safes . It's an incentive to encourage people to secure their firearms when not in use/ unattended. This is a great way to keep children safe and even puts some money back in people's pockets. I like the bill that turns an order of protection ( for the person that needs it ) into a concealed carry for a limited time. This will help vulnerable people protect themselves when they need to be able to do so. There are many things that can be done to make people safe, but not at the expense of freedom and constitutional rights. I am urging you to say Nay to the anti gun bills and Yay to the pro gun bills. A better course of action would be to fund and train police, enact harsh penalties for criminals, address the mental health system ( as the governor has said ) and pass pro gun legislation to both protect the Second Amendment and to encourage safe storage, increase the availability of training instructors, and allow people to protect themselves. And this also includes commonly-owned firearms such as AR15 and AK pattern rifles. Commonly-owned firearms such as these are protected under the Bruen decision. Thank you Mr Raymond Pezzoli
Article 1 section 13 is a restriction on you, in order to protect the civil rights of all citizens but especially the minority. Whether it’s a racial minority or a religious minority or a political minority, we all have rights that cannot be taken away just because some group is in a majority. Even if it weren’t a right or a civil liberty, you would have to repeal article 1 Sect 13 of the Virginia constitution in order to have the authority to prohibit me from being armed, and not just with a firearm but armed in anyway I see fit. Gun control doesn’t work, we see the results in countless examples so this isn’t a new idea and it’s been proven to fail and actually harm the citizens. Gun control started with racist after the civil war and it continues today to be the same racist elitist ideology that says you’re not smart enough or responsible enough to protect yourself, you must have the government protect you, which of course is ridiculous because the police cannot be everywhere nor would we want that many police in our society Many victims will testify that being unarmed or having a waiting period or a background check did nothing to stop their attacker and only effected their ability to protect themself which lead to them being victimized by a criminal Murder is illegal, people are still murdered Speed limits are in place, people still speed Laws do not stop or prevent crime, the only thing that any law will do is establish a punishment AFTER you are caught, not before. There are no minority reports, there are no pre cogs you cannot stop a crime before it happens, the intended victim is the only one that can stop the crime when it happens and the only way to do that is to be armed
As a constituent of one of the Delegates of the Assembly, but not of your committee, I write to express my opposition to each/all of the anti-2A bills in this collection. Individually and collectively, they punish Virginia citizens who intend to comply with them, and fail to so much as deter those with criminal intent. While this is true of nearly all laws, these are a particularly vile assault on the innocent. I do not find any of you deplorable, for you have not yet cast a vote - but if you vote to send these bills onward (and I'll know, within hours...) then I will find you so, and will become your political enemy. I cannot wield a lot of power as an 80-year-old individual constituent, but that which I can, I will.
HB1195. I support this bill which requires a waiting period to purchase a gun. We know that many guns are used for suicides, and we know that a waiting period can mean the difference between life and death. The person has an opportunity to rethink their actions or hopefully will be able to talk to someone who can help. This is not saying no to guns; it is a common sense approach to gun purchase. Thank you.
I strongly oppose HB1195. The process and waiting period described in HB1195 is both redundant and excessive. Background checks are already required for firearm purchases and transfers in Virginia. If anything, more focus should be placed on that process to ensure its accuracy and speed. HB1195 would only serve as a punitive delay on lawful citizens looking to legally purchase firearms whom are already subject to that background check. Additionally, it will serve to prevent some residents who may have an urgent, legitimate need of a firearm for self-protection from being able to obtain one in a timely manner.
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 am writing to request that you OPPOSE HB 1195. Under the text of HB1195, a person cannot purchase a firearm for five days after completing a criminal background check. Under this proposed law, for a lawful citizen to exercise their right to keep and bear arms for personal protection, they must wait to exercise such a right until 5 days have passed. No other Constitutional right guaranteed by the United States Constitution or even the Virginia Constitution supports the idea that one must wait for their ability to exercise their right. Further, this bill significantly prohibits individuals from being able to protect themselves adequately in a timely fashion. If someone fears for their life and wishes to have a firearm for personal protection against home intruders or other perceived threats, they cannot acquire such protection until after five days have elapsed. Under current law, a background check and eligibility can be determined instantly, and the Virginia government and the Federal government have the ability to deny someone who is not legally able to have such a weapon from obtaining one. Prohibiting lawful citizens from purchasing a firearm will not decrease crime and will, in fact, prohibit people from defending themselves from said criminals, making them hopelessly defenseless from their aggressor.
I support these bills!
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support the following bills: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945 I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I oppose these bills: HB1030, HB1141, HB1198, HB1230, HB1235, HB1321, HB1325, HB1386, HB289, HB389, HB756, & HB872 Innocent children are dying on our watch. Please do something.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. I expect to see more gun violence prevention legislation *actually pass* since there is so much nonpartisan alignment on this topic. The status quo is unacceptable. Our pro-gun culture is a threat to our children, and a slap in the face to every person who has lost their lives to gun violence. Enough is enough - policy over prayers.
I am opposed to this bill. It's only purpose is to make it more difficult for law abiding citizens to purchase firearms.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill. Gun violence in our communities and in our state is heartbreaking and changes need to be made to protect the citizens of Virginia.
I am a member of Virginia moms for change and I support these bills.
I do not support HB 1195. Waiting periods are an unnecessary burden on law-abiding gun owners as we already have the instant criminal background check system (NICS) for purchasing firearms in Virginia. People who pass the NICS background check system should not be treated as potential criminals and be forced to wait additional time to collect their lawfully purchased firearm. Ensuring the NICS system is fully up-to-date is the best way to ensure people who are disqualified from purchasing firearms are not able to buy them legally. Thank you.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support these bills. To all responsible gun owners: you shouldn't be afraid of these common sense bills. These bills are directed at people who are not handling their firearms as the deadly weapons that they can be. Instead of thinking your rights are being taken away, consider instead how safe storage, permits and waiting periods could help the daily gun violence in our country. Keep your guns, we are not trying to take them away. These bills are an opportunity for you, as a responsible gun owner, to be a part of the solution to help cut down on needless violence.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change and I support the selected bills. I believe they will make our communities safer and that gun violence is a critical issue we must address with such legislation and more.
I am a member of Virginia Mom's for Change, a group working towards gun violence prevention. We support the bills indicated above.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group. I support bills HB1174 HB1181 HB1195 HB12 HB1424 HB1462 HB158 HB175 HB183 HB23 HB270 HB318 HB319 HB351 HB362 HB585 HB602 HB637 HB791 HB798 HB799 HB861 HB916 HB945
and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB 158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support these bills. The bills we support are: HB1174, HB1181, HB1195, HB12, HB1424, HB1462, HB158, HB175, HB183, HB23, HB270, HB318, HB319, HB351, HB362, HB585, HB602, HB637, HB791, HB797, HB798, HB799, HB861, HB916, & HB945
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
I am opposed to bill HB1195. A waiting period has literally no effect on "public safety". Either an individual van pass the federally required background check through NICS, or they cannot. A background check is already necessary to purchase a firearm and rarely takes more than an hour. What exactly is supposed to happen within the proposed mandatory waiting period that is not being accomplished by the background checks already in place?
A waiting period for firearms purchases is not constitutional. The supreme Court have stated previously that a right delayed is a right denied.
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.
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
HB1224 - Special identification cards; reduces fee for issuance, etc.
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HB1244 - Restorative housing and isolated confinement; restrictions on use.
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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.
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.
Many of these gun laws are unfair to law abiding citizens and do not affect criminals. These gun laws should be vetoed.
As a fellow Democrat, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 1. Self-Defense: Firearms can be a crucial tool for individuals to protect themselves, especially in high-crime areas or situations where law enforcement response times are slow. 2. Sport and Recreation: Many Americans enjoy shooting sports like hunting, skeet shooting, and target practice as a recreational activity, fostering a sense of community and skill-building. 3. Cultural Tradition: Gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American culture, with a rich history of hunting and marksmanship passed down through generations. 4. Economic Impact: The firearms industry contributes significantly to the economy, generating jobs and revenue through manufacturing, sales, and related services. 5. Civil Liberties: Upholding the right to bear arms is fundamental to preserving individual freedoms and safeguarding against government overreach. 6. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: For historically marginalized groups, owning firearms can serve as a means of empowerment and protection against hate crimes or discriminatory violence. 7. Emergency Preparedness: In times of natural disasters or civil unrest, responsible gun owners can help maintain order and protect their families and communities. 8. Deterrence of Crime: Research suggests that the presence of armed civilians can deter potential criminals and reduce overall crime rates in certain contexts. 9. Veterans and Law Enforcement: Many veterans and law enforcement officers transition to civilian life with a continued appreciation for firearms, utilizing their expertise for civilian defense and security. 10. Balanced Approach: Instead of blanket gun control measures, we can advocate for comprehensive solutions that address root causes of violence, such as mental health support, poverty reduction, and community intervention programs.
I oppose this legislation.
I oppose all these unconstitutional, dangerous, and pointless laws.
My name is Sabrina Stokes wife of Monte Stokes housed in keen mountain and currently wrongfully housed in RHU! I support the HB1244 solitary confinement needs to end ! Thank you
Good day Honorable House Committee Chair, the Honorable Delegate members, and staff, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on behalf of LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the thousands of people currently suffering extreme isolation called "Restorative Housing," who will benefit from the passing of this bill. My name is Steven Mangual, Justice Advocate Coordinator, at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Southeast Region. LatinoJustice PRLDEF is a national Latinx-led Civil Rights organization that for 51 years has been using litigation, community education workshops, and legislative advocacy to defend and empower the Latinx and other communities of color. LatinoJustice has a long history of pro-active participation in the legislative processes at regional and other southeast regional states and commonwealths, like Virginia in our national efforts and I am here today to support House Bill 1244. On any given day, the Commonwealth of Virginia has over 7,000* people held in some form of extreme isolation, locked-in for 23/24 hours a day with no human contact, no attention to their mental health needs, medical care, vocation/education needs, rehabilitative, nor transitional planning. Currently there are men on hunger strike at Red Onion Prison in response to the horrible conditions of your "restorative housing." People placed in solitary, report hallucinations, insomnia, self-mutilation, incoherent thoughts and speech, suicidal ideations, and post-traumatic stress disorder. ** Imagine those with preexisting mental illness? I testify as an advocate against solitary, working for a national Civil Rights organization, member of the Virginia Coalition on Solitary; I'm also part of a national campaign which includes the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), and Unlock the Box Campaign. I a also a solitary survivor with personal experience. I was incarcerated for 14 in New York including over six months in solitary confinement. Despite being released over 17 years ago, with a wonderful family and career, I still suffer the consequences of my "time" in solitary confinement; depression, insomnia, anxiety & panic attacks. SEVENTEEN years later. I ask for your support of this bill as a positive step towards ending solitary confinement beginning by providing immediate medical and mental health treatment, educational, rehabilitative, and transitional planning. We support HB 1244 Restorative Housing and Isolated Confinement in Virginia, and we urge the Honorable House Committee to vote YES to its passage. Thank you kindly.
We support HB1244! The continued use of solitary confinement has been clinically proven to cause severe and at times debilitating mental illness and even psychosis in it's use. Isolation can be psychologically harmful to any prisoner, with the nature and severity of the impact depending on the individual, the duration, and particular conditions (e.g., access to natural light, books, or radio). Psychological effects can include anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive disturbances, perceptual distortions, obsessive thoughts, paranoia, and psychosis. If Virginia's goal is to truly rehabilitate those in its care during incarceration we MUST stop this practice and engage in other means of proactive & humane treatment of misconduct.
As people of faith, we oppose torture as a violation of our intrinsic respect for humanity and the God-given value we see in every person created in the image of God. Solitary confinement is a dehumanizing and expensive practice that is at odds with the goal of rehabilitation or the facilitation of social reintegration, and it does not increase the safety in our prisons. Whether it is called “restrictive” or “rehabilitative” housing, it is still the same practice, and extended use of solitary confinement is torture. It should be prohibited except in rare and well-defined circumstances — such as when a prisoner poses a real and imminent threat of physical harm — and only for as little time as absolutely necessary. Legislation passed last year was a first step towards eliminating this practice, but it did not go far enough. We call on the Virginia General Assembly to support passage of HB1244.
I support this bill! Medical research shows that the denial of meaningful human contact can cause ‘isolation syndrome’, the symptoms of which include anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive disturbances, perceptual distortions, paranoia, psychosis, self-harm and suicide. Prolonged isolation can destroy a person’s personality and their mental health and its effects may last long after the end of the period of segregation. If our corrections system is rehabilitating people to one day re-enter society, why are we using methods that can cause greater harm to their mental abilities? This country has a huge mental health issue that we are barely able to address, this practice ONLY adds to the plight!
Honorable Members of the House Public Safety - Public Safety Committee Chair: Rasoul, Chairman My name is Lillie Branch-Kennedy, Founder of the Virginia based nonprofit Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged and the Disenfranchised (RIHD, INC) assisting people directly impacted, families and communities affected by Virginia's criminal legal system with restorative practices. Our goal for is for a safer and equitable society. On behalf of our 4,000 membership we supports bill HB 1244 introduced by Delegate Joshua G. Cole Restorative housing and isolated confinement; restrictions on its use. Sincerely, Lillie Branch-Kennedy Founder Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged and Disenfranchised RIHD, INC. 1720 Mechanicsville Turnpike Richmond, Virginia 23223 Tel: (804) 426-4426 Email: lillie@rihd.org Website: www.rihd.org
My husband spent over 2 years in solitary confinement at the young age of 22. He suffered immense bouts of depression and even psychosis. While we understand the punitive nature of imprisonment we also as American people recognize the need for balance and correction. This practice is cruel and unusual by often times permanently damaging the brain. Let's do away with archaic methods of torture and make room to research healthier way to reform criminal behavior. Thank you for listening.
As the Director of Virginia Justice Alliance, we strongly support this bill. This use of long-term isolation by any name is torture and has no place in our society. I have worked with many clients who have served time in VADOC Seg units and have seen the first-hand effects of this practice. I also have a loved one who was subjected to long-term segregation and had to watch him struggle and fail to come back into society. He now struggles with mental health issues and substance abuse due to his time in seg.
I am a member of Accotink Unitarian-Universalist Church and I support this bill. While progress was made last year with a law requiring 4 hours of out-of-cell time, this bill further restricts the use of solitary confinements, requires alternative actions and better monitoring of a practice that needs to be abolished.
I am a member of the Valley Justice Coalition and I support HB 1244. Thank you Karen Chamblee
Isolation is known to make our prisons less safe by exacerbating mental health problems, problems that lead to preventable violence. Our over-reliance on solitary confinement hinders our ability to adopt best practices used by other states and countries that no longer sanction isolation as a short term answer, but instead are investing in solutions that make our prisons and communities safer. I do not want my tax dollars to be supporting a practice that is cruel and inhumane; therefore, I encourage you to vote for safer prisons and communities by supporting HB1244.
Isolation is known to make our prisons less safe by exacerbating mental health problems, problems that lead to preventable violence. Our over-reliance on solitary confinement hinders our ability to adopt best practices used by other states and countries that no longer sanction isolation as a short term answer, but instead are investing in solutions that make our prisons and communities safer. I do not want my tax dollars to be supporting a practice that cruel and inhumane; therefore, I encourage you to vote for safer prisons and communities by supporting HB1244.
Last year Virginia took a step in the right direction with putting into law that people in isolation receive a minimum of 4 hours out of cell time. However that truly is not enough. People are suffering in our prisons while locked in for months and yers. it is inhumane and needs to end. Virginia needs to pass HB1244 and end long term confinement in the common wealth.
Isolated confinement (called Restorative Housing by the DOC) is an old practice that has a damaging effect on prisoners, especially those with mental issues. Many states have figured out how keep order without using long periods of isolation. It's time Virginia learned how, too. Almost all these prisoners will be released someday, and they are more likely to recommit crimes or be incapable of supporting themselves if their mental capacity is damaged. Please support HB 1244 to limit this damage.
As a military veteran and long time resident of Virginia, I fully support HB1244 and urge it passage. We have one of the worst records on solitary confinement and it needs to stop. Ed Kringer.
Solitary confinement is torture by another name! Please support HB 1244 that is a small step in the right direction of limiting this barbaric practice.
I support this bill, and call on the General Assembly to pass these limits. Solitary confinement is a dehumanizing and expensive practice that is at odds with the goal of rehabilitation, and it does not increase safety in our prisons. According to the United Nations, keeping someone in solitary confinement for more than 15 days is torture. It violates basic human rights, and the practice should be prohibited, except in extreme circumstances where the prisoner poses a real an imminent threat of physical harm, and for as little time as necessary.
I am a member of Virginia Moms for Change, a gun violence prevention group, and I support this bill.
Vote YES on HB 1244!!! We need to STOP the use of solitary confinement, it is unsanitary, it makes people’s mental status suffer, sometimes causing suicide. People need interaction with others. If you just stop and put yourself in a closet for say 30minutes shut the door no lights NOW just imagine what these men and women are feeling and thinking for days on end . Lets end the use of solitary confinement (basically torture)
The introduction of HB 1244 legislation in Virginia is a significant step towards reforming the use of solitary confinement in state correctional facilities. HB 1244 aims to prohibit isolated confinement, with certain exceptions, and provides much-needed transparency for this form of torture. It is crucial to prioritize incarcerated individual's well-being and mental health, and this legislation is a positive stride in that direction. Virginia studied solitary confinement in 2022; we must stop studying blatant torture and do something.
My loved one was stabbed due to staff negligence and then was placed in segregation for his own protection where for four months he sat being punished for something he didn’t do. He already has mental health issues and while sitting in segregation it only got worse. Mental health came to see him one time after the stabbing back there. I had to continuously reach out before they finally came to see him again. We all know that being locked in a cell 23 hours a day already has a severe impact on their mental health but for someone who already has mental health issues that only makes it worse. These men and women are still human and deserve to be treated like humans. Again, for four months my loved one sat in segregation due to staff negligence which allowed him to get stabbed when he was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing at the time.
My Loved One incarcerated at Keen Mountain was in solitary confinement for 10 days straight. He only had a mattress and a sink. When he went number two he wasnt given toilet paper to wipe himself and had to use the clothes he was wearing. Even when he ate he was unable to wash the defecation off of his hands. I'm in support of Delegate Cole's Bill.
This practice is so detrimental to the well-being of all people. It has been studied and confirmed to cause more harm than good and it is well past time to discontinue. We need oversight of the jails and prisons to assure it stops.
This practice is so detrimental to the well-being of all people. It has been studied and confirmed to cause more harm than good and it is well past time to discontinue. We need oversight of the jails and prisons to assure it stops.
As people of faith, we oppose torture as a violation of our intrinsic respect for humanity and the God-given value we see in every person created in the image of God. Solitary confinement – by whatever name it is called - is torture. It should be prohibited except in rare circumstances — such as when a prisoner poses a real and imminent threat of physical harm — and only for as little time as absolutely necessary. We call on the Virginia General Assembly to limit the use of solitary confinement in Virginia’s prisons and jails and we support passage of HB1244.
Solitary confinement, a practice shrouded in shadows, demands immediate and definitive reform. Confining individuals to barren cells for 22 hours a day, starved of human connection, inflicts psychological wounds far deeper than any concrete walls. The mounting evidence of its devastating effects - from hallucinations and self-harm to irreversible brain changes - While proponents cite security and order, can we truly claim a system "just" when it breaks minds instead of reforming them? The alternative, restorative justice, beckons. Engaging prisoners in meaningful programs, fostering human connections, and prioritizing rehabilitation over isolation offer a path towards genuine societal safety. Let us not be remembered for the darkness we inflicted, but for the light we dared to embrace, ending the inhumane practice of solitary confinement and choosing a future where every life, regardless of past transgressions, holds the potential for redemption and healing.
I support HB 1244. I currently have a loved one serving in solitary confinement.
I support HB1244. The UN states that solitary confinement shall be used very rarely and for as short a term as possible. Nelson Mandela rules protect the individual and respect their human dignity. Meanwhile, Penal Reform International (n.d.) shared that 80-100 thousand US prisoners at any one time are held in isolation. Being deprived of human contact is torture, increases anxiety and fear which predisposes those men, women, and children to chronic diseases and early death. "Medical research shows that the denial of meaningful human contact can cause ‘isolation syndrome’, the symptoms of which include anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive disturbances, perceptual distortions, paranoia, psychosis, self-harm and suicide. Prolonged isolation can destroy a person’s personality and their mental health and its effects may last long after the end of the period of segregation."-Penal Reform International. Many international rules prohibit the use of solitary confinement for juveniles and pregnant women and should not be used for prisoners on death row or those serving life sentences. If you are only interested in the financial side rather than the human side, solitary confinement costs $78,000 per person isolated (NPR,2014). That is three times the cost of a person in regular imprisonment. I urge the committee to support HB 1244 and end the use of solitary confinement in Virginia for men, women, and children. There are examples in the USA of prisons using a trauma-informed care approach to treat individuals with respect and enhance safety in the correctional facilities for everyone living and working there. Let's lead the way in the right thing to do.
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 support HB1244! Considering all the research this country has conducted on the effects of solitary confinement, I'm amazed that we are even having this discussion in such an astute, highly educated, "morally" based country such as ours. One would only need to communicate with a child or grown-up who has endured such harsh treatment, and you would clearly see the damage it caused them. Better yet, there are numerous documentaries on Netflix and many other websites, that clearly expose the horrific conditions that men, women, and children are subjected to that would make your head spin. Why are we even having this discussion? Because our intelligent society has lost its touch and can't seem to understand the basic needs of a human, but we cry over a wet dog left in the cold. If you don't think these conditions exist in VA Dept. of Corrections, I would like to challenge the most intelligent to subject themselves to a thirty day experiment and share with the public how you maintained your sanity. It is past time for this to end! Not only does it cause severe depression, anxiety and health issues, but it definitely doesn't prepare ANYONE for society. We are spending too much in taxes for a system that is not only failing them, but it's also failing the citizens of Virginia. PASS THIS BILL!!!
Solitary confinement has been proven to do more harm than good. In fact, inmates locked away for an extended time are often more problematic than before they went in. There should be an ENFORCED maximum for all facilities
The United Nations has declared prolonged use of solitary confinement to be torture. The State of Virginia has tortured untold numbers of its citizens. This must change. Vote Yes for HB1244.
We support this Bill.
Vadoc claims to reform offenders. How does depriving someone of physical and social needs help teach someone the correct way of handling situations? The men and women incarcerated already feel isolated from losing their freedom. It is inhumane to Add on even more isolation . Studies show loneliness and social isolation increases anxiety, depression and suicide rates. The vadoc should not be increasing the rates of mental illness which will increase the risk of recidivism for those entering back into society and even for those who are not. Not only does this increase risk of depression and anxiety, the cdc reports there is a 32% increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Hopkinsmedicine.org reports “One possible explanation is that having fewer opportunities to socialize with others decreases cognitive engagement as well, potentially contributing to increased risk of dementia.“ as social isolation increases the risk of dementia by 27%. To punish someone while they are already being punished by having their rights and freedom taken already is wrong. No person should be treated like this. It appears Livestock has more protection by the law than our incarcerated friends, family and neighbors.
We strongly support ending this kind of cruel and unusual punishment.
My father was in solitary confinement for something the prison said he did that he did not, for 13 months straight. It is inhumane and has proven, in countless studies, to cause irreparable damage to the brain! This should be considered cruel and unusual punishment because it is! Please ban solitary confinement now! If the point of prison is to rehabilitate prisoners… how can we sit idly by while a common practice in said prisons directly counteracts that purpose? Anyone is capable of making a mistake, if it were your father would you want them to be treated in such a deplorable manner? We too often forget that just because incarcerated persons are criminals that they aren’t also people. They are, and they should have a right to not be harmed while in VADOCs care. Thank you for your time.
I support these Bills!
My husband has been in solitary confinement for 25 days at Red Onion State Prison. He has not had a disciplinary hearing for what they are accusing him of. Mental health nor medical have been back to check on him and he has health issues. They have not been giving him his little bit of commissary that he is able to order. They are allowing showers twice a week only. He has no access to mail his family including his child since they have not delivered his stamps he ordered. He has only been given the phone two times in these 25 days. He has not received any time out of cell expect when they handcuff and shackle him to assist him to the shower twice a week. This is the same facility where there is an active hunger strike taking place for this facility not following HOUSE BILL NO. 2487; 53.1-39.2, relating to correctional facilities; use of solitary confinement and restrictive housing. Signed into state law by Governor Youngkin; effective 7/1/2023. Solitary confinement also impacts families and children. We miss our family member and we need to hear from him. Especially his young child. The sad reality is there are individuals placed in long-term segregation at Red Onion State Prison who have been in there for several years. Research shows the serious detrimental effects of spending 22 to 24 hours per day alone and idle in a cell, and numerous studies have found that solitary has a disproportionate impact on Black and brown people. Solitary confinement is a public health issue. People placed in solitary can develop serious, long-lasting health problems, which may increase their risk for further health complications and even premature death. Please support HB1244 by Delegate Hope. As Virginians need to put a stop to this torturous inhumane practice.
It is long past time to end the practice of solitary confinement aka RHU, Step-Down, administrative segregation. Whatever VADOC chooses to call it, solitary confinement is torture. Period. We should not support these practices and the irreversible physical and psychological harm that they cause not just for those behind bars but for their loved ones as well. This is trauma and we can end it. Pass HB1244.
HB1388 - Virginia Critical Operation for a Disappeared Child Initiative (Codi) Alert Program; established.
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I oppose all these unconstitutional, dangerous, and pointless laws.
HB1454 - Limited-duration licenses and driver privilege cards and permits; extends validity.
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HJ76 - Gun violence; JLARC to study effects on communities.
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We support violence prevention services and the funding of research into gun violence prevention.
As a member of Virginia Moms for Change, I support violence prevention services and the funding of research into gun violence prevention.
HB45 - Earned sentence credits; incarceration prior to entry of final order of conviction.
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I fully support those bills.
I fully support those bills.
I fully support these bills HB45 HB179 HB 834
I am in full support of this bill, HB45 (as well as HB834 and HB179). I feel that it incentivizes individuals to participate in programs and behaviors that will help them grow and learn. This will help them develop beneficial skills for when they are released as well. These credits are earned and not just given away to everyone who is in prison. The point of incarceration is not only to have people take accountability for their crimes but also to rehabilitate individuals who have made mistakes and allow for them to have a chance to come home to prove that they will be productive members of society.
Hb45 vote yes. Time served is time served regardless of if conviction has happened. People should get earned sentence credits for it
I support these two bills HB834 and HB45 because A lot of times crimes are a reaction and not an action when a trauma has experienced and they are not likely to repeat the crime... A second chance matters in these cases and would take a huge burden off of the tax payer and families. Look at what they have done since and send the ones home who have shown us that they are rehabilitated and let's rebuild our families and community's... Kind regards, Cyndi Harris
I would like for the committee to consider the the bill on the table today. So many individuals incarcerated are far removed from the people they were 10, 5 ,20 years ago.
I fully support HB45 and HB834 and pray you all will as well. These bills are "Earned" NOT a get out of jail free card! There are inmates who get up everyday and work hard and participate in programs to help with their rehabilitation. My husband has been incarcerated 7 years. He is not the same 20 year old first time offender in the system. He's matured and shown his rehabilitation throughout the years. He's earned all his certificates, as well as a college certificate he will apply upon release, holds a job, a mentor to other offenders, attends the church sessions and now is just taken up space because it's nothing more VADOC can offer him. His "violent" crime is completed his remaining 3 years he can earn on is for nonviolent offenses. They’re several more like him. He’s taking accountability and has grown from this experience. The passing of these bills can be an example of inmates to come that with hard work and true dedication to bettering themselves that they deserve a second chance. And that there are people out here who look at them as more than just another number. Please support these bills. -Machay Middleton
We strongly support this bill and ask you to please vote YES. No matter where a person is incarcerated, the person should be incentivized to become rehabilitated. The ESC Law has been a major success incentivizing those incarcerated to become their very best. Please vote YES for HB45.
I fully support HB45 and HB834 and I hope you all will as well. Both bills are "Earned" NOT a get out of jail free card! Crimes are committed, lengthy times are given. Age plays a factor in change, with maturity. My now 41 year old husband who has been incarcerated 23 years with 6 remaining is not the same 19 year old first time offender in the system. He's grown and shown his rehabilitation throughout the years. He's earned all his certificates, recieved his GED as well as a college certificate he will apply upon release, holds a job, a mentor to other offenders and now is just taken up space because it's nothing more VADOC can offer him. His "violent" crime is completed his remaining 11 years he can earn on is for nonviolent offenses a double stack use of firearm arm charge which he was given 3 years each as well as 5 years for possession of controlled substance. The prisons are overcrowded severly with more entering the system daily so why hold them longer if they've proven change throughout their incarceration? those who are eligible have release dates regardless so what will a few earned years early hurt? Nothing. It will free up space and save taxpayers money!
I support HB45 and HB77 and HB834 because I am a firm believer that not all law codes pertain to the actual crime of the person but sometimes it is the law code that they have no choice but to sentence the individual under and in that case, people are over sentenced in our state. Prisons and jails in Virginia are over populated and this is one of the reasons. My husband has been incarcerated for 10 years and has had no chance to have any incentive to do better. When the bill HB45 was supposed to go through before the budget ammendment was put into effect, a bunch of human beings were let down, both incarcerated and the families as well. DOC had people have their hopes up and then the governor shot all that down. Home plans, medical was all initiated just to have all that ripped away. Then came all the lawsuits and there are still alot of them going on as we speak and will continue. There have been overdoses and deaths and all kinds of foul things going on since this. When we had covid drugs were still getting inside of prisons yet there were no contact visits for almost 2 years and there was still a drug problem inside all facilities so where were the drugs coming from at that point? We need to help these men and women in a positive manner and maybe give them some initiative to be better and prosper inside those walls. An inmate is just a number in the state of Virginia it seems and honestly they are not treated as well as it is seems but they are humans. The only difference between them and people of the free world is that THEY GOT CAUGHT and some didn't. I have so much more I could say but I believe in second chances and I believe when one is sentenced they get over sentenced due to the nature of the law code and that crime only falls under that said law code but that does not mean the crime committed was as it seems in the public eye. Thanks for your time and I pray these guys and gals will have some better initiative to look forward to in 2024.
Dear Senator Kaine, I extend my sincere gratitude for considering my story. It is crucial for me to convey the depth of remorse and responsibility I feel for the actions that led to my incarceration. I am Andre gaddie , and I want to express, with utmost sincerity, that my plea for assistance in no way diminishes the acknowledgment of the profound impact my choices had on others' lives. In 2007 at the age of 17 I found myself entangled in a gang ,mob that resulted in significant legal consequences. . Despite the severity of my actions, I am compelled to emphasize that I take full accountability for the pain inflicted, recognizing the destruction caused that fateful night. As I serve a 58 year sentence, it is important for you to understand that my plea is not a plea for innocence but a plea for a chance at redemption and a second lease on life. I acknowledge the enormity of my wrongs, and I am acutely aware of the suffering endured by those affected. Throughout my 18+ years of incarceration, I have committed myself to personal transformation. I have actively participated in numerous rehabilitation programs and educational initiatives, culminating in the attainment of my GED and ministry licenses. Also generating a llc for a new life for gang members to educate them and properly share life stores and guidance .I have maintained an impeccable record, remaining infraction-free for the past 16 years. Prison, in an unexpected twist, became a catalyst for positive change in my life. It provided me with an opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow. I do not take lightly the gravity of my past actions, but I firmly believe that every individual deserves a chance at redemption and renewal. At the age of 35 I stand before you as a changed man, yearning for the prospect of reintegration into society as a productive citizen. My journey within the prison system has been marked by stability, employment, and various achievements, all indicative of my commitment to rehabilitation. I implore you, Senator Kaine, to consider supporting my plea for freedom and a second chance. I understand the complexities surrounding my case, but I believe in the transformative power of genuine remorse and sustained positive change. Your advocacy could be instrumental in affording me the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to society once again and be with my wife and my child that I took on in this journey of life .Thank you for your time, and I earnestly hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Andre Gaddie Greensville correctional
I vote yes for the second chance!!!
According to Prison Policy Institute, Virginia incarcerates more people than the top 10 industrialized nations (and all 50 states) combined! Therefore, ANY ability to credit anyone incarcerated for any time, should be counted toward the total sentence. I am an example of why this is needed: arrested wrongly, and convicted falsely, I served 7 months in jail for a crime I did not commit. Later, I was rearrested -- twice -- by machinations of a vicious probation officer, and spent another $500 for release -- on charges eventually dismissed as the nonsense they were. Total cost to me? OVER $250,000 FOR ABSOLUTELY nothing. So, there are already numerous inequities in the very flawed system, and this bill is a huge step toward mitigating any errors in sentencing.