Public Comments for 01/22/2021 Public Safety
HB1992 - Firearms; purchase, etc., following conviction for assault and battery of a family member.
Oppose HB1992 - As a woman, I value freedom above all else. And that means we must find another way to help people get out of bad situations. How about support organizations like LAWS (Loudoun County) and support mental health programs. That would save a lot more lives. What is the problem this is fixing? We all know that domestic abusers use fists, knives, staircases, and manipulation/threats at a dramatically higher rate than they use firearms. What problem are you trying to fix here? Let's stay free, keep our 2nd amendment uninfringed (which is vital to women's rights), and work on mental health and resources to those suffering abuse.
Please support this bill.
Domestic Violence, especially lately due to Covid-19 lockdowns, has been a major issue that no one seems to want to discuss. As DV cases increase throughout the nation, as well as within the Commonwealth of VA, I am happy to see someone in our state government bring it up. Although Murphy's HB1992 is meant with good intentions to help DV cases, I find its wording confusing/ loose, and with "loopholes" so-to-speak, which could lead to false allegations/sentencing (which happens). I, a strong advocate for DV Reform, like many others, find that if this bill reflected what the Federal definition of Domestic Violence states, as well as gave opportunities to restoration of rights after some sort of rehabilitation (after time served), it may be more fitting. Domestic Violence Reform IS NEEDED now, more so than ever, and in order to get ahead of these issues, we need to be more educated and precise in how we initiate our legislation, so that we can save lives rather than hinder them more.
Removing gun rights for a misdemeanor has never happened before. Where will this stop, a traffic ticket then lose your rights to guns? Next, prove to me that it will stop someone getting a gun illegally and using it. That's all it will do. It won't stop domestic violence, and expanding the definition of domestic violence will get kicked out in the courts. As a tax payer and independent/non 2 party person, stop wasting my money and fix the problems we have. This is simply chipping away at 2nd amendment rights, using domestic violence as an way to do it.
Lewinsville Faith in Action fully in support of Del Murphy's bill. Getting guns out of the hands of those convicted of domestic violence is an essential prevention measure especially given the lethal combination of domestic violence abusers and guns.
As a veteran who served this country, respectfully request all Delegates abandon these proposals. They are unnecessary and restrict the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. Responsible gun owners are not the problem in Virginia and should not be hindered or penalized in exercising their rights.
I urge our representatives to vote against any further infringement on the right of Virginians to keep and own firearms. The proposals listed here have many problems, but each proposal can be categorized as "a solution in search of a problem". In general I hope to see long-standing federal law and guidance followed. HB2128 - The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
Any bills brought forth prohibiting firearms carried by Americans which prohibit civilians from carrying is illegal and incompetent officials that were put in office legally or illegally by fraud votes DO NOT have authority over the Constitution to change this!
I urge committee members and all legislators OPPOSE the following bills: HB2276 - duplicates permission of localities to ban firearms in locations they lease or own HB1992 - duplicates federal law HB1909 - no public safety impact at all, and makes illegal firearms lawfully imported by private individuals. No provision for coming into compliance other than disposal. None of these bills enhance public safety, or of individuals in any way. While well-intentioned, they're ignorant of current law, poorly worded, and overly broad.
We the public hire our leaders and we need to be heard.
I have a misdemeanor, this bill would make it illegal for me to own the guns I already have and have purchased since my misdemeanor. The event that resulted in a misdemeanor was a result of me having a gun on my person with a concealed carry permit and when asked why had a gun I said its a deterrent, I was charged with brandishing because I used the word deterrent even though I was on my own property. The Judge wanted to dismiss the case the Prosecutor refused and told the Judge he dint have the authority to do so, there was an argument at the state level that a Judge does have the authority to dismiss a case prior to trial however this was not decided in time for my case . The gun involved was returned to me.
As a criminal attorney who has prosecuted and defended hundred (maybe thousands) of "domestic violence" cases, I vehemently oppose this law change. First, the Federal Government already makes such a convicted person "prohibited," 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(7). Where the error and difficulty truly lies is in the absolute inability for anyone convicted of a MISDEMEANOR domestic violence charge from EVER obtaining relief from a ban on their firearm disability. The Commonwealth does not have a mechanism for a court of competent jurisdiction (Circuit Court) to grant firearm rights back to someone convicted of such misdemeanor. I have represented many FELONS, both violent and non-violent, in obtaining their firearm rights back. Why is it that a FELON convicted of robbery with the use of a firearm 20 years ago is now able to be considered less of a threat to society? But a misdemeanant -perhaps spitting on, pushing, or being falsely accused of such things by their spouse amidst a divorce or custody battle- 10-20 years ago, is permanently prohibited from possessing or purchasing a firearm? That is the law NOW. Why would the Commonwealth waste its time in establishing yet another law to expand the number of prohibited people from EVER possessing a firearm? The only answer is oppression. This does nothing to further protect anyone in society. The racial disparity in this law is also appalling. Anecdotally, I see far more African American men actually convicted of domestic assault than white men. If there were a mechanism in Virginia for obtaining gun right back and lifting disabilities, similar to that for convicted felons, 18.2-308.2(C), then I would not oppose this law change. However, the Commonwealth shows its face again and continues to propose oppressive and baseless law changes in the name of "public safety" without any regard for the real world consequences or lack of data supporting such a change.
Please OPPOSE HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295! I’m an emergency room nurse, a competitive shooter, and a Virginian. I pride myself as a Virginian and a female and the ability to protect myself. According to the Supreme Court in 2008 and 2010, it is my right to defend myself with a firearm. As a female, I refuse to be a victim and carry EVERYWHERE EVERYDAY! To legislate that I cannot carry my firearm is to tie my hands behind my back and tell me to trust you with my life and that evil does not exist. I’m sorry to report that I do not trust you not with my life and evil certainly exists Gun free zones account for over 90% of mass shootings in our country , 100% of those committed in VA. Please allow Virginians to continue to have an active role in their own safety and oppose HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295. Additionally, please don’t tell me how you feel or how you feel about guns when you argue for these bills. Gun free zones are killing zones. This is life or death. Potentially my life. Your feelings do not trump my rights or my life. Education not legislation! My safety my body My choice I am a nurse, I save lives, let me protect mine Thank you.
My name is Heather and I am a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.I support these bills for the safety of our families, communities and Commonwealth.
Greetings, Please follow the facts and science. Do not restrict our civil liberties based on emotional arguments. I have served our nation and spent years away from my family to defend our Constitution and the People it protects. Our government should NEVER act to restrict civil liberties so haphazardly. It saddens me to see a legislative body so quickly dismiss the core liberties in that document. These proposals do exactly that and absolutely nothing more than turn tens of thousands of your citizens into criminals. They do not make us safer. Life is full of risk. A vote for these unconstitutional firearms restrictions is not based in a conscious risk assessment. Fact. The real roots of crime and violence are poverty and drug use. Spend your time and effort in these. Create jobs, create opportunities for citizens to excel. Be tough on the criminals we already have. That will make my family safer. These proposals make us less safe. So do the right thing. We pray for you to be granted wisdom in these trying times and not criminalize with unconstitutional state laws tens of thousands of citizens. Why would you create greater divides? Spend time on the area where all agree there are legitimate issues, not in divisive ones. Respectfully Jarrett Rhodes
I think that something needs to be changed about not being able to own a gun or have a gun if you have a domestic assault on family member.I say this because some people may have defended themselves and got that charge on tht record ,now they can't carry because of that? How bout a woman who is currently getting beat but she went to jail instead of the abuser because he had the most brusies,that's not fair ,we need to be able to be able to carry for our safety so I ask that something else be in place when it comes to that.
As a Virginia resident, I’m against and for this bill. However I do believe that the bill as it is currently written needs to be altered to some extent. While I do think it’s a good idea, unfortunately for someone like myself it would make it illegal for someone like me to legally own a firearm. An otherwise law abiding citizen. My charge stems from an incident in which I was 20? my brother 17 at the time.? He had kicked me in my shins so my instant reaction was to slap him. He called the police and I was automatically in the wrong. A simple brotherly dispute, one in which my younger brother clearly instigated and started. Although he’s done this several times over the years this was the only time the charge stuck. Even though my mother spoke on my behalf letting the courts know my brother was, well these actions to him are considered normal. Mind you I’ve had him call the police several several times, and I was arrested several times due to his nonsense. All the other incidents eventually tossed out except this one charge from him which was the first, after awhile I was able to prove a pattern with him doing this, not only to myself but our other brothers as well. The courts took that into consideration, along with the fact our mother would come to the court dates and more less verify this. As a Virginia resident, and a second amendment supporter I’m all for sensible gun laws if they’re actually sensible. No one wishes to see mass murders, school shootings, or any other shooting where innocent lives are taken before their time. It honestly makes me sick when I hear these senseless crimes against my fellow Americans not only in the great state of Virginia, but across America as well. I know I’m not the only Virginia resident with something like this to happen to them. I speak for them, not only myself. I’m not a threat to anyone, I don’t wish violence on anyone. In many cases I’m actually the friend people call to help smooth over arguments between people, simply based on my calm and collective nature. As they know I’m a sensible person. I’m just your average citizen. Who only wants to live his life while chasing the American Dream. This bill would put a damper on parts of my life as I actively hunt, I engage in competition shooting, and other aspects of the Constitutions 2nd amendment. We have the Brady Law in play in the state of Virginia, which does serve this purpose. No it’s not to the extent that of this bill. It only covers that of spousal and or domesticated partners if I’m not mistaken. I urge my fellow Virginians to please think on this bill as let’s put provisions in it that will protect Virginians like myself, allowing us to keep our Constitutional right as Americans. Does a brotherly spat stemming from a brother who’s been deemed a habitual liar, who’s done this to all of his brothers numerous times, to the extent we’ve missed holidays due to being incarcerated on false charges, I was arrested in front of my son, missed seeing him open presents on Xmas because of this all from a brother who’s now also a convicted felon. Does this really warrant the demise of my constitutional rights not only as a Virginian but as an American Citizen as well? I honestly hope those who speak for the residents of the State of Virginia don’t think this warrants the demise of my Constitutional right.
I stand opposed, and ask you to oppose, all of the following named bills for the reasons stated here: HB1909 - schools, with children, are gun free zones and there is no need to impose restrictions on citizens in office buildings that happen to include school boards as occupants. HB1992 - Erroneously expands what qualifies as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. Absence of a provision to restore rights creates a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a rights perspective under this bill, you are unintentionally incentivizing the abuser to seriously harm the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Unnecessarily extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. There is ZERO evidence that this additional time would prevent violence. The current federal 3 day period is intended to correctly apply pressure on the government to do a timely background check. The basis of the NICS system is the promise to gun owners is that the background check system is an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. The bill also makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been NO events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Prohibiting guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas, strips citizens of their fundamental, Constitutionally protected, right to self-defense. There is no evidence to support that these bills would stop violence or in any other way enhance public safety. There is readily available evidence that demonstrates prohibiting people from exercising their rights actually puts them in a more dangerous position. Respectfully, consider the full spectrum of impact to all citizens before you seek to advance the erosion of our rights under the false premise of improved safety or security.
OPPOSE HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. OPPOSE HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. OPPOSE HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. OPPOSE HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. OPPOSE HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
Greetings Elected Servants, I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Respectfully, James A. Delong Professional Husband, Father, and Paw-Paw Powhatan, Virginia 23139 Personal Mobile: 804.944.6592 Email: delong29@yahoo.com
I urge you not to support these bills for the following reasons: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. why cant i go into a building to take care of business with a tool to protect myself from other humans? HB1992 - If a misdemeanor of is not cause to remove someone from society then why do you think its ok to remove ones human rights to protect themselves??? HB2128 - creates nothing more then an additional hurdle for the citizen to protect him/herself. the government is to work FOR the people not against them. HB2276 - another bill that intends to stop criminals from making more tools for their bidding, those individuals wont abid by this law. So citizen not doing any wrong should be allowed to create, fashion, make, fabricate any tool thats not intended for ill will. HB2295 - you(government employees) can protect themselves but the people this government represents cant protect themselves on land and in buildings the people paid for?? I disagree with all these and any gun law, we need to be REMOVING gun laws from the books, not adding them.
As a life long resident of Virginia, and as a responsible gun owner, I STRONGLY OPPOSE all the gun related bills being discussed. The overwhelming majority of gun owners in Virginia safely and lawfully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights on a daily basis. Based on the available stats, the proposed bills do not make these or any other citizen safer, they merely criminalize the safe and otherwise lawful transportation of one's gun to arbitrary locations, and turn a the centuries old hobby of gun building into a felony. Is there evidence to suggest home made guns are used being used in a statistically significant number of crimes? Does not seem so. Does banning the lawful carrying of a self defense weapon near schools, voting locations, or other public venues make citizens safer? Again, not by available evidence. The proposed laws are poorly written and ultimately do nothing but stifle the average Virginian's ability to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Worse, these laws strip innocent citizens of their ability to defend themselves. As has been said time and time again, gun laws CAN NOT keep those wishing to break the law from doing so. Instead, these restrictions instead move us one step closer to disarming our citizens. Gun ownership equalizes protection -- for the mother alone at the park with her kids, for the young lady walking home alone in the dark, for the smaller man faced down by those wishing to do violence, and for the parents woken in the night by the sound of their house being broken in to. The Virginia State House has the ability to go after issues that would earn bipartisan support, but instead seems determined to squander this session by proposing bills curtailing the 2nd Amendment. Bills that not only lack bipartisan support, but which have bipartisan opposition. Thus, I implore those reading this message: Please listen to your constituents. Please listen to the facts. Please OPPOSE THESE BILLS, and stop seeking to impose more burdens on Virginians who simply wish to peacefully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. The background checks are supposed to be "instant," so if they're taking longer than an hour, the solution should be to give the State Police the resources they need to do their work on time, not to punish gun buyers. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. The language about unfinished frames & receivers is unacceptably vague. How is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? This will also create conflict with federal regulations, which would not recognize the item as a firearm. Federal regulations already address this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm; Virginia need not add its own vaguely-worded definition. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists. Moreover, it would restrict guns around the Capitol even when no legislators or employees are present, and even make it illegal to stop at rest stops on the interstates while carrying a gun.
I URGE YOU TO OPPOSE THE FOLLOWING BILLS TODAY: HB1909: School boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992: This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun rights could be eventually restored. HB2128: This bill could make a person wait up to 5 business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, NOT a 5 day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE DAYS in real time! The current 3 days is more than sufficient!! HB2276: This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a persons' own use, which has been legal since Americas' founding. Besides banning personally made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295: A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on capital grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. As a single older woman who has some physical limitations, I need to be able to defend myself and my children. I don't get around as well as I once did so being able to even the odds with someone younger and stronger through the use of a weapon is the only option that I have. Sincerely, Deborah Rice-Gump P.S. EXACTLY WHAT PART OF 'SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED' IS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND!!!! i THINK THOSE 4 WORDS ARE PRETTY CLEARLY STATED!!!
On the topic of the proposed Bill HB-1992, I am a former domestic violence survivor. I lived for several years with an abusive alcoholic who is now a class 6 felon for threatening my life in writing multiple times. It took me over 6 months to make an attempt at removing him from my life. He threatened to burn my house down, mutilate myself and my pets. He called the police on me, lying that I did things hoping, I would lose my clearance and my federal job so I would rely on him. I was unable to even go to the grocery store myself until I obtained my concealed carry permit. While I fully support the removal of gun rights from those who are convicted of domestic violence and/or are subject of a restraining order, I do not believe that punishment should have no route towards redemption for nonviolent misdameanor offenders. On the topic of the proposed Bill HB2295, I do not support this proposed bill, which, would leave women to include myself, unable to use the facilities at a rest stop safely. Sometimes, there is no choice but to use a rest area. However, as a woman, I would not feel comfortable using a rest stop without protection. I would also garner that this applies to state parks, which is maddening. My husband and I camp fervently at Virginia State Parks. We were married in a Virginia State Park. However, if I can not utilize my concealed weapon permit to lawfully carry my weapon on State property we will no longer utilize the parks. This will only prove to hurt our wonderful State parks and properties. I think our law makers in Virginia are losing sight of their constituent's reasons for lawfully carrying a weapon. We are not the ones breaking laws and shooting people. We carry because we want to ensure the safety of ourselves and those around us. We carry because, otherwise we may never feel safe enough to leave our homes. We carry because, our lives have been threatened before, because, our best friend had a run in with child traffickers, because, you never know what will happen and this world is becoming a scary place. Thank you!
HB1909: A tin sign with a silhouette of a pistol and a line through it has never made any location safer. It merely creates a restriction that for all practical purposes only applies to people who have no desire to harm anyone and creates absolutely no deterrent for someone who does. This bill, in the same vein, does not make the zones a school board owns or leases safer. On the contrary, denying the ability to carry a firearm by those who mean no harm only removes a potentially good actor from using a firearm to prevent the actions of a violent wrongdoer. Proponents of this bill will probably tell you a good actor with a gun is just a myth and never really happens, but such things do happen, and far more commonly than most realize. HB1992: Laws that amount to misdemeanors should not permanently bar an individual from firearm ownership. People can change, become better persons, and earn second chances. Legal systems across these United States adopt this principal, and this law cuts the opposite direction. HB2128: Effective background checks happen in roughly fifteen minutes. The current time limit of three days already greatly exceeds any time necessary and simply imposes extra hardship on the purchaser. An increase to five days more greatly harasses the purchaser. HB2276: This bill criminalizes gun owners who build or modify firearms with capabilities and features that they may legally own. Gun owners are commonly tinkerers and enjoy working with their hands to put their personal touches on what they own. Virginia law should not discourage these types of hobbies. So long as modifications or builds do not produce a firearm with prohibited features and functions, Virginia law should not criminalize such. Furthermore, the language of the bill reads unclearly. Two people making an earnest attempt to determine what the bill would prohibit versus what it would permit could reach entirely different conclusions. HB2295: CapitolSquare, the surrounding area, and buildings leased by the Commonwealth do not belong to legislators or a governor. They belong to the residents of the Commonwealth; hence, the rightful owners of those locations should not have to separate themselves from their Constitutionally protected right to carry arms to enter those areas. Not every visitor, coming from far and wide, has the ability to lock their firearm in a vehicle or some other secure location during the portion of their day when visiting such locations. For this bill to advance, it should gain two provisions: (1) Restricted areas carry the requirement of a ration of one armed security guard per N number of visitors, where N may vary between locations, but never exceeds what a single armed guard could reasonably protect at any instant. (2) Areas subject to the language of this bill must provide guarded containers for securing firearms while visitors occupy the area at no cost to any Virginian. Without those two provisions, this bill should not move forward. I haven't resided in Virginia, where I grew up, for 20 years. I've resided in Washington, DC, where laws like these already exist and do not make our communities safer. I work in Virginia, still have family in Virginia, and spend time in Virginia daily. I care about the Commonwealth deeply and will always be a Virginian first wherever I may reside. Don't pass these bills. They won't make anyone safer. Sincerely, Brian Wrenn
Please oppose HB2276 for these reasons. 1-serial numbers don't prevent crimes, and if a firearm is stolen or used by criminals they can be removed or altered thus being pointless. 2-for anybody who is a criminal that's lost their gun rights, it's illegal to possess a gun let alone build one, so a serial number isn't solving anything. 3-what's described as an unfinished receiver is merely a piece of metal...any gun is made from raw materials, it shouldn't be a crime to possess or buy a piece of metal. 4-any gun owner who has made a firearm from an unfinished receiver or has an unfinished receiver is now criminalized over a right to bear arms. 5-for anybody who is truly concerned about tracing a firearm over a serial number, why can't the individual making the firearm or completing the receiver engrave, stamp, etch or imprint a unique serial number themself instead of forcing them to pay for and use a federal firearms manufacturer? After all, those guns are for personal use, otherwise a manufacturing license would be needed anyways. Oppose HB1909, I don't see where that will reduce or prevent crime. It could also use an exemption for concealed handgun permit holders. Oppose HB1992. Why should anyone lose rights over misdemeanors? There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights PERSPECTIVE under this bill, the person charged would be better off getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. Oppose HB2128. The NICS check is supposed to be instant, for anybody getting delayed 3 days is more then sufficient and there's no excuse for needing more time. Thank you for your time and service.
HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. Even lawful buyers get held up this would be an undo burden. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns.No evidence that 80% firearms are a problem. HB2295 - Would you really vote to limit a right in which you already have? There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas
My name is Ashley and I support this bill because it will save lives and protect families. Thank you.
I don't approve of HB 1909, HB 1992 and HB 2128 because it may be resourceful as a deterrent for future violent crimes, but it's not the solution for the families and communities whose impacted presently. It will make it more difficult for hard working, honest citizens to protect themselves and their property. If in distress, this can create a life or death situation for a innocent victim(s). I only approve of HB 2276 if it can be proven in court that the firearm(s) recovered by law enforcement was either purchased illegally or stolen from it's original owner. I have no comment about HB 2295 because I was under the assumption that firearms were prohibited from state grounds unless if it's the property of the state. As of HB 2231 and HB 2216, I support these bills because 1. HB 2216 makes the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth a priority regardless of age, race, gender or disability and 2. HB2231 is an additional resource law enforcement can use in the communities they serve to ensure transparency and restore communication and trust.
HB1992 – This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to remove citizens gun rights. There is no provision to restore these rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun rights perspective, under this bill, the person charged would be better off if they had seriously harmed the other person and getting a felony conviction. From which their gun rights could eventually be restored.
Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future.
I’m Norma with Moms Demand Action in Reston, and I support these bills because they will safe lives
At the age of 19, I was committed of assault against a household member. This was a young roommate /spat situation. Neither of us were arrested or made to leave or even separate after the occurrence that day. We handled the situation and I mistakenly trusted the courts not aware or the severity of my charges at the time , the other party was charged appropriately as this was not a domestic violence situation. I paid a small fine, anger management counseling was waived and there was nothing to indicate how serious my charges were, or that it impacted my ability to own a fire arm. Years(15 years!) later not understanding the my original charges from being a teenager I wanted started taking the responsible steps to owning a gun, I thought I was doing the responsible thing by taking a safety course ( with a law enforcement officer!) and then a year or so later went to purchase a gun. I was denied and was confused as to why, I reached out to VA state police and still didn’t fully understand how my smack on the hand charges from years prior would prohibit me from being a responsible gun owner now. Months later I was arrested, it was a terribly and scary experience . I spent months and thousands of dollars (as I will never trust a court appointed attorney again) fighting FELONY charges. I’ve lost confidence in the law enforcement and court systems in place. And all over what I consider a mishandling of my original charges , keep in mind my roommate at the time was charged properly, she can own a gun , I can’t. It was the same exact occurrence . This law is too strict and does not allow for human/ court error. Regardless, age and circumstances do charge over time and withholding someone’s gun rights for their entire life is not acceptable. Since my altercation I’ve had Zero law infractions , aside from minor traffic. I’m a hardworking American who has held one or more jobs, paid taxes for years and am being denied this right and now having to fight for the correction. The government should not have this kind of authority over a smaller infraction .
As for HB1909, it is not necessary and how will anyone know if that's a gun free zone? It can be very confusing and any determined mass shooter will not be deterred by it. HB2128 is a 5-day waiting period. Why do we need it? I'd rather we keep the instant check system. What if a domestic violence victims needs a gun now for protection? A 5-day wait can end in his/ her death if he/ she does not obtain a gun on time and the abuser shoots and kills him/ her. Puts the criminal at a greater advantage over the victim. HB2276 is also a bad idea since it makes a gun owner having spare parts for his/ her gun a criminal. Having spare parts that are legally bought for a firearm is not unlawful. You are criminalizing legal gun owners this way and criminals do not even obey this law. HB2295 is also a bad idea as this will hurt city revenue for Richmond by driving away travelers who legally conceal carry. Also no need for HB1992 since it's already against federal law to allow convicted domestic abusers from owning firearms. You are adding more laws that are not only confusing but difficult to enforce.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations under-girding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations undergirding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I do not support HB1992 as written as allows for a ban on possession for life based on a misdemeanor conviction and allows no opportunity for redress, even decades later. This is stricter than how felony convictions are treated. I do not support HB2128 as it penalizes residents, especially those with common surnames, for the lack of resources provided to VSP. I instead encourage you to support additional funding to the VSP so through background checks can be completed within the current three day window. I do not support HB2276 as it is contrary to current ATF practice for serializing hobbyist firearms and effectively creates a unique definition of firearms that doesn't match the federal definition. This will lead to lawsuits and associated costs with seemingly little benefit to gun violence reduction. Secondly it may effectively ban most modern polymer framed firearms. As for HB2285 this is only supportable if sufficient resources are provided to VSP to guarantee a 15min background check process for all applicants. It is clear this bill is intended to limit access to renting firearms at ranges by non gun owners. I cannot support this bill with it's current language and without matching budget support. Thank you for your time, Richard Edwards
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Sincerely, Blake
I strongly oppose the passing of HP 1992. The definition set forth in Virginia code 16.1 -288 does not mirror the federal definition of a household member. Since the definition of a Virginia household family member differs from the Federal definition of a household family member, Virginia courts will not be able to remove the disability imposed by Federal law. On its face, this bill causes confusion to the average person. Residents will leave the courthouse thinking their firearm rights are restored, only to be prosecuted when attempting to purchase a firearm. Our court dockets will be further bogged by unprosecutable cases.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. We oppose all of these unnecessary and unconstitutional infringements upon our God-given right to protect ourselves! And we will dedicate our time, energy and treasure to oppose everyone who votes for these bills in your next election.
I support these bills HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295 please pass them. I support HB2295. On January 6th in the US Capitol, and in the week since, we have seen the effectiveness of laws in DC which restrict firearms in sensitive places, such as the National Mall and the grounds of the public buildings in our Naional Capitol. Rioters who were carrying weapons were easily identified, stopped, and charged. I urge you to support HB 2295, which will give our Virginia Capitol Police another tool to keep our public spaces accessible to all who wish to participate in our government and speak with their representatives. I also urge you to exert whatever oversight is possible of the Richmond Police who chose not to enforce local gun ban ordinances yesterday when those rules were visibly and intentionally disobeyed by vigilante "militia" mobs trying to terrorize Richmond neighborhoods by parading around. Do not let the Richmond Police selectively enforce and subvert the clear intent of the General Assembly and the City of Richmond in passing laws last year allowing local control over limiting guns at public events and in public locations.
My name is Gayatri from Fairfax with Moms Demand Action and I support all of these bills.
HB 1909: School board meetings are typically held in buildings that are leased or owned by county governments, which already have the authority to ban firearms from their buildings. This duplicates the same authority. HB 1992: Federal law already prohibits transfer of firearms to individuals with domestic violence misdemeanor convictions. This adds zero public safety, as it already duplicates federal law. HB2276: Adds absolutely nothing to public safety. Unconstitutional as it attempts to shift the burden of proof to the accused, not law enforcement. HB2295: Adds costs without improving public safety.
Hello, I'm a Virginia resident and volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I support all of these bills. In particular, ghost guns are a disturbing development which allow people to circumvent all the laws we put in place. Thank you for considering these bills.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. As for unfinished frames & receivers, how is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? Wouldn't this create a conflict with federal law, which would not recognize the item as a firearm? Federal regulations already cover this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists.
As a survivor of family domestic violence, a law like this would have changed my life. I support this bill and know that it will save lives as soon as it is implemented. I hope you will do what is best for protecting vulnerable Virginians.
My name is Mary Ann Ressin, from Vienna, VA. I'm a member of Moms Demamd Action for Gun Sense in America and I support HB 1992, HB 2276, HB 2295, HB 2128
HB 1992 I strongly support this bill to prohibit anyone from possessing a fire arm if they've been convicted of a violent Domestic Violence incident. I watched my father put his fist through a door window when attempting to hit my mother. A few years later he threatened to kill himself with his shotgun in front of my mother, sister and I. Domestic Violence escalates. My fathers guns should have been taken from him after he tried to hit my mother. HB 2128 I strongly support expanding the time law enforcement is given to determine if a citizen should be allowed to purchase a gun. A 3 day window is too short to ensure an applicant qualifies to own a weapon. We do not want someone to get a permit to carry a gun by default as in the case of the mass murderer in Charleston SC. HB2276 I strongly support requiring that firearm components be traceable for the purpose of assembling a firearm. If law enforcement can not trace the parts used to assemble a firearm they are hindered in their #1 purpose: to protect the citizens of VA. HB 2295 I strongly support giving our House and Senate lawmakers permission to oversee the grounds of the Capitol in order to ensure public safety. This bill gives our lawmakers the authority to prohibit citizens from bringing weapons to the Capitol grounds. No citizen should feel intimidated or threatened by those who brandish firearms on the grounds of our Capitol.
Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Comprehensive written testimony will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this sub-committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future. Comprehensive written testimony for each of these bills will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing.
Giffords supports this bill and has emailed written testimony to committee members with further information.
Federal law’s restriction on firearm access by people subject to domestic violence-related protective orders only applies if the court order is one that restrains the respondent from abusing an “intimate partner;” that term is defined narrowly under federal law to include the respondent’s spouse or former spouse, an individual who has a child in common with the respondent, or an individual who currently or previously lived with the respondent, but not any other dating partners. State laws that prohibit firearm possession by those convicted of any violent misdemeanor were associated with a 21% reduction in firearm intimate partner homicide.
HB2128 - Firearms; criminal history record information check delay increased to five days.
Oppose HB2128 -We have a right for a quick background check. It should be immediate in this day of technology. To increase the amount of time is just a way of making us more like DC with their crazy gun laws (that do so much good ... not). Virginia is one of the safest states in the country yet you are trying to make us like Chicago and Baltimore with their super restrictive laws. Take a look at the facts. When government infringes on 2nd amendment rights, the crime (particularly "gun crime") skyrockets. So this just takes more freedom away from women like me and gives more power to the criminal - because guess what - they don't get background checks.
It want make any difference. The "Good Guy's" will wait the 5 day to buy a firearm. However, the Bad Guy" will buys their guns illegally any way no matter how many days the waiting period is. I have seen at gun shows that if the application is not approved at the time of sale, the seller will give the firearm to the buyer with some type of lame statement that if the application is not approved then he (the seller) or the police will come and pick it up. The problem is with the State Police - They need a department that does nothing but approve or disapprove gun sales in an timely manner (+ - 5 days) and the amount of personnel to support the requests at that time of need.
DO NOT Support HB 2128. Anything short of this is unconstitutional. Responsible gun owners are not the problem. If you support this bill, I will work with GOA, NAGR, VCC, VCDL, and VFK (and all other pro-Constitution, freedom-loving groups) to make sure you are not re-elected.
Lewinsville Faith in Action fully in support adds two addition days to ensure complete and thorough background checks, thus helping to ensure that guns don't get into the wrong hands. What's the hurry if such an extension can save lives.
As a veteran who served this country, respectfully request all Delegates abandon these proposals. They are unnecessary and restrict the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. Responsible gun owners are not the problem in Virginia and should not be hindered or penalized in exercising their rights.
I urge our representatives to vote against any further infringement on the right of Virginians to keep and own firearms. The proposals listed here have many problems, but each proposal can be categorized as "a solution in search of a problem". In general I hope to see long-standing federal law and guidance followed. HB2128 - The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
I urge committee members and all legislators OPPOSE the following bills: HB2128 - five business day maximum wait time, in real days, is 7. This effectively imposes a waiting period on people who have no criminal conviction but whose records aren't in order through no fault of their own. This DECREASES public safety by delaying access to self-protection to victims of domestic abuse and stalking. HB2295 - political grandstanding, and unbecoming of a Virginia Delegate. The Governor already has the power to implement this, has implemented it, and another law allowing the same thing is a waste of public money and resources for no gain in public safety. None of these bills enhance public safety, or of individuals in any way. While well-intentioned, they do nothing to prevent violence and in fact may empower criminals as it can leave victims defenseless.
On behalf of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and our industry members located throughout the State of Virginia, I write today to express our opposition to House Bill 2128 (“HB 2128”) by Delegate Lopez. As introduced, HB 2128 “increases from three business days to five business days the time provided for the Department of State Police to complete a background check before a firearm may be transferred.” HB 2128 is a solution in search of a problem. Data from the FBI show a very small number of firearms are transferred after three business days without a concluded check. A Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) is not required to transfer a firearm after the three-day period if the background check is delayed. In the rare, but legal, occurrences where firearms are transferred after the three business day period with no resolution, data on firearm traces conducted by law enforcement fail to show that these firearms are any more likely to end up in the hands of criminals than any other firearm. This is not surprising since Department of Justice data shows criminals rarely obtain their firearms from licensed retailers. Additionally, the background check process does not stop after three days, even if the firearm is transferred by the FFL. The Virginia State Police should continue to process a background check until there is a conclusion. I might also note that NSSF, on behalf of the firearm industry has lobbied at the federal level, and been successful, in securing more funding for the ATF and the NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check) division. HB 2128 will have no impact on reducing crime. The current law and three business day allowance for the Department of State Police to conduct a background check for a firearm transfer has proven to be effective. It is for these reasons NSSF opposes HB 2128 and would respectfully urge a “NO” vote.
Please OPPOSE HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295! I’m an emergency room nurse, a competitive shooter, and a Virginian. I pride myself as a Virginian and a female and the ability to protect myself. According to the Supreme Court in 2008 and 2010, it is my right to defend myself with a firearm. As a female, I refuse to be a victim and carry EVERYWHERE EVERYDAY! To legislate that I cannot carry my firearm is to tie my hands behind my back and tell me to trust you with my life and that evil does not exist. I’m sorry to report that I do not trust you not with my life and evil certainly exists Gun free zones account for over 90% of mass shootings in our country , 100% of those committed in VA. Please allow Virginians to continue to have an active role in their own safety and oppose HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295. Additionally, please don’t tell me how you feel or how you feel about guns when you argue for these bills. Gun free zones are killing zones. This is life or death. Potentially my life. Your feelings do not trump my rights or my life. Education not legislation! My safety my body My choice I am a nurse, I save lives, let me protect mine Thank you.
My name is Heather and I am a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.I support these bills for the safety of our families, communities and Commonwealth.
Greetings, Please follow the facts and science. Do not restrict our civil liberties based on emotional arguments. I have served our nation and spent years away from my family to defend our Constitution and the People it protects. Our government should NEVER act to restrict civil liberties so haphazardly. It saddens me to see a legislative body so quickly dismiss the core liberties in that document. These proposals do exactly that and absolutely nothing more than turn tens of thousands of your citizens into criminals. They do not make us safer. Life is full of risk. A vote for these unconstitutional firearms restrictions is not based in a conscious risk assessment. Fact. The real roots of crime and violence are poverty and drug use. Spend your time and effort in these. Create jobs, create opportunities for citizens to excel. Be tough on the criminals we already have. That will make my family safer. These proposals make us less safe. So do the right thing. We pray for you to be granted wisdom in these trying times and not criminalize with unconstitutional state laws tens of thousands of citizens. Why would you create greater divides? Spend time on the area where all agree there are legitimate issues, not in divisive ones. Respectfully Jarrett Rhodes
I stand opposed, and ask you to oppose, all of the following named bills for the reasons stated here: HB1909 - schools, with children, are gun free zones and there is no need to impose restrictions on citizens in office buildings that happen to include school boards as occupants. HB1992 - Erroneously expands what qualifies as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. Absence of a provision to restore rights creates a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a rights perspective under this bill, you are unintentionally incentivizing the abuser to seriously harm the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Unnecessarily extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. There is ZERO evidence that this additional time would prevent violence. The current federal 3 day period is intended to correctly apply pressure on the government to do a timely background check. The basis of the NICS system is the promise to gun owners is that the background check system is an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. The bill also makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been NO events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Prohibiting guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas, strips citizens of their fundamental, Constitutionally protected, right to self-defense. There is no evidence to support that these bills would stop violence or in any other way enhance public safety. There is readily available evidence that demonstrates prohibiting people from exercising their rights actually puts them in a more dangerous position. Respectfully, consider the full spectrum of impact to all citizens before you seek to advance the erosion of our rights under the false premise of improved safety or security.
OPPOSE HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. OPPOSE HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. OPPOSE HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. OPPOSE HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. OPPOSE HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
Greetings Elected Servants, I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Respectfully, James A. Delong Professional Husband, Father, and Paw-Paw Powhatan, Virginia 23139 Personal Mobile: 804.944.6592 Email: delong29@yahoo.com
I urge you not to support these bills for the following reasons: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. why cant i go into a building to take care of business with a tool to protect myself from other humans? HB1992 - If a misdemeanor of is not cause to remove someone from society then why do you think its ok to remove ones human rights to protect themselves??? HB2128 - creates nothing more then an additional hurdle for the citizen to protect him/herself. the government is to work FOR the people not against them. HB2276 - another bill that intends to stop criminals from making more tools for their bidding, those individuals wont abid by this law. So citizen not doing any wrong should be allowed to create, fashion, make, fabricate any tool thats not intended for ill will. HB2295 - you(government employees) can protect themselves but the people this government represents cant protect themselves on land and in buildings the people paid for?? I disagree with all these and any gun law, we need to be REMOVING gun laws from the books, not adding them.
As a life long resident of Virginia, and as a responsible gun owner, I STRONGLY OPPOSE all the gun related bills being discussed. The overwhelming majority of gun owners in Virginia safely and lawfully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights on a daily basis. Based on the available stats, the proposed bills do not make these or any other citizen safer, they merely criminalize the safe and otherwise lawful transportation of one's gun to arbitrary locations, and turn a the centuries old hobby of gun building into a felony. Is there evidence to suggest home made guns are used being used in a statistically significant number of crimes? Does not seem so. Does banning the lawful carrying of a self defense weapon near schools, voting locations, or other public venues make citizens safer? Again, not by available evidence. The proposed laws are poorly written and ultimately do nothing but stifle the average Virginian's ability to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Worse, these laws strip innocent citizens of their ability to defend themselves. As has been said time and time again, gun laws CAN NOT keep those wishing to break the law from doing so. Instead, these restrictions instead move us one step closer to disarming our citizens. Gun ownership equalizes protection -- for the mother alone at the park with her kids, for the young lady walking home alone in the dark, for the smaller man faced down by those wishing to do violence, and for the parents woken in the night by the sound of their house being broken in to. The Virginia State House has the ability to go after issues that would earn bipartisan support, but instead seems determined to squander this session by proposing bills curtailing the 2nd Amendment. Bills that not only lack bipartisan support, but which have bipartisan opposition. Thus, I implore those reading this message: Please listen to your constituents. Please listen to the facts. Please OPPOSE THESE BILLS, and stop seeking to impose more burdens on Virginians who simply wish to peacefully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. The background checks are supposed to be "instant," so if they're taking longer than an hour, the solution should be to give the State Police the resources they need to do their work on time, not to punish gun buyers. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. The language about unfinished frames & receivers is unacceptably vague. How is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? This will also create conflict with federal regulations, which would not recognize the item as a firearm. Federal regulations already address this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm; Virginia need not add its own vaguely-worded definition. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists. Moreover, it would restrict guns around the Capitol even when no legislators or employees are present, and even make it illegal to stop at rest stops on the interstates while carrying a gun.
I URGE YOU TO OPPOSE THE FOLLOWING BILLS TODAY: HB1909: School boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992: This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun rights could be eventually restored. HB2128: This bill could make a person wait up to 5 business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, NOT a 5 day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE DAYS in real time! The current 3 days is more than sufficient!! HB2276: This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a persons' own use, which has been legal since Americas' founding. Besides banning personally made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295: A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on capital grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. As a single older woman who has some physical limitations, I need to be able to defend myself and my children. I don't get around as well as I once did so being able to even the odds with someone younger and stronger through the use of a weapon is the only option that I have. Sincerely, Deborah Rice-Gump P.S. EXACTLY WHAT PART OF 'SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED' IS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND!!!! i THINK THOSE 4 WORDS ARE PRETTY CLEARLY STATED!!!
HB1909: A tin sign with a silhouette of a pistol and a line through it has never made any location safer. It merely creates a restriction that for all practical purposes only applies to people who have no desire to harm anyone and creates absolutely no deterrent for someone who does. This bill, in the same vein, does not make the zones a school board owns or leases safer. On the contrary, denying the ability to carry a firearm by those who mean no harm only removes a potentially good actor from using a firearm to prevent the actions of a violent wrongdoer. Proponents of this bill will probably tell you a good actor with a gun is just a myth and never really happens, but such things do happen, and far more commonly than most realize. HB1992: Laws that amount to misdemeanors should not permanently bar an individual from firearm ownership. People can change, become better persons, and earn second chances. Legal systems across these United States adopt this principal, and this law cuts the opposite direction. HB2128: Effective background checks happen in roughly fifteen minutes. The current time limit of three days already greatly exceeds any time necessary and simply imposes extra hardship on the purchaser. An increase to five days more greatly harasses the purchaser. HB2276: This bill criminalizes gun owners who build or modify firearms with capabilities and features that they may legally own. Gun owners are commonly tinkerers and enjoy working with their hands to put their personal touches on what they own. Virginia law should not discourage these types of hobbies. So long as modifications or builds do not produce a firearm with prohibited features and functions, Virginia law should not criminalize such. Furthermore, the language of the bill reads unclearly. Two people making an earnest attempt to determine what the bill would prohibit versus what it would permit could reach entirely different conclusions. HB2295: CapitolSquare, the surrounding area, and buildings leased by the Commonwealth do not belong to legislators or a governor. They belong to the residents of the Commonwealth; hence, the rightful owners of those locations should not have to separate themselves from their Constitutionally protected right to carry arms to enter those areas. Not every visitor, coming from far and wide, has the ability to lock their firearm in a vehicle or some other secure location during the portion of their day when visiting such locations. For this bill to advance, it should gain two provisions: (1) Restricted areas carry the requirement of a ration of one armed security guard per N number of visitors, where N may vary between locations, but never exceeds what a single armed guard could reasonably protect at any instant. (2) Areas subject to the language of this bill must provide guarded containers for securing firearms while visitors occupy the area at no cost to any Virginian. Without those two provisions, this bill should not move forward. I haven't resided in Virginia, where I grew up, for 20 years. I've resided in Washington, DC, where laws like these already exist and do not make our communities safer. I work in Virginia, still have family in Virginia, and spend time in Virginia daily. I care about the Commonwealth deeply and will always be a Virginian first wherever I may reside. Don't pass these bills. They won't make anyone safer. Sincerely, Brian Wrenn
Please oppose HB2276 for these reasons. 1-serial numbers don't prevent crimes, and if a firearm is stolen or used by criminals they can be removed or altered thus being pointless. 2-for anybody who is a criminal that's lost their gun rights, it's illegal to possess a gun let alone build one, so a serial number isn't solving anything. 3-what's described as an unfinished receiver is merely a piece of metal...any gun is made from raw materials, it shouldn't be a crime to possess or buy a piece of metal. 4-any gun owner who has made a firearm from an unfinished receiver or has an unfinished receiver is now criminalized over a right to bear arms. 5-for anybody who is truly concerned about tracing a firearm over a serial number, why can't the individual making the firearm or completing the receiver engrave, stamp, etch or imprint a unique serial number themself instead of forcing them to pay for and use a federal firearms manufacturer? After all, those guns are for personal use, otherwise a manufacturing license would be needed anyways. Oppose HB1909, I don't see where that will reduce or prevent crime. It could also use an exemption for concealed handgun permit holders. Oppose HB1992. Why should anyone lose rights over misdemeanors? There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights PERSPECTIVE under this bill, the person charged would be better off getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. Oppose HB2128. The NICS check is supposed to be instant, for anybody getting delayed 3 days is more then sufficient and there's no excuse for needing more time. Thank you for your time and service.
HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. Even lawful buyers get held up this would be an undo burden. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns.No evidence that 80% firearms are a problem. HB2295 - Would you really vote to limit a right in which you already have? There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas
I don't approve of HB 1909, HB 1992 and HB 2128 because it may be resourceful as a deterrent for future violent crimes, but it's not the solution for the families and communities whose impacted presently. It will make it more difficult for hard working, honest citizens to protect themselves and their property. If in distress, this can create a life or death situation for a innocent victim(s). I only approve of HB 2276 if it can be proven in court that the firearm(s) recovered by law enforcement was either purchased illegally or stolen from it's original owner. I have no comment about HB 2295 because I was under the assumption that firearms were prohibited from state grounds unless if it's the property of the state. As of HB 2231 and HB 2216, I support these bills because 1. HB 2216 makes the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth a priority regardless of age, race, gender or disability and 2. HB2231 is an additional resource law enforcement can use in the communities they serve to ensure transparency and restore communication and trust.
HB2128 – This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check to be completed and approved. This would take pressure off the government to complete a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five day check or a waiting period. With weekends and holidays it could be up to a NINE day period using real world administrative movement... The current three days is more than sufficient time to complete the check. Extending this period will not prevent any crime or save any lives.
Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future.
I’m Norma with Moms Demand Action in Reston, and I support these bills because they will safe lives
There is no intrinsic value in adding a waiting period to the purchase of a firearm post background check. This will only lead to further abuses to the 2nd Amendment at the hands of lawmakers whose true desire is to eliminate the 2nd Amendment completely. A person who wishes to harm another with a firearm simply has to be 5 days more patient with this legislation. That same person can turn to even more lethal means of mayhem such as a homemade bomb when their passion to maim and kill is so hot they cannot wait 5 more days. In conclusion, this legislation is unconstitutional and likely seeks deeper impediments to the 2nd Amendment at a later date. A better use of the Assembly's time would be to seek ways to improve access to mental healthcare, opening the state back up for business, and digging into why the courts are often lenient on gun violence. Thank you for your time and consideration of my comments.
As for HB1909, it is not necessary and how will anyone know if that's a gun free zone? It can be very confusing and any determined mass shooter will not be deterred by it. HB2128 is a 5-day waiting period. Why do we need it? I'd rather we keep the instant check system. What if a domestic violence victims needs a gun now for protection? A 5-day wait can end in his/ her death if he/ she does not obtain a gun on time and the abuser shoots and kills him/ her. Puts the criminal at a greater advantage over the victim. HB2276 is also a bad idea since it makes a gun owner having spare parts for his/ her gun a criminal. Having spare parts that are legally bought for a firearm is not unlawful. You are criminalizing legal gun owners this way and criminals do not even obey this law. HB2295 is also a bad idea as this will hurt city revenue for Richmond by driving away travelers who legally conceal carry. Also no need for HB1992 since it's already against federal law to allow convicted domestic abusers from owning firearms. You are adding more laws that are not only confusing but difficult to enforce.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations under-girding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations undergirding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
On behalf of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and our industry members located throughout the State of Virginia, I write today to express our opposition to House Bill 2128 (“HB 2128”) by Delegate Lopez. As introduced, HB 2128 “increases from three business days to five business days the time provided for the Department of State Police to complete a background check before a firearm may be transferred.” HB 2128 is a solution in search of a problem and will have no real impact on reducing crime. Data from the FBI show a very small number of firearms are transferred after three business days without a concluded check. In the rare, but legal, occurrences where firearms are transferred after the three business day period with no resolution, data on firearm traces conducted by law enforcement fail to show that these firearms are any more likely to end up in the hands of criminals than any other firearm. This is not surprising since Department of Justice data shows criminals rarely obtain their firearms from licensed retailers. The current law and three business day allowance for the Department of State Police to conduct a background check for a firearm transfer has proven to be effective. It is for these reasons NSSF opposes HB 2128 and would respectfully urge a “NO” vote.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I do not support HB1992 as written as allows for a ban on possession for life based on a misdemeanor conviction and allows no opportunity for redress, even decades later. This is stricter than how felony convictions are treated. I do not support HB2128 as it penalizes residents, especially those with common surnames, for the lack of resources provided to VSP. I instead encourage you to support additional funding to the VSP so through background checks can be completed within the current three day window. I do not support HB2276 as it is contrary to current ATF practice for serializing hobbyist firearms and effectively creates a unique definition of firearms that doesn't match the federal definition. This will lead to lawsuits and associated costs with seemingly little benefit to gun violence reduction. Secondly it may effectively ban most modern polymer framed firearms. As for HB2285 this is only supportable if sufficient resources are provided to VSP to guarantee a 15min background check process for all applicants. It is clear this bill is intended to limit access to renting firearms at ranges by non gun owners. I cannot support this bill with it's current language and without matching budget support. Thank you for your time, Richard Edwards
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Sincerely, Blake
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. We oppose all of these unnecessary and unconstitutional infringements upon our God-given right to protect ourselves! And we will dedicate our time, energy and treasure to oppose everyone who votes for these bills in your next election.
I support these bills HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295 please pass them. I support HB2295. On January 6th in the US Capitol, and in the week since, we have seen the effectiveness of laws in DC which restrict firearms in sensitive places, such as the National Mall and the grounds of the public buildings in our Naional Capitol. Rioters who were carrying weapons were easily identified, stopped, and charged. I urge you to support HB 2295, which will give our Virginia Capitol Police another tool to keep our public spaces accessible to all who wish to participate in our government and speak with their representatives. I also urge you to exert whatever oversight is possible of the Richmond Police who chose not to enforce local gun ban ordinances yesterday when those rules were visibly and intentionally disobeyed by vigilante "militia" mobs trying to terrorize Richmond neighborhoods by parading around. Do not let the Richmond Police selectively enforce and subvert the clear intent of the General Assembly and the City of Richmond in passing laws last year allowing local control over limiting guns at public events and in public locations.
My name is Gayatri from Fairfax with Moms Demand Action and I support all of these bills.
Hello, I'm a Virginia resident and volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I support all of these bills. In particular, ghost guns are a disturbing development which allow people to circumvent all the laws we put in place. Thank you for considering these bills.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. As for unfinished frames & receivers, how is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? Wouldn't this create a conflict with federal law, which would not recognize the item as a firearm? Federal regulations already cover this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists.
My name is Mary Ann Ressin, from Vienna, VA. I'm a member of Moms Demamd Action for Gun Sense in America and I support HB 1992, HB 2276, HB 2295, HB 2128
I'm Mike Fox with Moms Demand Action in Albemarle County, and I support these bills because more can be done to protect the public from violence and intimidation.
HB 1992 I strongly support this bill to prohibit anyone from possessing a fire arm if they've been convicted of a violent Domestic Violence incident. I watched my father put his fist through a door window when attempting to hit my mother. A few years later he threatened to kill himself with his shotgun in front of my mother, sister and I. Domestic Violence escalates. My fathers guns should have been taken from him after he tried to hit my mother. HB 2128 I strongly support expanding the time law enforcement is given to determine if a citizen should be allowed to purchase a gun. A 3 day window is too short to ensure an applicant qualifies to own a weapon. We do not want someone to get a permit to carry a gun by default as in the case of the mass murderer in Charleston SC. HB2276 I strongly support requiring that firearm components be traceable for the purpose of assembling a firearm. If law enforcement can not trace the parts used to assemble a firearm they are hindered in their #1 purpose: to protect the citizens of VA. HB 2295 I strongly support giving our House and Senate lawmakers permission to oversee the grounds of the Capitol in order to ensure public safety. This bill gives our lawmakers the authority to prohibit citizens from bringing weapons to the Capitol grounds. No citizen should feel intimidated or threatened by those who brandish firearms on the grounds of our Capitol.
Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Comprehensive written testimony will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this sub-committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future. Comprehensive written testimony for each of these bills will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing.
Giffords supports this bill and has emailed written testimony to committee members with further information.
HB2216 - Va. Missing Child w/ Autism Alert Program; renames Va. Missing Person w/ Autism Program.
Please support this bill!
Greetings Elected Servants, I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Respectfully, James A. Delong Professional Husband, Father, and Paw-Paw Powhatan, Virginia 23139 Personal Mobile: 804.944.6592 Email: delong29@yahoo.com
HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. Even lawful buyers get held up this would be an undo burden. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns.No evidence that 80% firearms are a problem. HB2295 - Would you really vote to limit a right in which you already have? There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas
I don't approve of HB 1909, HB 1992 and HB 2128 because it may be resourceful as a deterrent for future violent crimes, but it's not the solution for the families and communities whose impacted presently. It will make it more difficult for hard working, honest citizens to protect themselves and their property. If in distress, this can create a life or death situation for a innocent victim(s). I only approve of HB 2276 if it can be proven in court that the firearm(s) recovered by law enforcement was either purchased illegally or stolen from it's original owner. I have no comment about HB 2295 because I was under the assumption that firearms were prohibited from state grounds unless if it's the property of the state. As of HB 2231 and HB 2216, I support these bills because 1. HB 2216 makes the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth a priority regardless of age, race, gender or disability and 2. HB2231 is an additional resource law enforcement can use in the communities they serve to ensure transparency and restore communication and trust.
HB2231 - Group Violence Intervention Board and Division of Group Violence Intervention; established, report.
We should NOT eliminate minimal sentencing for impaired drivers in Virginia. Too many innocent people like my nephew are killed by those who drink and drive on our roads and their selfish actions should not be condoned.
I actually believe that The group violins Intervention is the better program for Communities that are facing severe gotten violence
HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. Even lawful buyers get held up this would be an undo burden. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns.No evidence that 80% firearms are a problem. HB2295 - Would you really vote to limit a right in which you already have? There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas
I don't approve of HB 1909, HB 1992 and HB 2128 because it may be resourceful as a deterrent for future violent crimes, but it's not the solution for the families and communities whose impacted presently. It will make it more difficult for hard working, honest citizens to protect themselves and their property. If in distress, this can create a life or death situation for a innocent victim(s). I only approve of HB 2276 if it can be proven in court that the firearm(s) recovered by law enforcement was either purchased illegally or stolen from it's original owner. I have no comment about HB 2295 because I was under the assumption that firearms were prohibited from state grounds unless if it's the property of the state. As of HB 2231 and HB 2216, I support these bills because 1. HB 2216 makes the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth a priority regardless of age, race, gender or disability and 2. HB2231 is an additional resource law enforcement can use in the communities they serve to ensure transparency and restore communication and trust.
First, let me say that I'm very disappointed in the fact that, though I signed up to speak to deliver my testimony, I never received a Zoom invite to do so. In 1997 I fell in love with a single mom of two kids who lived in Camden, New Jersey, which at the time was the murder capitol of the United States. The many gun laws on the books in New Jersey served as an insurmountable barrier to legal gun ownership for a woman who was on public assistance, relied on public transportation, and was either a full time college student or a full time employee as well as raising two kids, but they sure didn’t do much to stop the guys who were actually shooting people in her neighborhood. The gunfire was so common that one night she fell asleep while we were on the phone talking, and just seconds after I clearly heard the sound of several rounds popping off through the receiver. I spent a sleepless night believing she was dead, only to hear her answer her work phone the next morning when I frantically called. When I expressed my amazement at her falling asleep, she laughed a hard laugh and said “this is Camden. Gunshots are like the sound of crickets where you live.” At the same time I was getting my first lesson in the futility of trying to ban and restrict (And therefore arrest) our way to safety, up in Boston police, researchers, and academics were engaged in a transformational shift in policing. By focusing on the small number of individuals who are the actual drivers and most likely victims of violent crime, methods that have now been largely adopted in Project Ceasefire and Project Exit, both law enforcement and community activists were able to reduce the juvenile homicide rate by more than 50%. Since then, these methods have been successfully deployed in dozens of cities. This is a nonpartisan, effective way of reducing violent crime. Of making streets safe for kids again. Of helping gang members escape the life before it kills them. And yes, of ensuring that those who insist on continuing to shoot wantonly and willfully into their community will face genuine and long lasting consequences. Regardless of your opinion on the need for New Jersey-style gun laws in Virginia, this bill is worth supporting. I happen to think HB 2231 will save far more lives than any new restriction on the right to keep and bear arms that has been passed by this committee, but whether you are a Democrat or a Republican; a gun control advocate or a staunch Second Amendment activist; HB 2231, deserve your vote in favor of passage.
HB2276 - Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, sale, transfer, etc., penalty.
Oppose HB2276 - Are we not a free country anymore? What is the problem that is being solved with this bill? Is someone missing out on some taxes along the way? Also this is just a serious privacy and freedom issue ... seriously nosey and intrusive and petty. Do you not have anything better to do than to think of creative ways to infringe on 2nd amendment rights? Do you realize that Virginia is one of the safest states in the country. Stop trying to make us into DC, Chicago, Baltimore.
HB2276 provides legal restrictions to the unregistered manufacture of firearms. While not being familiar with the legal background, I must emphasize that the 2nd Amendment was created in the spirit of allowing people the ability to protect themselves from tyranny by a government. This enlightenment principle is about the rights of man which we as Americans are meant to communicate, not just in America but to market the idea of this individual liberty throughout the world. Our concept of democracy is supposed to be about empowering the people towards self-sovereignty. How many so-called "democracy" wars have we been involved in, pushing for 'our' claimant to the effect of the detriment of that region's stability? If we, Virginia, cannot stand to help develop this liberal practice of decentralized firearm manufacturing, which will empower the peoples of the world to claim sovereignty from any threat of tyrannical forces - no matter how distant in the future - change our flag as it represents an ideal that we do not apparently embody. To the point that this provides legal withal in the fight against domestic threats (and thus protects the rights of the many, as some would claim), while it may help mitigate some of the risk in the logistics of plastic firearm manufacture, the root problem is not one of the access to these weapons. Logistically, this would* serve a domestic purpose, ceteris paribus. If you want to crack down on firearm violence, you can't have a media (and their inspired public conversation) working to create it. If you want to stop organized crime, stripping your fellow citizens of their rights isn't the liberal solution. If having rights is a privilege of an exclusive society, then perhaps you should consider what you can do as our representatives to scale back operations lest you become a tyrant of peace-enforcement that evokes our sovereignty. If your citizens see these measures as consistent in pro/con lines along an urban/rural divide, find a new way--if the state system is not the preservative of our rights, then what is that supposed to tell us? See the writing on the wall. This enforced peace is a Band-Aid of a civilizational strife. Federal law prohibits a universal, national gun registry for a reason. The Founding Fathers instilled with us this right, and ideologically in spirit, to all free men of the globe so that we could (1) organize ourselves how we see fit and to (2) remove any periodic bumps along the way. This inherently involves transitional restructurings of governments, only possible with the protection of the 2nd Amendment. I ask that you protect the unregistered manufacturing of firearms as the blessing it is for the long-term liberty of mankind. I ask that you don't act against this fundamental ideal and instead help propagate its research. Any failings of this nation is not to fall on the heads of law-abiding citizens. That is antithetical to our constitution as a freedom-loving people. This precedent would only serve as a harbinger of tyrannical practices to come.
DO NOT Support HB 2276. Anything short of this is unconstitutional. Responsible gun owners are not the problem. If you support this bill, I will work with GOA, NAGR, VCC, VCDL, and VFK (and all other pro-Constitution, freedom-loving groups) to make sure you are not re-elected.
Lewinsville Faith in Action fully supports this bill that would make a nation --already awash in guns --further awash in guns, especially "ghost guns," guns that cannot be traced. This bill will protect citizens already vulnerable given the number of guns in circulation and the inability of law enforcement to trace "ghost guns."
As a veteran who served this country, respectfully request all Delegates abandon these proposals. They are unnecessary and restrict the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. Responsible gun owners are not the problem in Virginia and should not be hindered or penalized in exercising their rights.
This bill will effectively turn law abiding citizens into criminals through no fault of their own. Owning a drill press and machining one's own tools should not be a criminal act. This bill will also make firearms that were made in the pre serial number age illegal. Many law abiding citizens own firearms that are family heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next, that do not bear aerial numbers. This will also make them criminals. Furthermore this will do absolutely NOTHING to stop actual criminals from possessing guns or stealing them. Please do not make law abiding Virginians into criminals.
I would like to oppose this bill in its current form. The way that this bill is written it does not meet the objective of reducing crime, it instead makes instant criminals out of tens of thousands of law abiding citizens. The self manufacturing of firearms has been a US and state allowed right since the birth of our state and this nation. To take this right away goes against the heart our constitution. While there is an uptick of people using non serial numbered guns for criminal purposes, that number is small compared to the overall number of violent crimes being committed. If you look across the country, not even California banns the possession of 80% recievers. They instead alow you to register them with the sate prior to being completed. This is a reasonable approach to fighting this issue. To really get at the heart of the problem this law needs to be tailored to people who use non -serialized guns in crimes. A simple law such as the doubling of the criminal penalty for crimes that use these weapons would be an effective start to help curtail the use of these weapons. To sum it up my issues with this bill are that it: - Doesn't have an exception or grandfather clause for already existing firearms and makes instant criminals out of those gun owners. - It doesn't exclude older firearms that do not have the requisite serial numbers. - It bans items that are technically not firearms. - It does not target criminals who might try to abuse the law while using these type of firearms.
I urge our representatives to vote against any further infringement on the right of Virginians to keep and own firearms. The proposals listed here have many problems, but each proposal can be categorized as "a solution in search of a problem". In general I hope to see long-standing federal law and guidance followed. HB2128 - The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
I urge committee members and all legislators OPPOSE the following bills: HB2276 - duplicates permission of localities to ban firearms in locations they lease or own HB1992 - duplicates federal law HB1909 - no public safety impact at all, and makes illegal firearms lawfully imported by private individuals. No provision for coming into compliance other than disposal. None of these bills enhance public safety, or of individuals in any way. While well-intentioned, they're ignorant of current law, poorly worded, and overly broad.
When it comes to home built firearms and this bill banning them there are many failing of understanding firearms technology. How are you going to ban 3d printers? How are you going to ban aluminum cans that can be made into an ar15 lower reciever? How are you going to ban blocks of wood that can be made into wooden ar15 lower receivers? Are you going to ban shovel blades which can be turned into ak lower receivers? Are you going to ban common hand tools and drill presses? Are you going to ban metal shops? Are you going to ban the internet where the 3d printer files can be readily accessed and books that have instructions on how to to build a firearm out of materials that can be picked up at a local hardware store? Are you going to jail people who know firearms technology and those who have the knowledge to build these very simple tools? This entire bill shows how the people in charge know nothing about what they're doing. The same concept applies to the so called "assault weapons" ban regarding magazines, people would just build their own because you just banned a longer box with a longer spring in it. The only way this law could be effective is by going to louticris extremes and banning everything everyone owns that has plastic, wood, and metal in them. I am familiar with the incident in Alexandria where a Mason student sold his home built firearms to cops which was illegal. What makes people think this law would have changed what that student did if it was passed earlier? With it being Alexandria its almost a synonym for criminality with how massive the crime up there is compared to the rest of the state and comes close with Norfolk. Criminals do not follow laws and this law targets the law abiding and we're past the point of thinking these "safety" laws out of ignorance anymore and rather maliciousness.
This bills premise is based on a mistrust of the citizens of the commonwealth. The criminal element will always be amongst us and legislation designed to make criminals of the law abiding is bad legislation and will do nothing to stop criminal behavior. It seems more and more that laws are created to deal with the lowest common denominator in society at the expense of the 99+% of the responsible citizenry. It is the role of government and would be much more effective to prosecute those that commit crime then to turn good people into felons.
Please OPPOSE HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295! I’m an emergency room nurse, a competitive shooter, and a Virginian. I pride myself as a Virginian and a female and the ability to protect myself. According to the Supreme Court in 2008 and 2010, it is my right to defend myself with a firearm. As a female, I refuse to be a victim and carry EVERYWHERE EVERYDAY! To legislate that I cannot carry my firearm is to tie my hands behind my back and tell me to trust you with my life and that evil does not exist. I’m sorry to report that I do not trust you not with my life and evil certainly exists Gun free zones account for over 90% of mass shootings in our country , 100% of those committed in VA. Please allow Virginians to continue to have an active role in their own safety and oppose HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295. Additionally, please don’t tell me how you feel or how you feel about guns when you argue for these bills. Gun free zones are killing zones. This is life or death. Potentially my life. Your feelings do not trump my rights or my life. Education not legislation! My safety my body My choice I am a nurse, I save lives, let me protect mine Thank you.
My name is Heather and I am a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.I support these bills for the safety of our families, communities and Commonwealth.
Greetings, Please follow the facts and science. Do not restrict our civil liberties based on emotional arguments. I have served our nation and spent years away from my family to defend our Constitution and the People it protects. Our government should NEVER act to restrict civil liberties so haphazardly. It saddens me to see a legislative body so quickly dismiss the core liberties in that document. These proposals do exactly that and absolutely nothing more than turn tens of thousands of your citizens into criminals. They do not make us safer. Life is full of risk. A vote for these unconstitutional firearms restrictions is not based in a conscious risk assessment. Fact. The real roots of crime and violence are poverty and drug use. Spend your time and effort in these. Create jobs, create opportunities for citizens to excel. Be tough on the criminals we already have. That will make my family safer. These proposals make us less safe. So do the right thing. We pray for you to be granted wisdom in these trying times and not criminalize with unconstitutional state laws tens of thousands of citizens. Why would you create greater divides? Spend time on the area where all agree there are legitimate issues, not in divisive ones. Respectfully Jarrett Rhodes
I stand opposed, and ask you to oppose, all of the following named bills for the reasons stated here: HB1909 - schools, with children, are gun free zones and there is no need to impose restrictions on citizens in office buildings that happen to include school boards as occupants. HB1992 - Erroneously expands what qualifies as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. Absence of a provision to restore rights creates a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a rights perspective under this bill, you are unintentionally incentivizing the abuser to seriously harm the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Unnecessarily extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. There is ZERO evidence that this additional time would prevent violence. The current federal 3 day period is intended to correctly apply pressure on the government to do a timely background check. The basis of the NICS system is the promise to gun owners is that the background check system is an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. The bill also makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been NO events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Prohibiting guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas, strips citizens of their fundamental, Constitutionally protected, right to self-defense. There is no evidence to support that these bills would stop violence or in any other way enhance public safety. There is readily available evidence that demonstrates prohibiting people from exercising their rights actually puts them in a more dangerous position. Respectfully, consider the full spectrum of impact to all citizens before you seek to advance the erosion of our rights under the false premise of improved safety or security.
OPPOSE HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. OPPOSE HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. OPPOSE HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. OPPOSE HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. OPPOSE HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
Greetings Elected Servants, I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Respectfully, James A. Delong Professional Husband, Father, and Paw-Paw Powhatan, Virginia 23139 Personal Mobile: 804.944.6592 Email: delong29@yahoo.com
I urge you not to support these bills for the following reasons: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. why cant i go into a building to take care of business with a tool to protect myself from other humans? HB1992 - If a misdemeanor of is not cause to remove someone from society then why do you think its ok to remove ones human rights to protect themselves??? HB2128 - creates nothing more then an additional hurdle for the citizen to protect him/herself. the government is to work FOR the people not against them. HB2276 - another bill that intends to stop criminals from making more tools for their bidding, those individuals wont abid by this law. So citizen not doing any wrong should be allowed to create, fashion, make, fabricate any tool thats not intended for ill will. HB2295 - you(government employees) can protect themselves but the people this government represents cant protect themselves on land and in buildings the people paid for?? I disagree with all these and any gun law, we need to be REMOVING gun laws from the books, not adding them.
As a life long resident of Virginia, and as a responsible gun owner, I STRONGLY OPPOSE all the gun related bills being discussed. The overwhelming majority of gun owners in Virginia safely and lawfully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights on a daily basis. Based on the available stats, the proposed bills do not make these or any other citizen safer, they merely criminalize the safe and otherwise lawful transportation of one's gun to arbitrary locations, and turn a the centuries old hobby of gun building into a felony. Is there evidence to suggest home made guns are used being used in a statistically significant number of crimes? Does not seem so. Does banning the lawful carrying of a self defense weapon near schools, voting locations, or other public venues make citizens safer? Again, not by available evidence. The proposed laws are poorly written and ultimately do nothing but stifle the average Virginian's ability to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Worse, these laws strip innocent citizens of their ability to defend themselves. As has been said time and time again, gun laws CAN NOT keep those wishing to break the law from doing so. Instead, these restrictions instead move us one step closer to disarming our citizens. Gun ownership equalizes protection -- for the mother alone at the park with her kids, for the young lady walking home alone in the dark, for the smaller man faced down by those wishing to do violence, and for the parents woken in the night by the sound of their house being broken in to. The Virginia State House has the ability to go after issues that would earn bipartisan support, but instead seems determined to squander this session by proposing bills curtailing the 2nd Amendment. Bills that not only lack bipartisan support, but which have bipartisan opposition. Thus, I implore those reading this message: Please listen to your constituents. Please listen to the facts. Please OPPOSE THESE BILLS, and stop seeking to impose more burdens on Virginians who simply wish to peacefully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. The background checks are supposed to be "instant," so if they're taking longer than an hour, the solution should be to give the State Police the resources they need to do their work on time, not to punish gun buyers. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. The language about unfinished frames & receivers is unacceptably vague. How is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? This will also create conflict with federal regulations, which would not recognize the item as a firearm. Federal regulations already address this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm; Virginia need not add its own vaguely-worded definition. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists. Moreover, it would restrict guns around the Capitol even when no legislators or employees are present, and even make it illegal to stop at rest stops on the interstates while carrying a gun.
I URGE YOU TO OPPOSE THE FOLLOWING BILLS TODAY: HB1909: School boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992: This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun rights could be eventually restored. HB2128: This bill could make a person wait up to 5 business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, NOT a 5 day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE DAYS in real time! The current 3 days is more than sufficient!! HB2276: This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a persons' own use, which has been legal since Americas' founding. Besides banning personally made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295: A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on capital grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. As a single older woman who has some physical limitations, I need to be able to defend myself and my children. I don't get around as well as I once did so being able to even the odds with someone younger and stronger through the use of a weapon is the only option that I have. Sincerely, Deborah Rice-Gump P.S. EXACTLY WHAT PART OF 'SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED' IS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND!!!! i THINK THOSE 4 WORDS ARE PRETTY CLEARLY STATED!!!
HB1909: A tin sign with a silhouette of a pistol and a line through it has never made any location safer. It merely creates a restriction that for all practical purposes only applies to people who have no desire to harm anyone and creates absolutely no deterrent for someone who does. This bill, in the same vein, does not make the zones a school board owns or leases safer. On the contrary, denying the ability to carry a firearm by those who mean no harm only removes a potentially good actor from using a firearm to prevent the actions of a violent wrongdoer. Proponents of this bill will probably tell you a good actor with a gun is just a myth and never really happens, but such things do happen, and far more commonly than most realize. HB1992: Laws that amount to misdemeanors should not permanently bar an individual from firearm ownership. People can change, become better persons, and earn second chances. Legal systems across these United States adopt this principal, and this law cuts the opposite direction. HB2128: Effective background checks happen in roughly fifteen minutes. The current time limit of three days already greatly exceeds any time necessary and simply imposes extra hardship on the purchaser. An increase to five days more greatly harasses the purchaser. HB2276: This bill criminalizes gun owners who build or modify firearms with capabilities and features that they may legally own. Gun owners are commonly tinkerers and enjoy working with their hands to put their personal touches on what they own. Virginia law should not discourage these types of hobbies. So long as modifications or builds do not produce a firearm with prohibited features and functions, Virginia law should not criminalize such. Furthermore, the language of the bill reads unclearly. Two people making an earnest attempt to determine what the bill would prohibit versus what it would permit could reach entirely different conclusions. HB2295: CapitolSquare, the surrounding area, and buildings leased by the Commonwealth do not belong to legislators or a governor. They belong to the residents of the Commonwealth; hence, the rightful owners of those locations should not have to separate themselves from their Constitutionally protected right to carry arms to enter those areas. Not every visitor, coming from far and wide, has the ability to lock their firearm in a vehicle or some other secure location during the portion of their day when visiting such locations. For this bill to advance, it should gain two provisions: (1) Restricted areas carry the requirement of a ration of one armed security guard per N number of visitors, where N may vary between locations, but never exceeds what a single armed guard could reasonably protect at any instant. (2) Areas subject to the language of this bill must provide guarded containers for securing firearms while visitors occupy the area at no cost to any Virginian. Without those two provisions, this bill should not move forward. I haven't resided in Virginia, where I grew up, for 20 years. I've resided in Washington, DC, where laws like these already exist and do not make our communities safer. I work in Virginia, still have family in Virginia, and spend time in Virginia daily. I care about the Commonwealth deeply and will always be a Virginian first wherever I may reside. Don't pass these bills. They won't make anyone safer. Sincerely, Brian Wrenn
Please oppose HB2276 for these reasons. 1-serial numbers don't prevent crimes, and if a firearm is stolen or used by criminals they can be removed or altered thus being pointless. 2-for anybody who is a criminal that's lost their gun rights, it's illegal to possess a gun let alone build one, so a serial number isn't solving anything. 3-what's described as an unfinished receiver is merely a piece of metal...any gun is made from raw materials, it shouldn't be a crime to possess or buy a piece of metal. 4-any gun owner who has made a firearm from an unfinished receiver or has an unfinished receiver is now criminalized over a right to bear arms. 5-for anybody who is truly concerned about tracing a firearm over a serial number, why can't the individual making the firearm or completing the receiver engrave, stamp, etch or imprint a unique serial number themself instead of forcing them to pay for and use a federal firearms manufacturer? After all, those guns are for personal use, otherwise a manufacturing license would be needed anyways. Oppose HB1909, I don't see where that will reduce or prevent crime. It could also use an exemption for concealed handgun permit holders. Oppose HB1992. Why should anyone lose rights over misdemeanors? There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights PERSPECTIVE under this bill, the person charged would be better off getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. Oppose HB2128. The NICS check is supposed to be instant, for anybody getting delayed 3 days is more then sufficient and there's no excuse for needing more time. Thank you for your time and service.
HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. Even lawful buyers get held up this would be an undo burden. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns.No evidence that 80% firearms are a problem. HB2295 - Would you really vote to limit a right in which you already have? There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas
My name is Ashley and I support this bill because it help keep extremely dangerous weapons from getting into the wrong hands. Thank you.
I don't approve of HB 1909, HB 1992 and HB 2128 because it may be resourceful as a deterrent for future violent crimes, but it's not the solution for the families and communities whose impacted presently. It will make it more difficult for hard working, honest citizens to protect themselves and their property. If in distress, this can create a life or death situation for a innocent victim(s). I only approve of HB 2276 if it can be proven in court that the firearm(s) recovered by law enforcement was either purchased illegally or stolen from it's original owner. I have no comment about HB 2295 because I was under the assumption that firearms were prohibited from state grounds unless if it's the property of the state. As of HB 2231 and HB 2216, I support these bills because 1. HB 2216 makes the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth a priority regardless of age, race, gender or disability and 2. HB2231 is an additional resource law enforcement can use in the communities they serve to ensure transparency and restore communication and trust.
If I can walk into a gun store and buy a gun after passing a background check, why shouldn't I be able to make one? You hope to create a victimless crime that punishes hobbyists with ZERO benefit to society. Punish the people that use guns to victimize others and leave me alone! Furthermore, there is no such thing as an all plastic gun and each round of ammunition contains metal so this is a solution in search of a problem. This bill merely demonstrates your ignorance of firearms.
The ban on homemade firearms only serves to turn hobbyists into criminals. It is already illegal for prohibited persons to possess or make firearms. It is also illegal for non-prohibited persons to provide firearms to known prohibited persons. If your goal is to truly reduce crime, the system needs to punish the criminals who use guns illegally. It makes no sense to make a criminal out of someone that can legally buy and possess a gun just because they made it.
HB2276 – This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person’s own use, which has been an American tradition and legal since before America’s founding. Besides banning personally made firearms completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the firearm.
I am writing with vehement opposition to HB2276. Manufacturing a firearm at home has been a long standing tradition in the United States. Tens of thousands of Virginians have participated in this long tradition. The suburban and urban residents who hear media stories of "ghost guns" do not understand the craftsmanship and tradition that goes into manufacturing a gun at home. They do not understand a grandfather working with a grandson on a custom firearm. They do not understand home forging components. They do not understand the pride that comes with manufacturing something at home rather than buying something that someone else made. This lack of understanding is the root of many of our problems in the Commonwealth. Contrary to media descriptions, building a gun at home requires craftsmanship and skill. It is a skill that grandfathers, fathers and sons can participated in and hone together. This bill will make these people criminals for exercising that skill. I believe that is is important to point out that what an urban resident believes is a "ghost gun" is actually a source of pride for a rural family who wants to build something that they can use together for lawful purposes. A custom built rifle or pistol can be tailored to the specific needs of the individual who wants to build it, unlike a premanufactured firearm. I am not unsympathetic to the concerns of those who are fearful of those who misuse any firearm. However, there is a way to find common ground without criminalizing a longstanding tradition. Many individuals in upscale urban areas spend time, effort, money and sweat equity on expensive luxury automobiles and sports cars. Folks in a more rural location might not understand this, but I have never observed a concentrated effort to criminalize possession of those items, which are misused. One might say that no one "needs" a luxury car or "needs" a sports car. Everyone can get by with a Subaru. Liberty isn't about "need" it is about empowering individuals with the ability make those decisions, and allows government to step in only when an individual is harming someone else. A person who buys the sports car and owns in responsibly and follows the speed limit, is no different from one who builds a firearm at home and uses it for lawful purposes. If the concern were truly to criminalize misuse and misconduct with these firearms, this bill could add an intent element that focuses addresses the real problem. Misuse. No one, gun owner or not, wants criminals to misuse any weapon, but the answer to misuse is not to ban or criminalize the object. The answer is to focus on conduct. This could easily be done. Many of our statutes utilize such intent elements. Individuals who are pro-regulation always claim that there is no common ground. This is untrue. This is a place where the committee can demonstrate a middle ground that addresses the concerns of all sides. I ask that the committee insert a clause in each subdivision that would criminalize only the possession with the intent to use such firearms unlawfully. This is a fair compromise that addresses those who would misuse these items, while protecting a longstanding tradition. As written this proposal goes far further than any other state that has tried to legislate in this area, and it would create a new class of criminals among Virginia residents who have never before committed any criminal offense. It's long past time that the Commonwealth retreat from that path.
Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future.
I’m Norma with Moms Demand Action in Reston, and I support these bills because they will safe lives
I oppose this bill for three main reasons. Firstly, a ban on personally made firearms would not appreciably affect crime in the state of Vriginia. Due to the heavy investments in time and machinery required to manufacture or finish firearms, such as milling machines, presses, and lathes, unfinished firearms are unattactive to criminals. With criminals already being willing to commit crimes, there is little reason for the common criminal to laboriously manufacture a firearm rather than illicitly purchase an existing weapon. Instead, they statistically prefer to illegally straw puchase cheap, concealable handguns. Secondly, it would make instant criminals out of gunsmiths, hobbyist tinkerers, and current law abiding gun owners. There is no mechanism nor protections for existing hobbyist firearms created and used daily for lawful purposes. The bill threatens to punish Virginia citizens for perfectly legal past actions that they cannot change. Finally, the vast majority of personally manufactured firearms are built and used solely as personal items, be they for self defense, sport shooting, or hunting. With the vast majority of these firearms having only one owner, serial numbers are unnecessary as they can only be used to track changes in ownership. When personally manufactured firearms are sold, the ATF already has robust serialization requriements to ensure the change in ownership is recorded. The state of Virginia should not attempt to co-opt or supercede existing federal regulation, lest it convolute or introduce new loopholes in existing, working legislation.
As for HB1909, it is not necessary and how will anyone know if that's a gun free zone? It can be very confusing and any determined mass shooter will not be deterred by it. HB2128 is a 5-day waiting period. Why do we need it? I'd rather we keep the instant check system. What if a domestic violence victims needs a gun now for protection? A 5-day wait can end in his/ her death if he/ she does not obtain a gun on time and the abuser shoots and kills him/ her. Puts the criminal at a greater advantage over the victim. HB2276 is also a bad idea since it makes a gun owner having spare parts for his/ her gun a criminal. Having spare parts that are legally bought for a firearm is not unlawful. You are criminalizing legal gun owners this way and criminals do not even obey this law. HB2295 is also a bad idea as this will hurt city revenue for Richmond by driving away travelers who legally conceal carry. Also no need for HB1992 since it's already against federal law to allow convicted domestic abusers from owning firearms. You are adding more laws that are not only confusing but difficult to enforce.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I OPPOSE HB 2276 on numerous grounds. The right to make homemade firearms is a long-standing one. This bill would criminalize those citizens who have done so lawfully in the past, and seems to offer no explanation for what citizens are to do with our previously home-built firearms. The bill ostensibly seeks to prevent homemade firearms from getting into the hands of prohibited persons. It is already illegal for prohibited persons to make firearms, and it is illegal for non-prohibited persons to provide firearms to known prohibited persons. So it seems like this bill, like most gun control bills, is aimed at constraining and regulating the firearms rights of the law-abiding. There’s no evidence that home-built firearms are leading to a wave of violence that so many in favor of the bill breathlessly assert. In fact, the growth of the market in partially complete firearms receivers the bill’s supporters claim are a grave new threat is happening in the open and commercially, providing an investigative paper trail in the event a crime is suspected. It wouldn’t be particularly wise for a prohibited person to hop online and buy a partially complete firearms receiver. It’s hard not to notice that the same party who proposes bills like this ostensibly to keep “ghost guns” out of the hands of criminals is the same party that continues to push leniency for some of our worst criminal offenders.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations under-girding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
The bill needs to be rejected due to its implications for racial equity. This bill, with no way to allow for current guns that have been created from 80% kits and 3D printing to become legal, will only further the criminalization of Black and Brown youths. Since it will disproportionally impact racial minorities, it should be rejected as detailed by Ibrahim Kendi.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations undergirding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond. The right to bear arms shall not be infringed. Both the United States Constitution and the Virginia State Constitution share the same view. Please reframe your focus to limit violent criminals, not law-abiding citizens.
I do not support HB1992 as written as allows for a ban on possession for life based on a misdemeanor conviction and allows no opportunity for redress, even decades later. This is stricter than how felony convictions are treated. I do not support HB2128 as it penalizes residents, especially those with common surnames, for the lack of resources provided to VSP. I instead encourage you to support additional funding to the VSP so through background checks can be completed within the current three day window. I do not support HB2276 as it is contrary to current ATF practice for serializing hobbyist firearms and effectively creates a unique definition of firearms that doesn't match the federal definition. This will lead to lawsuits and associated costs with seemingly little benefit to gun violence reduction. Secondly it may effectively ban most modern polymer framed firearms. As for HB2285 this is only supportable if sufficient resources are provided to VSP to guarantee a 15min background check process for all applicants. It is clear this bill is intended to limit access to renting firearms at ranges by non gun owners. I cannot support this bill with it's current language and without matching budget support. Thank you for your time, Richard Edwards
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Sincerely, Blake
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. We oppose all of these unnecessary and unconstitutional infringements upon our God-given right to protect ourselves! And we will dedicate our time, energy and treasure to oppose everyone who votes for these bills in your next election.
I support these bills HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295 please pass them. I support HB2295. On January 6th in the US Capitol, and in the week since, we have seen the effectiveness of laws in DC which restrict firearms in sensitive places, such as the National Mall and the grounds of the public buildings in our Naional Capitol. Rioters who were carrying weapons were easily identified, stopped, and charged. I urge you to support HB 2295, which will give our Virginia Capitol Police another tool to keep our public spaces accessible to all who wish to participate in our government and speak with their representatives. I also urge you to exert whatever oversight is possible of the Richmond Police who chose not to enforce local gun ban ordinances yesterday when those rules were visibly and intentionally disobeyed by vigilante "militia" mobs trying to terrorize Richmond neighborhoods by parading around. Do not let the Richmond Police selectively enforce and subvert the clear intent of the General Assembly and the City of Richmond in passing laws last year allowing local control over limiting guns at public events and in public locations.
My name is Gayatri from Fairfax with Moms Demand Action and I support all of these bills.
In support of the bill; Unserialized firearms pose a serious threat to public safety as they can be used and discarded without fear of them being traced. The Federal Gun Control Act and Virginia code both define Firearms as being whole guns as well as major components of guns like frames or receivers. The GCA requires that all firearms, including components, be marked with a serial number and sold subject to background check. The ATF was wrong to change the policy towards firearms components which has resulted in an exponential rise in the discovery of unserialized "ghost guns" at crime scenes and the proliferation of sellers openly advertising gun components online. While it may be "legal" for a person to manufacture a firearm for their own use, there are insufficient currently in place to ensure that they remain the sole user and do not sell or otherwise furnish the firearm to others.
HB 1909: School board meetings are typically held in buildings that are leased or owned by county governments, which already have the authority to ban firearms from their buildings. This duplicates the same authority. HB 1992: Federal law already prohibits transfer of firearms to individuals with domestic violence misdemeanor convictions. This adds zero public safety, as it already duplicates federal law. HB2276: Adds absolutely nothing to public safety. Unconstitutional as it attempts to shift the burden of proof to the accused, not law enforcement. HB2295: Adds costs without improving public safety.
We have a gun problem in America that we have never addressed; way too many guns in the hands of people who should not have them. I support the Second Amendment but our Founding Fathers could not have anticipated automatic or semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. They also did not anticipate school and mass shootings ... protections such as metal detectors would be made useless with these 3D guns. Whose rights are we trying to protect? I support the ban on 3D weapons.
Hello, I'm a Virginia resident and volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I support all of these bills. In particular, ghost guns are a disturbing development which allow people to circumvent all the laws we put in place. Thank you for considering these bills.
I am Norma from Moms Demand Action in Reston, and I support this bill
I am a Virginia Beach resident and Moms Demand Action volunteer asking you to support HB2276 because ghost guns are terrifying and we must stop them now. I also support HB2295 because I have volunteered at the polls for over a decade and seen many forms of voter suppression. I can say with no hesitation that the presence of guns at polls is voter intimidation.
I’m a Virginia resident and Moms Demand Action volunteer. I’m writing to support HB2276 because ghost guns are a rising crisis and a dangerous way to evade critically important gun violence prevention methods. I also support HB2295 because armed intimidation at polling places is a threat to democracy.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. As for unfinished frames & receivers, how is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? Wouldn't this create a conflict with federal law, which would not recognize the item as a firearm? Federal regulations already cover this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists.
I strongly support this bill. 3D printed guns and ghost guns are untraceable and can therefore land in the hands of people that would otherwise not qualify to own a firearm. Additionally with the prevalence of 3D printers, this guns could be printed by youth younger than 18. Ghost guns introduce a new type of threat to the community (no way to track or trace ownership). I am also concerned about people with mental health issues able to get access to a gun with just a printer. I urge lawmakers to strongly consider banning 3D printed firearms.
When it comes to gun violence, the rise of ghost guns is the fastest-growing gun safety problem we’re facing today. These untraceable firearms have become the weapon of choice for violent criminals and dangerous extremists. They provide an opportunity for those with minimal skills and tools to create, modify, or 3-D print unregistered parts and turn them into a functioning firearm. These guns bypass background checks that keep guns out of the hands of prohibited persons and make it impossible to trace their origin when recovered by law enforcement. In February 2019, a Texas man was sentenced to 8 years in prison after officers caught him with a partially 3-D printed AR-15 style rifle and a list of lawmakers’ addresses in his backpack, despite being prohibited from owning a firearm due to a violent altercation with a live-in girlfriend. More than 2,500 ghost guns were connected to criminal activity in 114 federal cases between 2010 and April 2020. With the rise of more violent extremist groups all over the country the pervasive nature of these firearms is a real threat to law enforcement, elected officials and the general public. The goal of background checks, waiting periods, prohibited persons laws and firearm permitting is to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. The rise in sales of kits and parts that can be easily manipulated into fully functioning guns bypasses all of these safeguards. Manufacturers of these kits are including everything needed to convert an unfinished frame or receiver into a functioning firearm. They include templates, jigs, drill bits, instructional videos, and boast that in just an hour or two the buyer can be using the gun at a range. 3-D printed guns can be even more dangerous as they can be made from plastics and composite materials that do not set off metal detectors. The price drop and increased availability of desktop 3-D printers and other emerging technologies means it’s easier than ever before for a person to manufacture entire firearms and firearm components that are untraceable and undetectable. Like many other firearm laws, the federal government has left it to the states to deal with this issue. The ATF’s lack of action on ghost guns leaves Virginia defenseless in the face of this threat to the safety of its citizens. As a gun owner I understand, more than most, the responsibility of firearm ownership. I also understand the need to keep firearms out of the hands of people who misuse them or who are trying to bypass the law. I ask that you pass HB2276, which would prohibit the manufacture, sale, transfer, or possession of a ghost gun in the commonwealth.
I urge you to pass this legislation which would address issues with Ghost guns. I have been threatened by individuals wielding guns made on 3-D printers and they are as terrifying as being confronted with any other sort of gun. They have been used to intimidate people trying to exercise their first amendment rights by giving public testimony. They can be used to make weapons more dangerous. These are untraceable weapons that can find their way into violent and threatening situations. Please help your citizens by banning ghost guns
Greetings, On the behalf of many taxpayers of this fine state I would like to tell you that gun control is idiotic. Criminals don’t follow laws. You can make murder illegal and people will still be murdered. You might as well pass a law saying the sun won’t rise tomorrow. Banning “ghost” guns is idiocy. 3d printed, home made, or improvised weapons will always be made. They require metal parts to function. Your ignorance is astounding. Kindly show yourself out the door and stop sucking Bloomberg’s dick for milk money.
My name is Ashley and I support this bill. Please make Virginia safer by appropriately regulating "ghost guns"
My name is Mary Ann Ressin, from Vienna, VA. I'm a member of Moms Demamd Action for Gun Sense in America and I support HB 1992, HB 2276, HB 2295, HB 2128
I'm Mike Fox with Moms Demand Action in Albemarle County, and I support these bills because more can be done to protect the public from violence and intimidation.
Fewer guns is the best course of action to deliver a safer commonwealth. Short of that, ensuring all the guns in the state are traceable and attributable to a real person is the next best option. While Delegate Simon’s bill doesn’t solve the problem of the danger of guns in the state, I do appreciate that it takes steps to prevent untraceable guns from entering the system. Please pass this bill.
Asinine policy proposals such as this highlight how absurd politics has become. The proponent of this bill supports legalization of substance abuse, votes for rapists and child molesters, and demonization of individuals based solely on the color of their skin. And now, apparently, wants racist police to be the only arbiters of safety and justice in this state. This bill will make no one safer, will create a black market which will only allow firearms to proliferate unchecked, and allow more murders than conceivable to these dullards on a good day. This bill should die an anonymous, comfortable death.
The notion of non-serialized, non-traceable guns and gun parts is ridiculous on its face. “Ghost” guns are the ideal criminal weapon and are increasingly part of the criminal market for firearms. They are especially dangerous given the rise in domestic terrorist groups. The argument that “hobbyists have fun making them” is the best those supporting ghost guns can make. I clearly remember a VCDL lobbyist making the same argument before this body for bump stocks. Consider the deadly effects of these “hobbies.” A quick Google search yields several hits for companies selling these parts online. Their untraceability is a selling point in ghost gun marketing materials. Vote to put a stop to cheap, untraceable guns that let criminals slide through a gaping background check loophole.
HB2276 as written represents a clear infringement, direct and unequivocally, of Virginians second amendment rights. It has always been federally legal for individuals to build their own firearms, it continues to be, and therefore should justly remain legal under Virginia law also. There is no effective means of enforcement of HB2276 without violating suspected offenders fourth amendment rights, and as it relates to 3D printing, their first amendment rights. So called "ghost guns" and 3D printed guns are merely scary sounding names for otherwise innocuous arms Virginians chose to build for themselves for many reasons. This bill if passed into law would leave individuals no choice but to purchase arms from federally licensed dealers, who are in business to make money, who do not always offer products that tailor to individual needs, and do not necessarily have their customers best interests at heart. There are already laws in place that prevent the ownership of arms of prohibited persons, and those who choose to arms themselves unlawfully are in violation of the law as it stands. HB2276 serves only to criminalize daily life for many Virginians who build and use their own firearms. Building firearms is and shall continue to be a great American pastime.
You are a tyrant , you can’t stop the signal . Banning code is against the 1st amendment. Everyone has the right to be armed. If you had your way only the rich and the police thugs would be armed. On behalf of everyone.... I’ll send you as spoon and you can eat my ass you tyrant fuck
This bill goes against the second ammendment. As a taxpayer and a land owner, please stop taking rights away from Virginians Especially in the department of self defence Anyone can go into a store and buy a .50 cal musket revolver without a background check. Gun Control does not work.
Manufacturing your own firearms is completely legal. Another act of criminalizing law abiding citizens. Criminals use stolen guns to commit crime. This is indisputable. They do not manufacture thier own firearms. This is a hobby to people and an art form. Please provide references to specific crimes commited using 3d printed or otherwise manufactured firearms. Lower receivers do not even meet the ATF legal definition of a firearm, and is the part that is serialized. The lawsuits that will be filed in response to your tyrannical idea will EXPAND gun rights. Stop manufacturing lies to disarm lae abiding citizens and to keep the dumb ones under your boot. In summary, go fuck yourself.
It's frankly alarming that the government has found itself with enough time on it's hands that it will deliberate the topic of banning the home manufacture of one's own firearm. To make matters worse, the proposed legislation will place no barriers towards just ignoring the law and making guns - this bill would be less effective than those that prop up the failed "War on Drugs". Mr. Simon has decided the best course of action will be a law that is utterly ineffective at stopping the violent actors who would exploit this technology. Instead of criminalizing possession of public domain information (the files used to make 3D printed guns fall into this category), or peaceful possession of firearms that are no more deadly than the arms that law enforcement officers are given with taxpayer money, why not instead punish criminal use of self-made firearms as you do with any other gun? If the punishment for murder itself is not too severe for violent actors, what would lead Mr. Simon to believe that tacking on a few years because they made the gun themselves will be a meaningful barrier? Is legislation a typical example of the type of bureaucratic grab-butt that we should expect from elected officials?
I am writing in support of Marcus Simon's bill to ban 3D printing and other means of making guns that would prevent them being found in metal detectors. I believe they would cause undue risk to people and would enable those who carry them to do so unnoticed, especially in cases where carrying guns is illegal.
I support this bill banning 3D printed firearms. We have enough problems with shootings as it is. The only reason school shootings have stopped is because of the pandemic. Adding 3D printed weapons just makes the problem worse.
HB 1992 I strongly support this bill to prohibit anyone from possessing a fire arm if they've been convicted of a violent Domestic Violence incident. I watched my father put his fist through a door window when attempting to hit my mother. A few years later he threatened to kill himself with his shotgun in front of my mother, sister and I. Domestic Violence escalates. My fathers guns should have been taken from him after he tried to hit my mother. HB 2128 I strongly support expanding the time law enforcement is given to determine if a citizen should be allowed to purchase a gun. A 3 day window is too short to ensure an applicant qualifies to own a weapon. We do not want someone to get a permit to carry a gun by default as in the case of the mass murderer in Charleston SC. HB2276 I strongly support requiring that firearm components be traceable for the purpose of assembling a firearm. If law enforcement can not trace the parts used to assemble a firearm they are hindered in their #1 purpose: to protect the citizens of VA. HB 2295 I strongly support giving our House and Senate lawmakers permission to oversee the grounds of the Capitol in order to ensure public safety. This bill gives our lawmakers the authority to prohibit citizens from bringing weapons to the Capitol grounds. No citizen should feel intimidated or threatened by those who brandish firearms on the grounds of our Capitol.
Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Comprehensive written testimony will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this sub-committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future. Comprehensive written testimony for each of these bills will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing.
Giffords supports this bill and has emailed written testimony to committee members with further information.
HB2295 - Firearm; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, state-owned bldgs.
Oppose HB2295 - Okay, so you think it's a good idea to limit law-abiding people from carrying at state buildings? Have you been to Richmond? That's a scary place - worse than our Rt. 1 corridor in Fairfax Va. No way should any professional woman find herself in these areas without a concealed weapon. And parking lots? So what do I have to take my weapon out of my vehicle and stow it behind a tree somewhere off the state property every time I have business on state property and have to park in a state parking lot? This is crazy. And it affects people like me who follow the letter of the law. Oh and rest areas ... are you serious? So anyone carrying can't park in a rest area and use the facilities because this would have them breaking the law. The criminals won't give a hoot about the law. Just us moms out here trying to live a good life as law-abiding citizens. Virginia is one of the safest states. Stop the harassment of the good people of Virginia. I have a right to speak my mind, carry the weapon of my choice, hang out with whomever I want, send my children to an actual school that meets in person, make my own health decisions as it is my body, and live a free life. Nothing is more important than freedom. Stop infringing on our rights. This is just over the top.
DO NOT Support HB 2295. Anything short of this is unconstitutional. Responsible gun owners are not the problem. If you support this bill, I will work with GOA, NAGR, VCC, VCDL, and VFK (and all other pro-Constitution, freedom-loving groups) to make sure you are not re-elected.
Lewisville Faith in Action fully in support of this bill. Voting is a sacred rite and privilege. If I fear voting, my role as participating citizen has been severely compromised, thus weakening our essence, our democracy.
As a veteran who served this country, respectfully request all Delegates abandon these proposals. They are unnecessary and restrict the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. Responsible gun owners are not the problem in Virginia and should not be hindered or penalized in exercising their rights.
If you are going to ban firearms then you should provide for the protection of citizens. The best way to show your desire to do so is to be willing to accept responsibility for harm that comes to citizens on state property.
I urge our representatives to vote against any further infringement on the right of Virginians to keep and own firearms. The proposals listed here have many problems, but each proposal can be categorized as "a solution in search of a problem". In general I hope to see long-standing federal law and guidance followed. HB2128 - The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
Please follow the facts and science. Do not restrict our civil liberties based on emotional arguments. Having served our nation and spent time away from my family to defend our Constitution and the People it protects. It truly saddens me to see the elected officials in the Commonwealth and the nation work to take constitutional rights away from it's citizens based on emotional non-factual arguments. Please work to defend our rights and punish those who abuse them.
I urge committee members and all legislators OPPOSE the following bills: HB2128 - five business day maximum wait time, in real days, is 7. This effectively imposes a waiting period on people who have no criminal conviction but whose records aren't in order through no fault of their own. This DECREASES public safety by delaying access to self-protection to victims of domestic abuse and stalking. HB2295 - political grandstanding, and unbecoming of a Virginia Delegate. The Governor already has the power to implement this, has implemented it, and another law allowing the same thing is a waste of public money and resources for no gain in public safety. None of these bills enhance public safety, or of individuals in any way. While well-intentioned, they do nothing to prevent violence and in fact may empower criminals as it can leave victims defenseless.
Hello, I am writing in regards to HB1909, I would like to say that there are law abiding gun owners that care about our children safety and there has been a number of shootings at our schools around the country. I am not saying a teenager should have the right to carry a gun on school property but what if a responsible parent or adult is waiting to pick up their child from school and they have the training to stop an active shooter on school property. That is something you have to think about when approving this bill. The next bill I have concern with is HB2295, you are restricting law abiding gun owners from their 2nd Amendment right. What if someone comes into the Capital in Richmond and takes out our law enforcement officer and you have to wait for back up. If you trust your citizens, that have the proper training to defend you from an active shooter, I believe the outcome may of been different in what happened with the Virginia Beach Public Building. We need to support our 2nd Amendment rights, not destroy them. Thank you for your time.
Please OPPOSE HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295! I’m an emergency room nurse, a competitive shooter, and a Virginian. I pride myself as a Virginian and a female and the ability to protect myself. According to the Supreme Court in 2008 and 2010, it is my right to defend myself with a firearm. As a female, I refuse to be a victim and carry EVERYWHERE EVERYDAY! To legislate that I cannot carry my firearm is to tie my hands behind my back and tell me to trust you with my life and that evil does not exist. I’m sorry to report that I do not trust you not with my life and evil certainly exists Gun free zones account for over 90% of mass shootings in our country , 100% of those committed in VA. Please allow Virginians to continue to have an active role in their own safety and oppose HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295. Additionally, please don’t tell me how you feel or how you feel about guns when you argue for these bills. Gun free zones are killing zones. This is life or death. Potentially my life. Your feelings do not trump my rights or my life. Education not legislation! My safety my body My choice I am a nurse, I save lives, let me protect mine Thank you.
My name is Heather and I am a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.I support these bills for the safety of our families, communities and Commonwealth.
Greetings, Please follow the facts and science. Do not restrict our civil liberties based on emotional arguments. I have served our nation and spent years away from my family to defend our Constitution and the People it protects. Our government should NEVER act to restrict civil liberties so haphazardly. It saddens me to see a legislative body so quickly dismiss the core liberties in that document. These proposals do exactly that and absolutely nothing more than turn tens of thousands of your citizens into criminals. They do not make us safer. Life is full of risk. A vote for these unconstitutional firearms restrictions is not based in a conscious risk assessment. Fact. The real roots of crime and violence are poverty and drug use. Spend your time and effort in these. Create jobs, create opportunities for citizens to excel. Be tough on the criminals we already have. That will make my family safer. These proposals make us less safe. So do the right thing. We pray for you to be granted wisdom in these trying times and not criminalize with unconstitutional state laws tens of thousands of citizens. Why would you create greater divides? Spend time on the area where all agree there are legitimate issues, not in divisive ones. Respectfully Jarrett Rhodes
I stand opposed, and ask you to oppose, all of the following named bills for the reasons stated here: HB1909 - schools, with children, are gun free zones and there is no need to impose restrictions on citizens in office buildings that happen to include school boards as occupants. HB1992 - Erroneously expands what qualifies as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. Absence of a provision to restore rights creates a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a rights perspective under this bill, you are unintentionally incentivizing the abuser to seriously harm the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Unnecessarily extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. There is ZERO evidence that this additional time would prevent violence. The current federal 3 day period is intended to correctly apply pressure on the government to do a timely background check. The basis of the NICS system is the promise to gun owners is that the background check system is an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. The bill also makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been NO events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Prohibiting guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas, strips citizens of their fundamental, Constitutionally protected, right to self-defense. There is no evidence to support that these bills would stop violence or in any other way enhance public safety. There is readily available evidence that demonstrates prohibiting people from exercising their rights actually puts them in a more dangerous position. Respectfully, consider the full spectrum of impact to all citizens before you seek to advance the erosion of our rights under the false premise of improved safety or security.
OPPOSE HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. OPPOSE HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. OPPOSE HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. OPPOSE HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. OPPOSE HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
Greetings Elected Servants, I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Respectfully, James A. Delong Professional Husband, Father, and Paw-Paw Powhatan, Virginia 23139 Personal Mobile: 804.944.6592 Email: delong29@yahoo.com
I urge you not to support these bills for the following reasons: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. why cant i go into a building to take care of business with a tool to protect myself from other humans? HB1992 - If a misdemeanor of is not cause to remove someone from society then why do you think its ok to remove ones human rights to protect themselves??? HB2128 - creates nothing more then an additional hurdle for the citizen to protect him/herself. the government is to work FOR the people not against them. HB2276 - another bill that intends to stop criminals from making more tools for their bidding, those individuals wont abid by this law. So citizen not doing any wrong should be allowed to create, fashion, make, fabricate any tool thats not intended for ill will. HB2295 - you(government employees) can protect themselves but the people this government represents cant protect themselves on land and in buildings the people paid for?? I disagree with all these and any gun law, we need to be REMOVING gun laws from the books, not adding them.
As a life long resident of Virginia, and as a responsible gun owner, I STRONGLY OPPOSE all the gun related bills being discussed. The overwhelming majority of gun owners in Virginia safely and lawfully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights on a daily basis. Based on the available stats, the proposed bills do not make these or any other citizen safer, they merely criminalize the safe and otherwise lawful transportation of one's gun to arbitrary locations, and turn a the centuries old hobby of gun building into a felony. Is there evidence to suggest home made guns are used being used in a statistically significant number of crimes? Does not seem so. Does banning the lawful carrying of a self defense weapon near schools, voting locations, or other public venues make citizens safer? Again, not by available evidence. The proposed laws are poorly written and ultimately do nothing but stifle the average Virginian's ability to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Worse, these laws strip innocent citizens of their ability to defend themselves. As has been said time and time again, gun laws CAN NOT keep those wishing to break the law from doing so. Instead, these restrictions instead move us one step closer to disarming our citizens. Gun ownership equalizes protection -- for the mother alone at the park with her kids, for the young lady walking home alone in the dark, for the smaller man faced down by those wishing to do violence, and for the parents woken in the night by the sound of their house being broken in to. The Virginia State House has the ability to go after issues that would earn bipartisan support, but instead seems determined to squander this session by proposing bills curtailing the 2nd Amendment. Bills that not only lack bipartisan support, but which have bipartisan opposition. Thus, I implore those reading this message: Please listen to your constituents. Please listen to the facts. Please OPPOSE THESE BILLS, and stop seeking to impose more burdens on Virginians who simply wish to peacefully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. The background checks are supposed to be "instant," so if they're taking longer than an hour, the solution should be to give the State Police the resources they need to do their work on time, not to punish gun buyers. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. The language about unfinished frames & receivers is unacceptably vague. How is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? This will also create conflict with federal regulations, which would not recognize the item as a firearm. Federal regulations already address this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm; Virginia need not add its own vaguely-worded definition. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists. Moreover, it would restrict guns around the Capitol even when no legislators or employees are present, and even make it illegal to stop at rest stops on the interstates while carrying a gun.
I URGE YOU TO OPPOSE THE FOLLOWING BILLS TODAY: HB1909: School boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992: This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun rights could be eventually restored. HB2128: This bill could make a person wait up to 5 business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, NOT a 5 day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE DAYS in real time! The current 3 days is more than sufficient!! HB2276: This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a persons' own use, which has been legal since Americas' founding. Besides banning personally made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295: A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on capital grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. As a single older woman who has some physical limitations, I need to be able to defend myself and my children. I don't get around as well as I once did so being able to even the odds with someone younger and stronger through the use of a weapon is the only option that I have. Sincerely, Deborah Rice-Gump P.S. EXACTLY WHAT PART OF 'SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED' IS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND!!!! i THINK THOSE 4 WORDS ARE PRETTY CLEARLY STATED!!!
On the topic of the proposed Bill HB-1992, I am a former domestic violence survivor. I lived for several years with an abusive alcoholic who is now a class 6 felon for threatening my life in writing multiple times. It took me over 6 months to make an attempt at removing him from my life. He threatened to burn my house down, mutilate myself and my pets. He called the police on me, lying that I did things hoping, I would lose my clearance and my federal job so I would rely on him. I was unable to even go to the grocery store myself until I obtained my concealed carry permit. While I fully support the removal of gun rights from those who are convicted of domestic violence and/or are subject of a restraining order, I do not believe that punishment should have no route towards redemption for nonviolent misdameanor offenders. On the topic of the proposed Bill HB2295, I do not support this proposed bill, which, would leave women to include myself, unable to use the facilities at a rest stop safely. Sometimes, there is no choice but to use a rest area. However, as a woman, I would not feel comfortable using a rest stop without protection. I would also garner that this applies to state parks, which is maddening. My husband and I camp fervently at Virginia State Parks. We were married in a Virginia State Park. However, if I can not utilize my concealed weapon permit to lawfully carry my weapon on State property we will no longer utilize the parks. This will only prove to hurt our wonderful State parks and properties. I think our law makers in Virginia are losing sight of their constituent's reasons for lawfully carrying a weapon. We are not the ones breaking laws and shooting people. We carry because we want to ensure the safety of ourselves and those around us. We carry because, otherwise we may never feel safe enough to leave our homes. We carry because, our lives have been threatened before, because, our best friend had a run in with child traffickers, because, you never know what will happen and this world is becoming a scary place. Thank you!
HB1909: A tin sign with a silhouette of a pistol and a line through it has never made any location safer. It merely creates a restriction that for all practical purposes only applies to people who have no desire to harm anyone and creates absolutely no deterrent for someone who does. This bill, in the same vein, does not make the zones a school board owns or leases safer. On the contrary, denying the ability to carry a firearm by those who mean no harm only removes a potentially good actor from using a firearm to prevent the actions of a violent wrongdoer. Proponents of this bill will probably tell you a good actor with a gun is just a myth and never really happens, but such things do happen, and far more commonly than most realize. HB1992: Laws that amount to misdemeanors should not permanently bar an individual from firearm ownership. People can change, become better persons, and earn second chances. Legal systems across these United States adopt this principal, and this law cuts the opposite direction. HB2128: Effective background checks happen in roughly fifteen minutes. The current time limit of three days already greatly exceeds any time necessary and simply imposes extra hardship on the purchaser. An increase to five days more greatly harasses the purchaser. HB2276: This bill criminalizes gun owners who build or modify firearms with capabilities and features that they may legally own. Gun owners are commonly tinkerers and enjoy working with their hands to put their personal touches on what they own. Virginia law should not discourage these types of hobbies. So long as modifications or builds do not produce a firearm with prohibited features and functions, Virginia law should not criminalize such. Furthermore, the language of the bill reads unclearly. Two people making an earnest attempt to determine what the bill would prohibit versus what it would permit could reach entirely different conclusions. HB2295: CapitolSquare, the surrounding area, and buildings leased by the Commonwealth do not belong to legislators or a governor. They belong to the residents of the Commonwealth; hence, the rightful owners of those locations should not have to separate themselves from their Constitutionally protected right to carry arms to enter those areas. Not every visitor, coming from far and wide, has the ability to lock their firearm in a vehicle or some other secure location during the portion of their day when visiting such locations. For this bill to advance, it should gain two provisions: (1) Restricted areas carry the requirement of a ration of one armed security guard per N number of visitors, where N may vary between locations, but never exceeds what a single armed guard could reasonably protect at any instant. (2) Areas subject to the language of this bill must provide guarded containers for securing firearms while visitors occupy the area at no cost to any Virginian. Without those two provisions, this bill should not move forward. I haven't resided in Virginia, where I grew up, for 20 years. I've resided in Washington, DC, where laws like these already exist and do not make our communities safer. I work in Virginia, still have family in Virginia, and spend time in Virginia daily. I care about the Commonwealth deeply and will always be a Virginian first wherever I may reside. Don't pass these bills. They won't make anyone safer. Sincerely, Brian Wrenn
Please oppose HB2276 for these reasons. 1-serial numbers don't prevent crimes, and if a firearm is stolen or used by criminals they can be removed or altered thus being pointless. 2-for anybody who is a criminal that's lost their gun rights, it's illegal to possess a gun let alone build one, so a serial number isn't solving anything. 3-what's described as an unfinished receiver is merely a piece of metal...any gun is made from raw materials, it shouldn't be a crime to possess or buy a piece of metal. 4-any gun owner who has made a firearm from an unfinished receiver or has an unfinished receiver is now criminalized over a right to bear arms. 5-for anybody who is truly concerned about tracing a firearm over a serial number, why can't the individual making the firearm or completing the receiver engrave, stamp, etch or imprint a unique serial number themself instead of forcing them to pay for and use a federal firearms manufacturer? After all, those guns are for personal use, otherwise a manufacturing license would be needed anyways. Oppose HB1909, I don't see where that will reduce or prevent crime. It could also use an exemption for concealed handgun permit holders. Oppose HB1992. Why should anyone lose rights over misdemeanors? There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights PERSPECTIVE under this bill, the person charged would be better off getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. Oppose HB2128. The NICS check is supposed to be instant, for anybody getting delayed 3 days is more then sufficient and there's no excuse for needing more time. Thank you for your time and service.
HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. Even lawful buyers get held up this would be an undo burden. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns.No evidence that 80% firearms are a problem. HB2295 - Would you really vote to limit a right in which you already have? There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas
My name is Ashley and I support this bill. I have personally been surrounded by heavily armed men at the Capitol and democracy doesn't work at gunpoint. Thank you.
I don't approve of HB 1909, HB 1992 and HB 2128 because it may be resourceful as a deterrent for future violent crimes, but it's not the solution for the families and communities whose impacted presently. It will make it more difficult for hard working, honest citizens to protect themselves and their property. If in distress, this can create a life or death situation for a innocent victim(s). I only approve of HB 2276 if it can be proven in court that the firearm(s) recovered by law enforcement was either purchased illegally or stolen from it's original owner. I have no comment about HB 2295 because I was under the assumption that firearms were prohibited from state grounds unless if it's the property of the state. As of HB 2231 and HB 2216, I support these bills because 1. HB 2216 makes the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth a priority regardless of age, race, gender or disability and 2. HB2231 is an additional resource law enforcement can use in the communities they serve to ensure transparency and restore communication and trust.
HB2295 – A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly without incident. This bill further restricts citizens right to bear arms. If this bill is passed it is further evidence that lawmakers in Richmond disregard the Constitution of the state of Virginia and United States of America.
Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Brady strongly encourages this Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future.
As for HB1909, it is not necessary and how will anyone know if that's a gun free zone? It can be very confusing and any determined mass shooter will not be deterred by it. HB2128 is a 5-day waiting period. Why do we need it? I'd rather we keep the instant check system. What if a domestic violence victims needs a gun now for protection? A 5-day wait can end in his/ her death if he/ she does not obtain a gun on time and the abuser shoots and kills him/ her. Puts the criminal at a greater advantage over the victim. HB2276 is also a bad idea since it makes a gun owner having spare parts for his/ her gun a criminal. Having spare parts that are legally bought for a firearm is not unlawful. You are criminalizing legal gun owners this way and criminals do not even obey this law. HB2295 is also a bad idea as this will hurt city revenue for Richmond by driving away travelers who legally conceal carry. Also no need for HB1992 since it's already against federal law to allow convicted domestic abusers from owning firearms. You are adding more laws that are not only confusing but difficult to enforce.
There have been no problems with firearms or stun weapons on the property. In fact, in January of 2020 tens of thousands of citizens gathered to rally on the Capitol grounds and surrounding areas. There were no accidents or injuries with firearms or stun weapons and no acts of violence. This law gives the impression that its sponsors want to oppress political adversaries. Laws for the sake of passing laws complicate society and create criminals from groups that have less access to finances or education. Laws like this discriminate as they are not enforced equally across all races, genders, or classes. Let's not make another legislative mess by adding laws that are unnecessary to start with. This bill does not respond to any public safety issue. It only creates one.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations under-girding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations undergirding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Sincerely, Blake
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. We oppose all of these unnecessary and unconstitutional infringements upon our God-given right to protect ourselves! And we will dedicate our time, energy and treasure to oppose everyone who votes for these bills in your next election.
I support these bills HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295 please pass them. I support HB2295. On January 6th in the US Capitol, and in the week since, we have seen the effectiveness of laws in DC which restrict firearms in sensitive places, such as the National Mall and the grounds of the public buildings in our Naional Capitol. Rioters who were carrying weapons were easily identified, stopped, and charged. I urge you to support HB 2295, which will give our Virginia Capitol Police another tool to keep our public spaces accessible to all who wish to participate in our government and speak with their representatives. I also urge you to exert whatever oversight is possible of the Richmond Police who chose not to enforce local gun ban ordinances yesterday when those rules were visibly and intentionally disobeyed by vigilante "militia" mobs trying to terrorize Richmond neighborhoods by parading around. Do not let the Richmond Police selectively enforce and subvert the clear intent of the General Assembly and the City of Richmond in passing laws last year allowing local control over limiting guns at public events and in public locations.
My name is Gayatri from Fairfax with Moms Demand Action and I support all of these bills.
HB 1909: School board meetings are typically held in buildings that are leased or owned by county governments, which already have the authority to ban firearms from their buildings. This duplicates the same authority. HB 1992: Federal law already prohibits transfer of firearms to individuals with domestic violence misdemeanor convictions. This adds zero public safety, as it already duplicates federal law. HB2276: Adds absolutely nothing to public safety. Unconstitutional as it attempts to shift the burden of proof to the accused, not law enforcement. HB2295: Adds costs without improving public safety.
Hello, I'm a Virginia resident and volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I support all of these bills. In particular, ghost guns are a disturbing development which allow people to circumvent all the laws we put in place. Thank you for considering these bills.
I am a Virginia Beach resident and Moms Demand Action volunteer asking you to support HB2276 because ghost guns are terrifying and we must stop them now. I also support HB2295 because I have volunteered at the polls for over a decade and seen many forms of voter suppression. I can say with no hesitation that the presence of guns at polls is voter intimidation.
I’m a Virginia resident and Moms Demand Action volunteer. I’m writing to support HB2276 because ghost guns are a rising crisis and a dangerous way to evade critically important gun violence prevention methods. I also support HB2295 because armed intimidation at polling places is a threat to democracy.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. As for unfinished frames & receivers, how is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? Wouldn't this create a conflict with federal law, which would not recognize the item as a firearm? Federal regulations already cover this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists.
It is abundantly clear that anti-democratic extremism is on the rise in America and in our Commonwealth. Virginians have experienced firsthand the chilling effects of intimidation from armed extremists in Richmond and Charlottesville. What we saw in Richmond last January was an attempt to silence citizens who wanted to participate in democracy. It was a last-ditch attempt by gun extremists to intimidate lawmakers into abandoning what voters elected them to do - pass common sense gun laws. That protest could have been a mass casualty event, if not for the work of the FBI disrupting a plot by neo-Nazis armed with untraceable ghost guns. Thinking about what could have happened if things had gone differently still haunts me. People I care about were working at the Capitol that day. If you’ve ever sent a text like, “I’m worried about your safety, and if anything happens, I want you to know how grateful I am for you,” then you understand what I mean. Prohibiting open carry of weapons in Virginia should have been a priority after the events that unfolded in Charlottesville in 2017. It’s long past time for lawmakers to address the dangerous policy of open carry, a policy that is so obviously exploited by white supremacists attempting to dismantle our democracy. In the absence of such legislation, I’m thankful for Delegate Levine's bill, HB2295, to prohibit weapons in Capitol Square. Citizens hoping to lobby lawmakers shouldn’t have to face armed intimidation from members of the public, nor should our lawmakers and their staff be subjected to the presence of armed extremists when they show up to work. Following the armed intimidation of lawmakers last year in Richmond, and the white supremacist riot in the United States Capitol, it is vital that you act now to prohibit open carry in our Commonwealth, and at a minimum protect places like Capitol Square.
I support this bill because democracy doesn't work at gun point. I have personally been surrounded by heavily armed men around capitol square. There is no reason to allow such weapons out in public and this law will make Virginia safer.
I am submitting testimony today as a Survivor of gun violence in support of HB 2295 which would prohibit carrying a firearm or stun weapon within Capitol Square in Richmond and the surrounding area. My father was an angry alcoholic who owned guns. He often threatened to shoot his children and his wife, my mother. Now in my fifties, I am able to say these words, to place the blame for the events of my childhood on my father, not on myself, and to work with Moms Demand Action to pass gun violence prevention legislation that will keep other children from enduring a childhood of fear and trauma as I did. I was unbelievably relieved to see the Substantial Risk Order become law last year. This “red flag” law would have made a huge difference in my own childhood. Police came to our house many, many times when I was a child. They all knew my father. Without any legal tools to take my father’s weapons from him, the police, my teachers, my community, and my family had to wait, and watch, and hope he would not kill any of us the next time he got drunk. I was not able to travel to Richmond to give testimony in support of the Substantial Risk Order law. This was not through lack of interest or lack of understanding of how important it is for citizens of Virginia to participate in our representative government. I am passionate about my civic duty and would have given testimony if I could have. Because I could expect to face armed intimidation from the opposition to the Substantial Risk Order legislation – armed intimidation to ANY firearm legislation – I could not speak with my elected representative or speak before the committee hearing the bill. As a Survivor of gun threats throughout my childhood, I will not willingly put myself in the same space as armed angry men. I expect you can understand this, even if you have not endured gun violence, as too many Virginians have. My 1st amendment right to express my political opinion was curtailed, just as the open carry activists hoped it would be, because my safety was in question in my own state Capitol. If I felt extremely unsafe to give testimony or meet with my representative, I can only imagine how my representative, a supporter of the Substantial Risk Order law, felt to be required to allow angry men to openly carry lethal weapons onto the Capitol grounds. Our representatives already often receive unhinged threats merely for serving as Delegates and State Senators. They should not have to come to their workplace wondering if their next meeting is with someone who intends them harm and who has been allowed to bring with them the means to commit harm. I urge you to support HB 2295, which will give our Virginia Capitol Police another tool to keep our public spaces accessible to all who wish to participate in our government, whether by meeting with lawmakers, offering testimony, or winning elected office. I have made a choice never to carry a weapon and not to be around firearms. As a Survivor of gun violence I, and too many others like me, simply cannot participate in our government or hold civil discourse with armed extremists bent on intimidating people who oppose them. Let our halls of government be a place for debating ideas, not a place of threats of violence. Please pass HB 2295.
My name is Mary Ann Ressin, from Vienna, VA. I'm a member of Moms Demamd Action for Gun Sense in America and I support HB 1992, HB 2276, HB 2295, HB 2128
I'm Mike Fox with Moms Demand Action in Albemarle County, and I support these bills because more can be done to protect the public from violence and intimidation.
HB 1992 I strongly support this bill to prohibit anyone from possessing a fire arm if they've been convicted of a violent Domestic Violence incident. I watched my father put his fist through a door window when attempting to hit my mother. A few years later he threatened to kill himself with his shotgun in front of my mother, sister and I. Domestic Violence escalates. My fathers guns should have been taken from him after he tried to hit my mother. HB 2128 I strongly support expanding the time law enforcement is given to determine if a citizen should be allowed to purchase a gun. A 3 day window is too short to ensure an applicant qualifies to own a weapon. We do not want someone to get a permit to carry a gun by default as in the case of the mass murderer in Charleston SC. HB2276 I strongly support requiring that firearm components be traceable for the purpose of assembling a firearm. If law enforcement can not trace the parts used to assemble a firearm they are hindered in their #1 purpose: to protect the citizens of VA. HB 2295 I strongly support giving our House and Senate lawmakers permission to oversee the grounds of the Capitol in order to ensure public safety. This bill gives our lawmakers the authority to prohibit citizens from bringing weapons to the Capitol grounds. No citizen should feel intimidated or threatened by those who brandish firearms on the grounds of our Capitol.
On January 6, at our nation's Capitol, we saw the danger faced by our elected officials from extremists. Only properly trained law enforcement should be allowed to carry and/or display guns in an area where our legislators are available to be harmed. We do not want a tragedy on our doorstep created by a zealot with a gun. Granted, the people most desirous of doing so claim a First Amendment right . Yet, the Supreme Court has established time, place and manner restriction which limit that right. This area is not the right place. Thus, I urge the passage of this bill.
Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2276. These unregulated and untraceable weapons are both being made and transported into Virginia, into the criminal market, and into the hands of those prohibited from owning firearms. It is important to act proactively and aggressively to prevent the continued proliferation of these weapons. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2128 to allow more time for a Virginia state firearms background check to be completed, thus helping to ensure that guns are only sold to legal purchasers and preventing further acts of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 1992. It is absolutely imperative that Virginia take this important step to ensure that those convicted of domestic violence in the Commonwealth cannot continue to purchase or possess firearms. Comprehensive written testimony will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing. Brady strongly encourages this Sub-Committee to vote in favor of HB 2295. Public officials must assume that this type of intimidation will continue and must take action to protect themselves, the public, and our democratic processes. Firearms have no place in political discourse, and this sub-committee has the opportunity to help ensure no one will feel threatened in the course of advocating for, or passing legislation in the future. Comprehensive written testimony for each of these bills will be provided to all sub-committee members via email in advance of the hearing.
Giffords supports this bill and has emailed written testimony to committee members with further information.
HB1909 - School board property, certain; establishment of gun-free zone permitted.
Oppose HB1909 - What is the problem this is fixing? The two personal friends I have that are on school boards both conceal carry and I know they won't be happy about this. It's a waste of time fixing something that isn't broken. Focus on solving the actual problems. Virginia is one of the safest states in the country. Why are you trying to make us into DC, Chicago, and Baltimore with all these new "gun safety" laws? You're doing more harm than good.
DO NOT Support HB 1909. Anything short of this is unconstitutional. Responsible gun owners are not the problem. If you support HB 1909, I will work with GOA, NAGR, VCC, VCDL, and VFK (and all other pro-Constitution, freedom-loving groups) to make sure you are not re-elected.
No reason in the world why our school children should have to concern themselves with guns in and around schools. Long time advocate for children and youth and have seen the consequences of gun violence on children --and fear. This position fully backed by Lewinsville Faith in Action.
As a veteran who served this country, respectfully request all Delegates abandon these proposals. They are unnecessary and restrict the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. Responsible gun owners are not the problem in Virginia and should not be hindered or penalized in exercising their rights.
I strongly OPPOSE this bill. It is a bad idea to allow citizens such easy access to gun carrying rights. It should not be too easy, and I support instead the continued requirement for getting a permit. Requiring gun owners to get a permit may weed out those who are less responsible from carrying weapons into public places, and the more guns we have in public places, the more dangerous being in public spaces is.
I strongly SUPPORT this bill that enables local school boards to declare various school properties as gun-free zones. We are an overly militarized, overly armed society as it is. There is no compelling reason to carry arms in a school zone, especially as there are armed security personnel available to protect the safety of adults and kids in these places.
I urge our representatives to vote against any further infringement on the right of Virginians to keep and own firearms. The proposals listed here have many problems, but each proposal can be categorized as "a solution in search of a problem". In general I hope to see long-standing federal law and guidance followed. HB2128 - The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas.
Hello, I am writing in regards to HB1909, I would like to say that there are law abiding gun owners that care about our children safety and there has been a number of shootings at our schools around the country. I am not saying a teenager should have the right to carry a gun on school property but what if a responsible parent or adult is waiting to pick up their child from school and they have the training to stop an active shooter on school property. That is something you have to think about when approving this bill. The next bill I have concern with is HB2295, you are restricting law abiding gun owners from their 2nd Amendment right. What if someone comes into the Capital in Richmond and takes out our law enforcement officer and you have to wait for back up. If you trust your citizens, that have the proper training to defend you from an active shooter, I believe the outcome may of been different in what happened with the Virginia Beach Public Building. We need to support our 2nd Amendment rights, not destroy them. Thank you for your time.
I urge committee members and all legislators OPPOSE the following bills: HB2276 - duplicates permission of localities to ban firearms in locations they lease or own HB1992 - duplicates federal law HB1909 - no public safety impact at all, and makes illegal firearms lawfully imported by private individuals. No provision for coming into compliance other than disposal. None of these bills enhance public safety, or of individuals in any way. While well-intentioned, they're ignorant of current law, poorly worded, and overly broad.
Please OPPOSE HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295! I’m an emergency room nurse, a competitive shooter, and a Virginian. I pride myself as a Virginian and a female and the ability to protect myself. According to the Supreme Court in 2008 and 2010, it is my right to defend myself with a firearm. As a female, I refuse to be a victim and carry EVERYWHERE EVERYDAY! To legislate that I cannot carry my firearm is to tie my hands behind my back and tell me to trust you with my life and that evil does not exist. I’m sorry to report that I do not trust you not with my life and evil certainly exists Gun free zones account for over 90% of mass shootings in our country , 100% of those committed in VA. Please allow Virginians to continue to have an active role in their own safety and oppose HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295. Additionally, please don’t tell me how you feel or how you feel about guns when you argue for these bills. Gun free zones are killing zones. This is life or death. Potentially my life. Your feelings do not trump my rights or my life. Education not legislation! My safety my body My choice I am a nurse, I save lives, let me protect mine Thank you.
My name is Heather and I am a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.I support these bills for the safety of our families, communities and Commonwealth.
Greetings, Please follow the facts and science. Do not restrict our civil liberties based on emotional arguments. I have served our nation and spent years away from my family to defend our Constitution and the People it protects. Our government should NEVER act to restrict civil liberties so haphazardly. It saddens me to see a legislative body so quickly dismiss the core liberties in that document. These proposals do exactly that and absolutely nothing more than turn tens of thousands of your citizens into criminals. They do not make us safer. Life is full of risk. A vote for these unconstitutional firearms restrictions is not based in a conscious risk assessment. Fact. The real roots of crime and violence are poverty and drug use. Spend your time and effort in these. Create jobs, create opportunities for citizens to excel. Be tough on the criminals we already have. That will make my family safer. These proposals make us less safe. So do the right thing. We pray for you to be granted wisdom in these trying times and not criminalize with unconstitutional state laws tens of thousands of citizens. Why would you create greater divides? Spend time on the area where all agree there are legitimate issues, not in divisive ones. Respectfully Jarrett Rhodes
I stand opposed, and ask you to oppose, all of the following named bills for the reasons stated here: HB1909 - schools, with children, are gun free zones and there is no need to impose restrictions on citizens in office buildings that happen to include school boards as occupants. HB1992 - Erroneously expands what qualifies as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. Absence of a provision to restore rights creates a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a rights perspective under this bill, you are unintentionally incentivizing the abuser to seriously harm the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Unnecessarily extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. There is ZERO evidence that this additional time would prevent violence. The current federal 3 day period is intended to correctly apply pressure on the government to do a timely background check. The basis of the NICS system is the promise to gun owners is that the background check system is an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. The bill also makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - There have been NO events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Prohibiting guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas, strips citizens of their fundamental, Constitutionally protected, right to self-defense. There is no evidence to support that these bills would stop violence or in any other way enhance public safety. There is readily available evidence that demonstrates prohibiting people from exercising their rights actually puts them in a more dangerous position. Respectfully, consider the full spectrum of impact to all citizens before you seek to advance the erosion of our rights under the false premise of improved safety or security.
Greetings Elected Servants, I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Respectfully, James A. Delong Professional Husband, Father, and Paw-Paw Powhatan, Virginia 23139 Personal Mobile: 804.944.6592 Email: delong29@yahoo.com
I urge you not to support these bills for the following reasons: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. why cant i go into a building to take care of business with a tool to protect myself from other humans? HB1992 - If a misdemeanor of is not cause to remove someone from society then why do you think its ok to remove ones human rights to protect themselves??? HB2128 - creates nothing more then an additional hurdle for the citizen to protect him/herself. the government is to work FOR the people not against them. HB2276 - another bill that intends to stop criminals from making more tools for their bidding, those individuals wont abid by this law. So citizen not doing any wrong should be allowed to create, fashion, make, fabricate any tool thats not intended for ill will. HB2295 - you(government employees) can protect themselves but the people this government represents cant protect themselves on land and in buildings the people paid for?? I disagree with all these and any gun law, we need to be REMOVING gun laws from the books, not adding them.
As a life long resident of Virginia, and as a responsible gun owner, I STRONGLY OPPOSE all the gun related bills being discussed. The overwhelming majority of gun owners in Virginia safely and lawfully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights on a daily basis. Based on the available stats, the proposed bills do not make these or any other citizen safer, they merely criminalize the safe and otherwise lawful transportation of one's gun to arbitrary locations, and turn a the centuries old hobby of gun building into a felony. Is there evidence to suggest home made guns are used being used in a statistically significant number of crimes? Does not seem so. Does banning the lawful carrying of a self defense weapon near schools, voting locations, or other public venues make citizens safer? Again, not by available evidence. The proposed laws are poorly written and ultimately do nothing but stifle the average Virginian's ability to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Worse, these laws strip innocent citizens of their ability to defend themselves. As has been said time and time again, gun laws CAN NOT keep those wishing to break the law from doing so. Instead, these restrictions instead move us one step closer to disarming our citizens. Gun ownership equalizes protection -- for the mother alone at the park with her kids, for the young lady walking home alone in the dark, for the smaller man faced down by those wishing to do violence, and for the parents woken in the night by the sound of their house being broken in to. The Virginia State House has the ability to go after issues that would earn bipartisan support, but instead seems determined to squander this session by proposing bills curtailing the 2nd Amendment. Bills that not only lack bipartisan support, but which have bipartisan opposition. Thus, I implore those reading this message: Please listen to your constituents. Please listen to the facts. Please OPPOSE THESE BILLS, and stop seeking to impose more burdens on Virginians who simply wish to peacefully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. The background checks are supposed to be "instant," so if they're taking longer than an hour, the solution should be to give the State Police the resources they need to do their work on time, not to punish gun buyers. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. The language about unfinished frames & receivers is unacceptably vague. How is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? This will also create conflict with federal regulations, which would not recognize the item as a firearm. Federal regulations already address this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm; Virginia need not add its own vaguely-worded definition. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists. Moreover, it would restrict guns around the Capitol even when no legislators or employees are present, and even make it illegal to stop at rest stops on the interstates while carrying a gun.
I URGE YOU TO OPPOSE THE FOLLOWING BILLS TODAY: HB1909: School boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992: This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun rights could be eventually restored. HB2128: This bill could make a person wait up to 5 business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, NOT a 5 day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE DAYS in real time! The current 3 days is more than sufficient!! HB2276: This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a persons' own use, which has been legal since Americas' founding. Besides banning personally made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295: A solution in search of a problem. There have been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on capital grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. As a single older woman who has some physical limitations, I need to be able to defend myself and my children. I don't get around as well as I once did so being able to even the odds with someone younger and stronger through the use of a weapon is the only option that I have. Sincerely, Deborah Rice-Gump P.S. EXACTLY WHAT PART OF 'SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED' IS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND!!!! i THINK THOSE 4 WORDS ARE PRETTY CLEARLY STATED!!!
HB1909: A tin sign with a silhouette of a pistol and a line through it has never made any location safer. It merely creates a restriction that for all practical purposes only applies to people who have no desire to harm anyone and creates absolutely no deterrent for someone who does. This bill, in the same vein, does not make the zones a school board owns or leases safer. On the contrary, denying the ability to carry a firearm by those who mean no harm only removes a potentially good actor from using a firearm to prevent the actions of a violent wrongdoer. Proponents of this bill will probably tell you a good actor with a gun is just a myth and never really happens, but such things do happen, and far more commonly than most realize. HB1992: Laws that amount to misdemeanors should not permanently bar an individual from firearm ownership. People can change, become better persons, and earn second chances. Legal systems across these United States adopt this principal, and this law cuts the opposite direction. HB2128: Effective background checks happen in roughly fifteen minutes. The current time limit of three days already greatly exceeds any time necessary and simply imposes extra hardship on the purchaser. An increase to five days more greatly harasses the purchaser. HB2276: This bill criminalizes gun owners who build or modify firearms with capabilities and features that they may legally own. Gun owners are commonly tinkerers and enjoy working with their hands to put their personal touches on what they own. Virginia law should not discourage these types of hobbies. So long as modifications or builds do not produce a firearm with prohibited features and functions, Virginia law should not criminalize such. Furthermore, the language of the bill reads unclearly. Two people making an earnest attempt to determine what the bill would prohibit versus what it would permit could reach entirely different conclusions. HB2295: CapitolSquare, the surrounding area, and buildings leased by the Commonwealth do not belong to legislators or a governor. They belong to the residents of the Commonwealth; hence, the rightful owners of those locations should not have to separate themselves from their Constitutionally protected right to carry arms to enter those areas. Not every visitor, coming from far and wide, has the ability to lock their firearm in a vehicle or some other secure location during the portion of their day when visiting such locations. For this bill to advance, it should gain two provisions: (1) Restricted areas carry the requirement of a ration of one armed security guard per N number of visitors, where N may vary between locations, but never exceeds what a single armed guard could reasonably protect at any instant. (2) Areas subject to the language of this bill must provide guarded containers for securing firearms while visitors occupy the area at no cost to any Virginian. Without those two provisions, this bill should not move forward. I haven't resided in Virginia, where I grew up, for 20 years. I've resided in Washington, DC, where laws like these already exist and do not make our communities safer. I work in Virginia, still have family in Virginia, and spend time in Virginia daily. I care about the Commonwealth deeply and will always be a Virginian first wherever I may reside. Don't pass these bills. They won't make anyone safer. Sincerely, Brian Wrenn
Please oppose HB2276 for these reasons. 1-serial numbers don't prevent crimes, and if a firearm is stolen or used by criminals they can be removed or altered thus being pointless. 2-for anybody who is a criminal that's lost their gun rights, it's illegal to possess a gun let alone build one, so a serial number isn't solving anything. 3-what's described as an unfinished receiver is merely a piece of metal...any gun is made from raw materials, it shouldn't be a crime to possess or buy a piece of metal. 4-any gun owner who has made a firearm from an unfinished receiver or has an unfinished receiver is now criminalized over a right to bear arms. 5-for anybody who is truly concerned about tracing a firearm over a serial number, why can't the individual making the firearm or completing the receiver engrave, stamp, etch or imprint a unique serial number themself instead of forcing them to pay for and use a federal firearms manufacturer? After all, those guns are for personal use, otherwise a manufacturing license would be needed anyways. Oppose HB1909, I don't see where that will reduce or prevent crime. It could also use an exemption for concealed handgun permit holders. Oppose HB1992. Why should anyone lose rights over misdemeanors? There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights PERSPECTIVE under this bill, the person charged would be better off getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. Oppose HB2128. The NICS check is supposed to be instant, for anybody getting delayed 3 days is more then sufficient and there's no excuse for needing more time. Thank you for your time and service.
HB1909 - Permits School Boards to prohibit guns on their property. School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - Expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - Extends number of days a person can be delayed in purchasing a firearm. This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. Best to follow federal law on how long a transfer can be delayed. Even lawful buyers get held up this would be an undo burden. HB2276 - Makes most homemade guns illegal. This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns from 80% receivers completely, the bill makes the existing owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. Best to follow federal law on such guns.No evidence that 80% firearms are a problem. HB2295 - Would you really vote to limit a right in which you already have? There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. It also prohibits guns in state buildings and parking lots, including rest areas
I don't approve of HB 1909, HB 1992 and HB 2128 because it may be resourceful as a deterrent for future violent crimes, but it's not the solution for the families and communities whose impacted presently. It will make it more difficult for hard working, honest citizens to protect themselves and their property. If in distress, this can create a life or death situation for a innocent victim(s). I only approve of HB 2276 if it can be proven in court that the firearm(s) recovered by law enforcement was either purchased illegally or stolen from it's original owner. I have no comment about HB 2295 because I was under the assumption that firearms were prohibited from state grounds unless if it's the property of the state. As of HB 2231 and HB 2216, I support these bills because 1. HB 2216 makes the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth a priority regardless of age, race, gender or disability and 2. HB2231 is an additional resource law enforcement can use in the communities they serve to ensure transparency and restore communication and trust.
HB1909 – School Board offices are just that offices were adults work, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth, public or private. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school were children are.. This bill will restrict workers and visitors from protecting themselves.
I’m Norma with Moms Demand Action in Reston, and I support these bills because they will safe lives
As for HB1909, it is not necessary and how will anyone know if that's a gun free zone? It can be very confusing and any determined mass shooter will not be deterred by it. HB2128 is a 5-day waiting period. Why do we need it? I'd rather we keep the instant check system. What if a domestic violence victims needs a gun now for protection? A 5-day wait can end in his/ her death if he/ she does not obtain a gun on time and the abuser shoots and kills him/ her. Puts the criminal at a greater advantage over the victim. HB2276 is also a bad idea since it makes a gun owner having spare parts for his/ her gun a criminal. Having spare parts that are legally bought for a firearm is not unlawful. You are criminalizing legal gun owners this way and criminals do not even obey this law. HB2295 is also a bad idea as this will hurt city revenue for Richmond by driving away travelers who legally conceal carry. Also no need for HB1992 since it's already against federal law to allow convicted domestic abusers from owning firearms. You are adding more laws that are not only confusing but difficult to enforce.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations under-girding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in real-time. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE all of these bills. They collectively demonstrate an uninformed understanding of empirical evidence (and, in the case of HB 2276, common sense, historical norms, or reality) and illustrate the overbearing, hyper-partisan motivations undergirding such proposals. You cannot legislate morality, and creating new classes of criminals or imposing additional bureaucratic nonsense for political gain and reasons unsupported by either facts or history is inherently antithetical to the notions of liberty and individual rights we all hold so dearly. HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
The VEA supports this bill.
This bill attempts to treat school board offices as different from offices of other public employees. It further encourages Virginia to become a patchwork of laws and rules and games that no reasonable person has a hope of understanding, all with the intention to intimidate peacable firearms owners into voluntarily ignoring rights. This is a sad commentary on the contempt with which our state and local governments hold its citizens.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. Sincerely, Blake
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident.
I urge you to OPPOSE the following bills in subcommittee today: HB1909 - School Boards are offices with adult workers in them, just like thousands of offices across the Commonwealth. It makes no sense to treat them as if they were a school with children in them. HB1992 - This bill expands the number of things that qualify as misdemeanor domestic violence beyond what the federal government uses to take away gun rights. There is no provision to restore rights in the bill and it would create a lifetime ban on gun ownership for a mere misdemeanor. From a gun-rights perspective under this bill, the person charged would be better off seriously harming the other person and getting a felony conviction, from which their gun-rights could eventually be restored. HB2128 - This bill could make a person wait up to five business days for a background check approval, which would take more pressure off the government to do a timely background check. The promise to gun owners is that the background check system is supposed to be an INSTANT CHECK, not a five-day waiting period check, which, with weekends/holidays could be up to NINE-days in realtime. The current three days is more than sufficient. HB2276 - This bill was written without a clear understanding of the current law on homemade guns for a person's own use, which has been legal since America's founding. Besides banning personally-made guns completely, the bill makes the owners of such guns instant criminals, even if the owner had applied directly to the ATF for a serial number and put the serial number on the gun. HB2295 - A solution in search of a problem. There has been no events that justify stripping the very people represented by the General Assembly of their right to self-defense. Citizens have been carrying on Capitol grounds and buildings for years responsibly and without incident. We oppose all of these unnecessary and unconstitutional infringements upon our God-given right to protect ourselves! And we will dedicate our time, energy and treasure to oppose everyone who votes for these bills in your next election.
I support these bills HB1909, HB1992, HB2128, HB2276, and HB2295 please pass them. I support HB2295. On January 6th in the US Capitol, and in the week since, we have seen the effectiveness of laws in DC which restrict firearms in sensitive places, such as the National Mall and the grounds of the public buildings in our Naional Capitol. Rioters who were carrying weapons were easily identified, stopped, and charged. I urge you to support HB 2295, which will give our Virginia Capitol Police another tool to keep our public spaces accessible to all who wish to participate in our government and speak with their representatives. I also urge you to exert whatever oversight is possible of the Richmond Police who chose not to enforce local gun ban ordinances yesterday when those rules were visibly and intentionally disobeyed by vigilante "militia" mobs trying to terrorize Richmond neighborhoods by parading around. Do not let the Richmond Police selectively enforce and subvert the clear intent of the General Assembly and the City of Richmond in passing laws last year allowing local control over limiting guns at public events and in public locations.
My name is Gayatri from Fairfax with Moms Demand Action and I support all of these bills.
HB 1909: School board meetings are typically held in buildings that are leased or owned by county governments, which already have the authority to ban firearms from their buildings. This duplicates the same authority. HB 1992: Federal law already prohibits transfer of firearms to individuals with domestic violence misdemeanor convictions. This adds zero public safety, as it already duplicates federal law. HB2276: Adds absolutely nothing to public safety. Unconstitutional as it attempts to shift the burden of proof to the accused, not law enforcement. HB2295: Adds costs without improving public safety.
Hello, I'm a Virginia resident and volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I support all of these bills. In particular, ghost guns are a disturbing development which allow people to circumvent all the laws we put in place. Thank you for considering these bills.
HB1909: Having heard local government officials debate local firearms ordinances in 2020, I do not believe that local officials have the necessary understanding of firearms or Virginia & federal law to be qualified to approve restrictions. School board officials are even less well equipped than county supervisors to understand the ramifications of a "gun-free zone" they might approve. They will also have little ability to enforce a gun-free zone that isn't already established under Virginia law, making their additional restrictions almost meaningless. HB1992: This bill covers a large variety of misdemeanor assaults, not just typical domestic violence against a spouse or other cohabiting family member. I am not convinced that misdemeanor convictions should result in a lifetime ban on gun possession. The bill also does not address how someone with a misdemeanor assault conviction from another state would know whether it is covered by this statute. HB2128: Three days is already a long enough period to deny someone a constitutional right due to slow-moving bureaucratic systems. Moreover, a gun dealer can voluntarily wait more than three days if they are concerned a customer might be barred from purchasing a gun. HB2276: Plastic guns and self-finished firearms are low-quality guns; not many people are interested in them since they are more likely to malfunction. Plastic guns are unable to function without metal parts (and ammunition) that are detectable by security screening devices. As for unfinished frames & receivers, how is Virginia going to define the precise moment that a block of aluminum crosses the line from being a slightly milled block of aluminum to being an unfinished receiver? Wouldn't this create a conflict with federal law, which would not recognize the item as a firearm? Federal regulations already cover this issue by defining how much of the item can be finished before it becomes a firearm. HB2295: As has just been demonstrated for the umpteenth time on Lobby Day, Virginia's gun owners are not a threat to the General Assembly, even when political tensions are high and legislators have been aggressively infringing on gun rights. For many years, concealed handgun permit holders carried guns safely throughout the General Assembly Building. Last year, tens of thousands gathered in Richmond with no incident; this year, large numbers of VCDL members conducted peaceful caravans through Richmond. This bill is fearmongering based on a dishonest stereotype of people who choose to carry firearms as violent insurrectionists.
The VEA supports this bill.
Mary Ann Ressin, Vienna, VA, and Moms Demand Action volunteer support HB 1909.
The VEA supports HB 1909. The Virginia Education Association believes that all students and education employees must be allowed to learn and work in an environment free of unauthorized guns and other deadly weapons. Severe penalties should be enacted and strenuously enforced for criminal actions involving guns and other deadly weapons, especially in school settings, and for those who profit from the illegal sale, importation, and distribution of these weapons. The Association also believes that individuals who bring guns or deadly weapon onto school property or into school buildings should be excluded from school and school grounds until completion of a mandatory prescribed intervention.
The Virginia Association of School Superintendents is in support of this bill to help maintain school safety. Thank you, Dr. Tom Smith VASS
I fully support this bill because school safety doesn't stop at our schools. In its 2008 ruling on Second Amendment rights, the Supreme Court ruled that guns could be banned in "sensitive places" like schools and government buildings, and providing this option reflects that. Extending gun-free school zones extends the educational mission of educational environments and institutions to be free from security threats, senseless safety risks and chilling First Amendment freedoms.