i am supporting all with exception to HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. i do not support HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. that bill will just mean i would be limited in housing options for having my hunting shotgun. I understand the intent, but it is just needless.

These are all reasonable measures and needed for saftey. ATF statistics show that criminals gravitate to gun ban regions. Please make America safer. Thank you; SD Hunt

Dear Sir or Madame : I oppose any gun control. As a citizen of America, father, and a husband I am responsible for four lives in this world. I take it serious. The self- determination thing with firearms is hard enough. I can't imagine freedom without them. But you, you and the left want to take that away. You want to LIMIT my ability to protect and serve. Why ? You sit in Richmond and serve your loyal democratic master, while I go un- represented. Look at the data. The data that's not paid for buy mike bloomburg and co. You'll see, more gun control only makes it easier for the criminal. My right shall not be infringed upon. Sincerely John Zielanski

Any bill that restricts use of weapons to law abiding citizens is a huge deal. You can outlaw the world but criminals will get anything they want - its the law abiding people who suffer. You may think it's about time to get big guns out of the way and of the streets but you will only restrict access away from those who may step up one day and save you, or that child, or that officer. Did you know the 2nd amendment was not written for hunters, it was written so that we could protect ourselves against a government gone so foul it was turning away from us to socialism and communism . Hitler took weapons first, China took weapons first, Russia did too. it is a paid for movie step one in the plan to make you a communist society. You then have nothing to defend the other rights with. You are done. People in this country will not give up their weapons peaceful in the night. Our weapons are our way of protecting our way of life. What is the government afraid of that they need to disarm us ? This is a SHAM. If you continue to come after criminalizing gun possession it will eventually be seen as an act of hostility against the people who depend on you! The Legal Ones. If our Constitution gave us the Right to bear arms to protect us from a government going crazy - yet that very government is trying to disarm all of us - what is this??? One can only be concerned that it may be disarming us before you do something horrible??? The Bill of Rights Is a Sacred document. Do not mess with it. it outlines our basic rights and freedoms ! Ann Austin

I would like to offer my support for this bill... freedom is what this country was founded on and infringing on the freedoms of good law abiding citizens does not make them safe. Time has shown that criminals will disobey every law on the book, so making someone a felon for simply having an object on their person, even if not used, is anti human. I read the bill in entirety I would also urge the is committee to look at revising/eliminating the sections referring to knives, throwing stars and, other similar devices as there is no evidence of these devices being commonly used to commit crime at a higher rate than any other object that can be wielded or thrown. Thanks, Jesse W. Henry

As a constituent, I urge the Committee to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773 Sixteen other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793 The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. Permit holders have completed the required process, have clear backgrounds as verified by the investigations, and are proven outstanding citizens. HB 2285 This is needed to cleanup the language, bringing in obvious exemptions. HB 2310 This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319 There are serious flaws with this bill. First, requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. Second, requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Christopher Cusano 5720 Habersham Way Alexandria, VA 22310

We are all born with the right to defend ourselves and others. This right is acknowledged and protected via The Second Amendment to our Constitution. "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed", this plainly states that any restriction on our ability as citizens to carry a firearm (or other weapon) is an infringement on our rights. The Founders clearly intended to protect the rights of citizens to possess firearms on private property (keep arms), and carry these same firearms in public (bearing arms), without restriction (shall not be infringed). I urge you to live up to the promise, made by the founders, to protect our god given rights by supporting HB1773. Thank you,

I support all these bills with one exception: I agree either the concept put forth by Del. Guzman in HB 2319 that people who are not allowed to have firearms should be denied access to those firearms. However, requiring a locked weapon in a secure container to be unloaded is redundant, and increases the time that the owner needs to retrieve the firearm and prepare it for use to defend himself/ herself unnecessarily. Such emergencies require seconds to prepare for, and fumbling with a magazine or fumbling with loading rounds into the firearm in a highly stressful situation leaves the responsible gun owner defenseless to respond. If the committee would amend HB 2319 to remove this point, I can wholeheartedly support all these measures.

I support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I do NOT support HB2319. Living with a prohibited person doesn't prevent other criminals from perpetrating violent acts on anyone in the home. Rendering a firearm all but useless during violent attacks where seconds matter is irresponsible and dangerous.

I oppose all these bills because they solve no existing problems and are attempts to limit my constitutional rights. If looking for a problem to solve, try fixing the pathetic educational system that has evolved over the last 30 years.

Support individual gun rights. Respect the Constitution. An individual's right to carry a gun, buy a gun, train to use a gun, and defend themselves should not be limited. This country and this Commonwealth are divided politically. Please do not pass these divisive laws for which there is no mandate from the electorate. Criminals should be stopped, but law abiding gun owners should not be turned into criminals via unsubstantiated legislation. And in the current climate where people of one political persuasion (Conservatives) are being made to not feel comfortable voicing a particular opinion, it is a very bad time to limit people's right to self defense. Do not allow these trends that will break down the First and Second Amendments (cornerstones of our free democracy), to prevail. Protect the First Amendment. Allow all voices...even those of gun rights proponents.

I am a long time Arlington resident (30+) years, raised four kids here, and have never felt like I needed a gun. That changed this summer as rioters and looters stormed through Georgetown, breaking windows and many shops in Arlington (Apple!) boarded up windows. To have mobs march and scream for defunding the police all while destroying property and purposefully trying to frighten law abiding citizens leads even former gun haters to actually go out and buy guns. Millions across the country realized that self defense is an important right and duty! I support all of the pro gun rights bills checked above because gun ownership is not a crime. People who have received carry permits are more law abiding than even police. To have localities like Arlington start to enact laws that limit their rights to carry and self protect is quite wrong and I think there will be a voter backlash on this issue...even in Arlington! I am shocked by the number of people I have heard that purchased a gun or are contemplating it due to the summer's events. Please support an individual's right to buy, carry and have large enough magazines to defend themselves and their families. Support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 310. And oppose HB 2319 (Guzman).

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence opposes HB1773, HB1793 and HB2285. Carrying a concealed weapon in public should require a permit that includes a thorough background check and in-person training. Individuals who choose to carry firearms in public put other people at risk when not properly trained. Similarly, general prohibitions on carrying or possession of firearms on local property should apply to all persons - there is no reason to exempt persons with concealed carry permits from these generally applicable rules. More firearms in public increases risk of harm. Finally, there should be no exception to the prohibition on purchasing more than one handgun a month by persons with a concealed carry permit. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence supports HB2319. If an individual is aware or should have been aware that an individual with whom they reside is prohibited from possessing or transporting firearms, the onus should be on such lawful owner of firearms to ensure that the prohibited person is not able to access such firearm. Very reasonable exceptions exist to the requirement that firearms be locked and inaccessible for those individuals actually carrying the firearm or when the firearm is within their control - not the prohibited individual.

As a 20-plus-year CHP holder in Chesterfield Co., and a constituent who votes in EVERY election, I strongly urge you all to vote YES on the following 4 PRO-gun bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And I must also urge you all to vote NO on this last bill because it fails to acknowledge common sense and is fatally flawed in its construction and intent.: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank You, all, for your attention. Sincerely, Ryan S. Bonney Midlothian, VA

I urge my representatives to take no action that would limit constitutional gun rights, and to take proper action to expand or undo gun limits, as they relate to law-abiding citizens of the Commonwealth. Every day in America 65 million gun owners act responsibly with their guns. You never hear about us; you don't see our firearms; we are a threat to no one. Yet gun control laws affect only us because criminals pay no attention to the decisions you're making today. I urge you in the strongest of terms to keep these truths in mind when you vote. Thank you. Virginia Welch, Rockville, Va.

I'm a liberal gun owner looking to provide my own nuanced perspective on these bills. 1773: This one seems obvious to me. It has always seemed backwards to me that you could be in a situation where you're ONLY allowed to open carry. In this area, open carrying tends to make a lot of folks around you uncomfortable, and I personally view it as the less courteous of the two options. I doubt someone with malicious intent is going to open carry regardless of the law, so preventing law abiding gun owners from doing to just makes things more uncomfortable for them and those around them. 2310: To be clear, I think every gun owner should get in person training as soon as possible. However, the coronavirus pandemic has currently made doing so unsafe, which has also coincided with the largest increase in new gun owners in my lifetime (including a huge increase in minority and women gun owners). Reflecting on recent events at the Capitol, it's not hard to imagine why so many of our fellow citizens have decided to become proactive about their own safety, and it is important that the state be flexible in allowing them a reasonable and safe avenue to do so during the pandemic. 2319: I respect what this bill is attempting to accomplish, but have issue with the requirement that firearms be stored unloaded. Besides being unenforceable (as far as I can tell), this defeats the concept of having a firearm for self-defense. It is possible to keep a firearm loaded while also unaccessible from a prohibited cohabitant. Also, in the interest of placing no more burden than necessary on gun owning citizens, please consider amending "prohibited person" to "prohibited person who was also convicted of a violent crime", or similar wording. It seems unnecessary that a gun owner be subject to such measures simply because, for example, their partner was found guilty of tax evasion or was caught using marijuana years ago (both actual reasons you can become prohibited from owning a firearm). 1793: This bill seems essential for concealed carry license holders such as myself. As things stand, it is incredibly easy to accidentally commit a crime while attempting to concealed carry, unless you are able to memorize the specific local ordinances for every town I'm Virginia as they apply to public buildings, parks, and special events/parades, as well as be aware of any and all special events/parades happening on a daily basis. Not exempting concealed carry license holders from these laws makes absolutely no one safer, and creates a legal nightmare for people like me.

Please do not support these gun control bills. These bills have implications that will disproportionally affect minority communities and make it harder for these groups to exercise their second amendment rights.

I demand that you support: HB 1773, Delegate Freitas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. You also need to oppose: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This bill is an absolute joke and will do nothing. It is obvious that this is a pathetic attempt by Guzman to please her anti gun overlords. This truly is a gun control pandering bill. It's pathetic and this is wasting ink and paper.

I support these gun bills that respect individuals rights, specifically concealed carry rights. A concealed firearm by a vetted, lawful citizen presents no real danger to the public. Laws that create a patchwork of legal restrictions on the other hand, set up honest people to become accidental criminals or to make decisions that could let their firearm become stolen. If it is illegal to bring a gun in a park, do you want people to leave them in their car in high theft situations? Furthermore, patchwork legislation without exemptions leaves those who need a firearm for domestic safety vulnerable. Make laws that support honest gun owners and not criminals. Thank you

OPPOSE HB2319 You should OPPOSE HB2319. This bill seeks to penalize the law-abiding housemate gun owner, while ignoring the person who is already prohibited from handling guns. Last year's anti-gun laws had a goal: to disarm normal citizens rather than to reduce gun crime. For example, remember that the Virginia Beach killer was a municipal employee who killed his fellow employees in a gun-free municipal building. Just like this year's HB2319, last-year's anti-gun bills did not penalize actual criminals. You should support the new bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310 which help restore some of the rights taken by the 2020 anti-gun laws. Pat Grandelli

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Derek Le Vie 105 Combs Loop Yorktown, VA 23693-1915 heliman406@gmail.com

Freitas, Davis, Fowler, and Runion have proposed bills that recognize Virginians' fundamental right to bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, and their communities. I urge our delegates to support these measures wholeheartedly, recognizing that public safety lies first and foremost in their constituents' hands (our Commonwealth wouldn't be very democratic otherwise).

The 2nd Amendment of United States Constitution clearly states that our RIGHT to bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, therefore any bill or law that hinders that RIGHT in any way is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Those who put forth any such hindrance have grievously breached the Oath of Representative Office they hold and their Constituents Rights and Good Faith.

Please SUPPORT bills HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310, and OPPOSE HB 2319. 1773 Is for constitutional carry. Anyone who could qualify for a concealed handgun permit should be able to carry concealed. Anything less is an infringement on the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which is the Law of the Land. 1793 CHP holders are trained and law-abiding, and should be exempt from local gun-control laws and regulations. They are adding to the safety of their communities, being able to react to a situation and perhaps prevent a crime or mass shooting before police could get to the scene. 2285 Retired LEOs and non-resident CHP holders should be exempt from "one handgun a month". These people can be trusted. Their handgun purchases are not going to result in crime or malfeasance, but add to their ability to protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. 2310 Please extend the availability of online CHP training and certification until at least April 30, 2021. This is the quickest and least expensive way a person can qualify for concealed carry. It benefits many working people, who may not be able to take off work to attend an in-person class. It benefits the poor, who are more likely able to afford the nominal cost of an online course more than a resident course. And it benefits minorities, who often live in poorer neighborhoods where crime is rampant, in that it gives them a quicker way to qualify for a concealed handgun permit. 2319 Please oppose this bill, which, among other things, requires a secured, locked-up handgun to be UNLOADED, which would hamper its use in a life-threatening emergency. If it is locked up, it is already secure. In case of a home invasion, the safe would have to be opened, which is enough hindrance to the emergency acquisition of the firearm. Adding the burden of then having to load the weapon and chamber a round would further delay emergency response to a threat.

These five bills all protect the rights of Virginians to self-defense as they move about the Commonwealth during their daily schedules. For some reason, many prohibitions against the right to self-defense have been imposed on law-abiding Virginians. Of course, criminals will ignore any laws, including local bans on concealed carry. There have been numerous criminal acts near my home in the last six months and "gun free zones" have not prevented any of these acts. Support our rights to self-defense as we move about our daily activities.

I write in support of HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. I support these bills as they add to the freedoms & rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth. HP1773, from Del Freitas is of particular interest, as it follows the intent of a Commonwealth, in that your votes & laws imposed should be for the common good. This is a right & freedom that is being stripped from law-abiding citizens. I also vehemently oppose HB2319, as this bill directly throws common-sense right out the window. If you follow this logic, its not enough to lock your car in a locked garage, but you would have to either disconnect & remove the battery or remove the wheels & tires, to ensure that no one could drive your car who was not "authorized" to. What about the rights of the person who is authorized? Does their life mean less, as that the firearm is already locked away, then on top of it now unloaded? What about when something happens & it calls for quick action? First you have to get into the safe to get your firearm, then for sake of argument, you have a shotgun, then you have to locate each shotgun shell, one at a time & load them one at a time. When seconds count, it only takes minutes to get a serviceable firearm into a fireable condition. Are you going to start saying that someone who has never had a DUI, but lives with someone who has, would have to go through my example above every time they came home, because they have to reap the punishment of something they have never done. I know I brought it up earlier "Common-Sense", I understand it is a limited commodity now-a-days but we need to try our best to use it. A "Commonwealth" is just that, an intent for the common good of every single citizen as the whole. It is not for political agendas, the lobbyist, the squeaky wheel groups or any other agenda that is not for the whole of Virginias citizenry. Its time that we stop acting on agendas and parties, it time you ALL start thinking about every Virginian, even the silent ones, that sit back & pray you actually uphold you oath of office & do your jobs. Remember that We the People deserve better. You were sent their to represent all of us, not just some of us. It's time to stop being followers, because the party or fundraisers told you to, but time to stand up & be the leaders we expect you to be. Sic Semper Tyrannis

As a voting constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Gun owners in Fairfax county feel betrayed by the actions of the state and county. I also urge you to please OPPOSE HB2319

I don't know why you communists keep passing anti-gun legislation. There are too many anti-gun laws on the books to keep track of so people just ignore them! Do you really think that people bother to inconvenience themselves in order to follow your unconstitutional laws? No, they don't. They just go about their business regardless of what you do. The police don't even enforce those unconstitutional laws. They just look the other way or wave you on.

I strongly support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2310. They are common sense limits on localities extending the already egregious limitations on the law-abiding citizens' right to possess the means and have the opportunity to protect and defend themselves. Additional local regulations would also further Balkanize Virginia with respect to gun ownership and control. They are blatant tyranny calculated to harass and intimidate the law abiding citizens of the state. Such moves do not increase public safety. They are also strongly divisive. I also support HB 2319, noting that, in addition to any religious objection, citizens have a right to opt out of any treatment that has not been proven safe to the standards already established for other widely available medications and medical treatments. The public record on the current Covid-19 vaccines clearly shows that they have been hysterically rushed to approval without any of these safeguards. That a citizen may be compelled to take such treatments is even more ridiculous when the mortality rate from Covid-19 is a scant 0.3%. If the governor, any official, or any other entity under their governance volunteers to turn themselves into lab rats, that is fine by me. Under the circumstances, they should not have the right to require others to do so.

The Commonwealth's Democrat lawmakers attack on lawful citizens 2nd amendment rights is shameful to say the least. To quote a well known statement, "when lawful citizens are striped of their arms, only the criminals will be armed" is a common sense fact. We are quickly becoming Venezuela. What must we do to keep the government from disarming it's citizens? I know we can count on you to speak for us. Please tell Amanda she has the support of many Virginia Patriots, and keep up the good work! (Isn't it ironic that HB 1773 could be associated with our past history of patriotic citizens rising to free the country from tyranny!)

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319!

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). -A permit is nothing more than a piece of paper and come on if that worked, domestic violence injunctions would work. Stop with the red tape, over-regulation and join the other states that have successfully adopted this. And with all the over-regulation about open-carry, and virtue signaling by people that are ignorant about guns (being scared because a responsible person has an openly carried gun) you would think this makes perfect sense. Besides, criminals don't follow the law, they already have constitutional carry. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. - These local laws are becoming more intrusive, probably unconstitutional, and making it difficult for law abiding people to be compliant. Law abiding people who have already been approved to own and use a firearm. The lack of common sense and lack of logic that is being thrown about in the name of "gun control" is ridiculous. Virginians have spoken, loudly, and yet you still continue to push for things YOU want, not what the people want. Useless laws that are not even being enforced are just, well, void!! HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. - Self explanatory HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Encouraging individuals to have to attend public gatherings is completely against the guidance given by the Governors office, the CDC, and many other agencies. And where is the data showing this is an issue related to the online class? - COVD - why are we forcing people to subject themselves to COVID just to obtain a permit when the governor even says social distance, stay home, don't do unnecessary socializing. Just seems like something that is a non-issue. Where are the stats saying this has been a problem? Have we had a rash of shootings by otherwise unqualified concealed permit holders that would have resulted otherwise had the holder been to an in-person class? And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. - Self Explanatory and already covered by federal law. How much over-regulation are you going to continue to propagate? And I'm sorry an unloaded, stored firearm in a home shows how ignorant the drafter of this bill really is to the aspects of self-defense. I'd challenge this is also unconstitutional and violates the constitution in that the home is not where the government gets to dictate law; it's intrusive and invasive and, again, where is the data supporting that there is an issue that needs to be addressed?

Attention Delegates, I do not want to waste much of. your time today, I would like to state my support for HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Thank you. Paul Jobson

I urge you to suport pri- Second Amendment bills and ooose the bill that further infringe on liberty and the right of Virginians to keeo and bear arms. Very Respectfully, Milton Clary

HB 1773 - This is also known as "Constitutional Carry" and has been enacted in many other states. The net effect in those states is a DECREASE in crime using a firearm and crime in general. This will only serve to make Virginia Safer HB 1793 - Holders of concealed carry permits are statistically LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT a crime than police officers. I ought to know as a former police officer. This will allow law abiding citizens who go through the extra scrutiny of obtaining a permit to protect themselves and others. HB 2285 - Retired police officer who served honorably deserve the respect entailed in this bill. HB 2310 - This is a necessary stop gap that will prevent law abiding citizens from running afoul of a new law. HB 2319 - This punishes a citizen who has done no wrong and will fall disproportionally on persons of color.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds people with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. I urge you to OPPOSE - HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

I support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and want no more gun control. Thank you.

I am what many would consider a Northern Virginia Liberal. I have not been particularly politically active and as far as firearms I own a 5 shot revolver and a pump action shotgun. I have a Concealed Carry Permit but have never used it. I am humbly writing to ask the Virginia State Legislature to respect the spirit of the constitution of our state and our country. Unlike some other states, Virginia has shown for centuries that it respects its own citizens to be well informed and mature enough to carry firearms. The recent trend away from this long held respect is worrisome. I implore the committee and the legislature at large to abandon obnoxious gun control efforts, to return to the free and open state we have been for so long, and to restore our rights in Northern Virginia and elsewhere now restricted. My vote, and the vote of anyone like me, which has been traditionally center left, depend upon the continued respect of our rights and liberties, given by God, and hitherto recognized by the state.

It is imperative to support the rights of the 2nd ammendment for citizens. As stated, the 2nd Ammendment states: "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. " . Ergo support of the first 5 bills HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 2310 supports the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. I am opposed to HB 2319 due to it infringes upon the right of a citizen to keep and bear Arms. It is important for the representatives to interrupt the constitutional rights of citizens and not infringe upon that right.

Why are you all trying to make us less safe? Its alot like saying you need to take a vaccine, but then suddenly make that vaccine less available and distribution less efficient. Its almost like you want people to die. The only thing that should die are these horrible bills. My body, my choice. My security, my choice. Hands off my security. Kill these bills.

Please support, and pass the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Greetings, Please follow the science and advocate for common sense solutions to crime and violence, and support actions which enable me to protect myself and my family if ever necessary to do so. Restricting civil liberties should not be taken so lightly. The CDC and many other organizations have clearly identified the root causes of crime, homicide, related early death as poverty, drugs, and alcohol. Our legislative bodies should never act to limit our Constitutional liberties. I urge you all to SUPPORT the following bills which advance citizens to protect themselves and their families form criminals. HB 1773, Delegate Frieta. HB 1793, Delegate Davis. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler. HB 2310, Delegate Runion. Please OPPOSE HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. This bill places an unreasonable limitation on citizens and places them at risk far more than it enhances safety. Understandably, the firearm should be adequately secured. Requiring it be unloaded and ammunition also secured elsewhere is a ridiculous provision. Further, how would you possibly enforce it. This is not a common sense proposal. Respectfully, Jarrett Rhodes

Please support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Please honor your oaths to the Virginia Constitution and the Constitution of the United States by supporting these bills. Supporting these bills will show the citizens of the Virginia your commitment to helping our nation and our commonwealth heal from the great political divide that exists. Start the healing process and honor your oaths by supporting these bills and opposing any liberty destroying bills that come your way. Thank you for your service, Tim Cullen

I am writing to express my opposition to any and all legislation that infringes on my constitutional right to bear arms. Our founding fathers knew then that an armed populace is a deterrent to those that would seek to take away other rights. History shows that the first thing those seeking to control the populace do is to disarm them. A responsible citizen gun owner is not the problem, criminals are. If fact, any devise: a car, a truck, a ball point pen, a utility knife, can become a weapon in the hands of someone with a bad intent. I urge you to stop these efforts to disarm Virginians.

Let's protect all of our constitutional rights. History has proven people loose their rights a little at a time. Don't trample on our Second Amendment rights because then we will loose out First Amendment rights and so forth.

I believe most Virginia citizens are pro-Second Amendment in the fullest sense. As one of them, I do not want my right to own, open-or-concealed carry, and use my firearms sensibly and lawfuly to be infringed upon. This right is a also matter of public safety. I have a right to defend myself and others against criminal, anarchist and terrorist elements should such an occasion arise. As a retired Army officer, an antique US military weapons collector, reentactor and target shooter, I think I am capable of repsonsibly, safely and lawfully able to own, care for and utilize my weapons without politically motivated restrictions placed upon me. Frankly, I believe that any further restrictions placed upon our collective/individual fundamental right to keep and bear arms as protected within the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution amounts to criminalistic legislation against me and my fellow citizens. I fully support HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and reject HB 2319 emphatically. Politicians need to listen to the citizens and not to the whims of divisive, anti-American special interest groups looking to alter American societal traditions, norms, and constitutional rights. Elected officials are meant to represent us and our Constitution as written and implemented, period. Americans do not need to be reeducated against our fundamental and inalienable rights, traditions, societal norms and culture, nor does our nation at the local, municipal, county, state and national strata need to be transformed into something unrecognizeable and un-American. Therefore, I reemphasize to the Virginia State Legislature - PASS HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and REJECT HB 2319! America first, America only, America always! Thank you.

Would like for your support on all the bills except HB2319.

Let's keep this simple. HB 1773 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 1793 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 2310 - This is a good bill to support, but it could be improved upon by simply doing away with the legislation that prohibits on line concealed carry training. HB 2319 - A horrible bill. VOTE IT DOWN!!! Sincerely, Craig S. Lane 613 Cobbler Terr Leesburg, VA 20175

Concerning HB 1793, 2285, 2310, 2319... I strongly encourage you to vote for these HBs as it is our 2nd Right Amendment Right to have such legislation protecting all and any lawful persons to exercise their God given rights to protect themselves and loved ones. These HBs contribute to and help enforce our 2nd Amendment Rights . Concerning HB 2319... Mr. Guzman, No anti-gun laws will stop criminals from committing crimes against law abiding people. They are criminals for a reason...they do not adhere to our country's laws ! This HB will only delay the reaction time of a law abiding citizen from protecting himself & loved ones, should a criminal engage in such crimes as home invasion, intent to cause injury or death to an innocent victim. This HB contradicts common sense when it comes to a person protecting themselves and loved ones from a criminal. I respectfully request this HB not pass the legislator. Respectfully, Drew Boles, Wirtz,VA.

These 4 bills would make va a safer place and would enhance our constitutional rights

There are four pro-gun bills and one anti-gun bill. The anti-gun bill should be rejected since the people of this Commonwealth believe in a freedom to own a gun and that should not be taken away. No matter what it represents, the anti-gun politicians want to remove all guns and in so doing are creating an environment that will not be so rewarding for anti-gunnersand their comrades.

Good evening. I am a resident of Virginia Beach and I urge you to vote Yea on HB1773, 1793, 2285 & 2310. These bills reduce the onerous restrictions placed on law-abiding concealed handgun permit holders. Virginia is making a habit of expending energy to place roadblocks to honest people that could be better spent on actually addressing crime and criminals. These bills represent the direction we should be moving. By giving freedoms to upstanding citizens of the Commonwealth. Thank you for your time. Vincent Smith

Please support HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310. Please particularly support HB 1793, which exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. Fairfax County wasted no time posting "no guns" signs on miles of secluded, wooded trails behind my neighborhood. I've lived here since 2012 and never once seen a police officer on those trails. Along with the risk of criminal interaction in a secluded area, there is the risk of attack by wildlife or stray dogs. Our most vulnerable populations should not be stripped of their most effective means of self defense deep in the woods. Concealed carry permit holders are the most law-abiding segment of society. They should not be targeted by a feel-good do-nothing law that emboldens the criminal element. Please oppose HB2319. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Any law against the constitution is not law !!! HB2319 should never be considered under the oath of office you took and HB 1773, 1793, 2285 and 2310 are in our Constitution and is your duty to uphold the Constitution you took a oath to uphold...

Support HB 1773. You know anything short of this is unconstitutional. If you do not support HB 1773, 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.

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Simon Khiabani 15268 Cartersville Ct Haymarket, VA 20169 1simon.sk@gmail.com

As a long-time Virginia citizen and voter, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, to correct errors in the previous bill bringing in some obvious exemptions. Allowing retired police officers is in the interests of public safety. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable, unnecessary, imposes added needless costs on the owner and does little to nothing for public safety. Sincerely, Marc Gorelick 1830 Columbia Pike #210 Arlington, VA 22204 gorelickmarc13rarius@hotmail.com

Please oppose HB2319, as it's another burden for gun owners. How could the legal gun owner protect themselves or their household base upon the code in this bill on storing the firearm when a thief breaks in during the night, or at any other unexpected time??? HB1793 is about the best house bill I've seen this year. Please support. HB1773 would be wonderful to gun owners, it would even help ease problems that HB2310 is trying to address. Thank you for your service

As Virginia & Roanoke County citizens who take an active part in National, State & local politics, we want all of our VA Elected Officials to know that we support and will defend our 2nd Amendment Rights and fully expect each and every one of you folks to do so also. Voting for any bill that restricts our 2nd Amendment Rights will be noted and appropriate actions on the upcoming election cycle can be assured. We will actively watch and remember how each member of our State Legislature votes on any such bills/measures. God Bless each one of you fine dedicated Virginia Representatives and we trust that you will individually & collectively give proper attention to our U.S. Constitution paying particular attention to our 2nd Amendment Rights prior to any further voting! Ralph & Mary Bosen 7180 Buckeye Road Roanoke, VA 24018 540-774-8949

Arlington young professional. Millenial. Latino. Pro-Gun. Thanks.

I am a voter. I will support anyone who supports bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I will not vote or support anyone who supports bill HB2319. Carl Dodge

I support these common sense bills that will reduce gun violence.

Hi Committee members and Staff, Support: HB-1773, HB-1793, HB-2285 HB-2310 Oppose: HB-2319 Thank you for honoring your Oath of Office and the Rights of the Citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There should be no limitation on the exercise of rights for law-abiding citizens. Instead, focus on keeping criminals off the streets so we can live free. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There is no reason to restrict carry by law-abiding citizens anywhere . HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. One handgun a month is a sill law to begin with. Two recent straw purchase cases in VA resulted in arrests and prosecution. Emphasis should be on enforcing existing law, not imposing new infringements on the rights of the law-abiding. CHP holders are the most law-abiding segment of society, and there is no reason their purchase thresholds should be limited under the guise of stopping arms trafficking. I object to any exemption for LEOs. They are citizens, too, and should be held accountable to the same laws as other citizens. This applies to active duty as well as retires LEOs. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. The law to require in-person training is silly to begin with. CHPs are silly to begin with. We need to return Constitutional carry since the right to keep an bear arms is protected by the 2nd Amendment. Anyone who is too dangerous to own and carry a firearm should be in prison or otherwise removed from civil society. Permitting does nothing more than turn a right into a privilege, HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This is a silly bill that grasps at possibility instead of being rooted in fact. It implies that gun owners are inherently irresponsible. There is no reason a law-abiding citizen should be required to act as a prohibited person just because he or she cohabitates with one. It is already illegal for a prohibited person to possess a firearm. We don't need more laws that only impact the law-abiding and will do nothing to stop crime.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. OPPOSE HB2319!

As an avid Sportsman please know that Virginia’s actions thus far has deterred me from hunting in the Commonwealth. I’m sure you’re aware of the enhanced revenue that out of state sportsman generate, both in licensing fees and sales taxes. Your recent anti-gun legislative stance is the reason I DID NOT come to Virginia to hunt this year. The word is out amongst Sportsmen, “Virginia is persona non grata”. STAY AWAY. is this truly the message the Legislature intended to send. You have made most of my hunting guns illegal. The patchwork of anti-gun laws you permitted can make me a felon simply by driving across a double secret imaginary line. You did this with intention, purpose and malice. Small businesses suffer as you infringe on my 2nd Amendment. I respectfully urge you to NOT approve these Bills. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. ! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it.

I am pro freedom and pro 2nd amendment. I am against any law that will abridge my 2nd amendment rights. Gun laws only affect the law abiding as the lawless will not heed restrictions that have been put to paper. Murderers use guns as tools to cause mayhem. Law abiders use guns as a tool to defend themselves and the helpless against these would be murderers. Most law enforcement recognizes this and are happy to have, these exemplary citizens as allies. Promote and support bills: HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Strike and kill HB 2319. Long live a free United States of America.

Virginia is a low crime and low gun crime state. Enacting a bunch of high crime state laws is going to make us a high crime state. Don't fix a problem that doesn't exist and hurt the citizens of Virginia doing it.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! Protect my right to defend my family if put into a situation where our lives are in imminent danger. In the current environment, where it can be dangerous to speak at all, I implore you to safeguard my God-given rights to protect myself and my loved ones. Sincerely, A 63-year-old woman, wife, mother, and grandmother

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. OPPOSE HB2319! This is one of the most absurd, intrusive, ridiculous, thoughtless, oppressive, un-Constitutional ideas I've ever heard in my life - sincerely!! - in my LIFE!!! Since your “red flag” law leaves a presumed-dangerous person free (though without her own firearms) to inflict harm to herself or others……..wouldn’t you want her roommate or spouse to have readily available means of self defense ?!?! Again, this is absurd, and you must oppose HB 2319 !! HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

HB 2319: Those who habitate with a person who is not authorized to operate a firearm, already have enough of a burden to secure the firearm. In the event of an emergency situation (home intrusion?), then the seconds it takes to reload a firearm could be the difference between life and death. HB1773: This makes logical sense. If a person holds a firearm, there is nothing to gain as a matter of public policy by requiring they open carry it. HB1793: CHP holders have already been subjected to background checks. HB 2285: Background checks have already been completed. Any further restrictions, serve no purpose, other than publicity. HB2310: Due to COVID, people have limited options for classroom education. We should not discourage people from exercising their rights. However, this would be moot if we passed HB1793

Concealed Carry Permit holders in Virginia have a consistent and clean history of abiding the law. As such it is important that permit holders not be caught in the net of new gun control laws aimed at preventing criminals from further abusing firearms. Frietas and Davis have presented excellent options to provide legal protection for the law abiding citizens to not have their liberties restricted upon . I'm all for keeping criminals from committing crime but law abiding citizens should not be affected if the true target for gun control laws are criminals and violent people.

As a Virginia citizen, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. The citizens of Virginia DO NOT want nor need any further infringements on their GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to defend themselves!

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Lee Ann Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the weapon be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Robert Hicks Linden, VA

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Eric Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

HB1173 Freitas: let's trust the people. If they would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun, why the paperwork and registration process so that they can? HB1793 Davis: let's make it easy for the people we ought to trust. Concealed is concealed - there's no argument for social comfort, there's no argument for public safety . . . crossing the street shouldn't change all of the rules. HB2285 Fowler: a good cleanup bill to align the populations affected by gun restrictions. HB2310 Runion: until COVID ends, we need to support virtual learning of all types. HB2319 Guzman: this bill would be awfully hard on those in small apartments and homes. Further, it puts the compliance onus on the innocent party.

Please do not pass any legislation tinkering with making it more burdensome to own firearms and ammunition or to use them in self-defense or any other legal activities. The government fixation on firearms is so embarrassing. Anyone wishing to keep tampering with the 2nd Amendment has ulterior motives on reducing freedom of American citizens, and I wish you would just make that agenda plain instead of continually hiding it.

HB 1773 - I support this bill. This bill would save court clerks huge amounts of unnecessary paperwork without a negative impact on public safety. HB 1793 - I support this bill. The restrictions put in place by localities in the last year are all about sending an anti-gun political message, not about making people safer. Concealed handgun permit holders can be trusted to safely carry a gun on the sidewalk--why should they be barred from bike trails and parks? HB 2285 - I support this bill, which may be helpful to military members who have moved to Virginia but have not obtained a Virginia concealed handgun permit. This would not exempt gun buyers from background checks. Permit holders from some other places, such as DC, have gone through even more stringent application processes than in Virginia! HB 2310 - I support this bill. The pandemic made it very difficult for people to get their concealed handgun permit applications submitted to their local court clerk, especially if they needed to submit something in person. This bill would help people who would have been able to submit by the deadline but for a pandemic-related closure of their local court clerk's office. HB 2319 - I oppose this bill. This bill would punish people who failed to understand the complex laws that caused their roommate to be prohibited from gun possession due to criminal and mental health histories. It would be difficult to prosecute because the Commonwealth's Attorney would have to show that the defendant knew about the roommate's history AND knew that it caused them to be prohibited from possessing guns. This bill also overreaches by putting requirements on ammunition storage that probably exceed the restrictions placed on some individuals due to their criminal convictions, protective orders, or mental health history.

Please vote against all gun control bills. With all the riots going on we the people need to be able to protect ourselves. If you to take away guns then you should give up your security. All people unprotected seems fair. Also maybe you should check the U.S. Constitution as to the second amendment. Thank you, A.G. Morris IV.

As a constituent in Arlington, VA, I would like the following actions to be taken on these bills. Oppose HB 1773 - If an individual is eligible for a CHP, they should take the necessary steps to apply for a CHP if they wish to carry concealed. This is common sense. Support HP 1793 - Individuals who have CHPs should be allowed to carry and be exempt from local gun control. Criminals do not obey laws that forbid crime so individuals who have received education and training to carry concealed should be allowed to do so. Oppose HB 2285 - One Handgun a month is perfectly reasonable, regardless of person. Support HB 2310 - CHP training being required in person during a pandemic seems dangerous. Please delay this until April. Oppose HB 2319 - If your roommate or child doesn't have a driver's license, you're not required by law to lock away the key or vehicle. Same should apply to firearms. Responsible storage and maintenance is the responsibility of the gun owner, not for the law to decide. There are common sense laws and then laws that don't make any sense. Please continue to make good legislative decisions that do not punish law abiding gun owners, while pushing for safety that is reasonable and constitutionally appropriate. THANK YOU!

In this day and age, after ALL of the settled law as opined by SCOTUS it absolutely stuns me that you liberals continue to infringe upon our GOD GIVEN CONSTITUTIONALLY protected RIGHTS (NOT privileges - RIGHTS) to protect ourselves through gun ownership which (as ratified and adopted by the Commonwealth) SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED). Have any of you even bothered to read the Federalist papers regarding the definition of gun ownership and rights to the same? GUN RIGHTS ARE A MATTER OF SETTLED LAW WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! It is long past time for you liberals to stop taking a note out of the authoritarian Nazi playbook, stop ne8ng so bigotted against gun owners, and stop trying to turn us into helpless victims! These rights are not ONLY enshrined in the 2nd Amendment (as adopted by the Commonwealth, written, in fact, by a Virginian), but also within the Preamble to the Constitution itself. As a FREE society (whether you like or or not), we CANNOT 'form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON DEFENSE, or promote the GENERAL WELFARE AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS of liberty to OURSELVES AND our posterity,' WITHOUT the settled laws of the land which ensure our gun rights and rights to ownership of same. Get over it tou bunch of school yard bullies!

I didn't spend 23 years of my life defending The Constitution to let a bunch of spinless, yellow bellied cowards shred kit.

Now that you have made a horrendous patchwork of inconsistent local laws regarding firearms, those of us that face very real dangers could accidentally break the law just by trying to protect ourselves. I am a woman. I am only 4'10" tall. I have had stalkers, and due to work in law enforcement as a computer forensic examiner, I am threatened by criminal defendants and their associates. Because I am not a cop or special agent, no law enforcement exceptions apply to me. I cannot get a protective order because I do not always know who made the threats. I have been attacked several times. My assailants threatened to burn my house, kill my family, and torture and rape me. The very least you could do after making the legislative mess in last year's session is to exempt concealed carry permit holders from these ridiculous restrictions. We have been background checked, we have taken at least one safety course (though many of us opt to take courses and train with our firearms regularly in order to be sure that our skills and safety practices remain current). HB2319 is particularly troubling. If the firearm is locked away from the "bad guy", then it is also less accessible to the peaceful law abiding person (who will be less able to access it when needed for self defense).

Dear delegates - As a law-abiding citizen who wishes to ensure my God-given (NOT state granted) right to protect myself and my family against both criminals and tyrannical government I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO SUPPORT the following four bills before your committee: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Likewise I STRONGLY OPPOSE yet another anti-gun bill submitted to your committee: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please vote against any and all forms of Bill's designed to limit or restrict our right to bear arms. Thank You Cameron Reed

I urge you to approve all of these except HB2319-Guzman. It should be rejected

Remember your oath of office and do not infringe on citizen’s rights!

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Would you please discontinue what seems like a targeting of honest gun owners on proposed laws that either punish owners in various ways making it very difficult to purchase ammo, use a high powered flash light, attempt to impose heavy taxation which of course targets people of lower income, limiting the ability to smith or modify self defense weapons. I understand that the nature of certain laws is to limit the ability to have fully automatic weapons which already exist, but continues to ignore the reality that anyone at anytime can obtain the necessary resources to act in a way that is malevolent to society that completely disregards any laws that could ever be passed. A law breaker has no intentions of abiding by laws acting in a way that demonstrates any actual character. The current laws that exist are already limiting and to expect complete certainty in all situations is impossible even at the expense of personal freedom that I and most everyone, even non gun owners typically value over continued restrictions. These points continue to be made time and time again and the laws that are propose need to practical purpose that does not restrict individuals who simply wish to have their rights respected rather than continually challenged. It always appears that these bills are also proposed with the attempt to pass them without the public having an awareness of such situations creating a lack of transparency. What is your intent as representatives of VA, to always follow a party affiliated narrative if democrat and attempt to institute control measures. Do we just endlessly continue to play out arguments of such nature for years to come or can we simply acknowledge that most people act responsible and some sadly at times do not but limiting those responsible is not a solution that deters those of evil intentions in the end.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773

All gun laws in the United States have lead to racial disparities in enforcement (see NY and DC) and support the carceral state by creating new victimless crimes to arrest more people. Ultimately these laws are created by people protected by guns (legislators) and are enforced by people with guns (police). Help end racism and step back from empowering the carceral state by opposing "gun control."

I ask you to heavily support HB1773 allowing common sense firearm carry enable individuals the right to adequately protect themselves. I ask you support HB1793 as local ordinances not allowing carry is a severe infringement on Virginians right to self protection. I ask you to support HB2310, as Virginians right to self defense doesn't go away in a pandemic I ask you to support HB2285 although I believe that the law of only purchasing 1 handgun a month for the common Virginian is infringement on their inherent 2nd amendment right. I ask you to strongly oppose HB2319. This is a violation of privacy and the enforcement of this would violate people privacy. Not a good slope to go down.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please support the constitutional rights of your constituents and break with the Democrats who are working so hard to subvert our rights! There is no human right more fundamental than the right to defend yourself and your loved ones from violent attack.

Committee Members, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Seth Tilstra

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Please SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Adam Gifford 1616 Peppers Ferry Rd Pulaski, VA 24301-2904 afgiff4d@gmail.com

Dear Delegates, Please, your existing gun laws do not work. Please do not enact more anti-gun legislation that also will not work. In all seriousness, if we're so worried and afraid about proven violent felons getting their hands on guns (again), how about you just put, and keep, them in jail out of circulation? That really is the only foolproof method of keeping criminals from repeating their violence upon us. No more gun control! Stop infringing on my 2nd Amendment rights (and similar rights in our Commonwealth's Constitution)! Enact strong laws that put and keep actual violent offenders in jail. Not useless laws that only serve to limit or prevent my ability to defend my family, and to engage in various firearms' competitions. If you want to actually save lives, how about banning cell phones and booze? Think about all the lives senselessly lost to drunk and distracted driving. Or do those lives not matter? Thank you for your consideration.

I am happy to see legislation protecting 2nd amendment rights, although disappointed that they have become necessary. Any gun control stacks the cards against women, people of color, and the disabled community. We should be providing education and training, NOT restricting rights of good citizens.

I ask that you support the following bills coming up in committee: HB 1773 HB 1793 HB 2285 HB 2310 I ask that you vote against bill HB 2319 (Delegate Guzman). This bill increases the time it would take for a lawful gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310! OPPOSE HB2319!

Please support HB1773, 1793, 2285, and 310. These are common sense changes that are needed to reduce the burden on law abiding citizens that practice their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and a bill of Rights. Please DO NOT support HB 2319 Citizens do not need any more restrictions on our rights. I do not support gun control and refuse to support political leaders that do.

As a Virginia Resident, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Hello, I am an honest, law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying, property-owning husband and father. Please do not further restrict my firearm-related rights. Thank you, Chris

If someone has passed the mandatory background checks needed for a Concealed Carry Permit, then they have shown themselves to be capable and trustworthy citizens in the eyes of the State. If that is the case, then there is no reasonable excuse to prevent the permit holder from carrying in all places. Additionally there is no reason to prevent the permit holder from purchasing an additional firearm within 30 days. Firearms are collectibles and transferring a collection should not take months or years to complete. That is unfair and undue towards the people that the State has already deemed safe.

Lewinsville Faith in Action totally opposes this bill. Loosening requirements further jeopardizes citizens, further increasing our nation's appalling kill rate by guns.

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.

HB1773 - I support this bill. Concealed carry permits should still be issued by localities for purposes of reciprocity with other jurisdictions, and for exemptions to the newly-created zones banning the law-abiding from carrying. HB1793 - strongly support. Allowing licensed and qualified persons to carry these zones will increase public safety as it will deter violent criminal actions.

HB1773- This bill is in full compliance with Article I, Section 13, VA State Constitution and the US Constitution’s Second Amendment. This bill has my family’s full support. America’s founding father Thomas Jefferson stated in a letter that the Constitution of most of our states assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed. He wrote such in a letter to John Cartwright, dated 5 June 1824. Jeffersons words imply he believed our state constitution intended constitutional carry to be a fact of right to which your body cannot remove or infringe upon. Furthermore, its passage will not make it any easier to obtain weapons. It is merely intended to ensure our constitutional right under Virginia law. This bill embodies our founding fathers’ expectations on the right to keep and bear arms.

This bill is fully compliant with the constitution of VA (Article I, Section 13) and the Second Amendment to the US constitution. I wholly support it. Our founding fathers said: "The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed." - Thomas Jefferson, letter to to John Cartwright, 5 June 1824 This is called constitutional carry and it lives up to the expectations of our founders.

I strongly support this bill. As a longtime concealed-carry permit holder in Virginia, I have seen little rational basis for allowing persons who lack permits to openly carry firearms while requiring persons who wish to carry firearms in a concealed manner to obtain a permit - a permit which costs $50 per year. While I agree with requiring persons who choose to carry firearms to demonstrate reasonable proficiency in safely handling them, I do not agree that a special permit should be required to do so. As the committee will note, in the last year millions of persons in Virginia and throughout the United States who had never before owned a firearm chose to purchase one, due to the combination of the COVID pandemic, race riots, widespread, rampant vandalism and iconoclasm, and fears of further civil unrest. With hundreds of thousands of new firearm owners here in Virginia compared to just one year ago - over and above the millions of Virginians who already owned firearms - it only makes sense to ease the burden of firearm ownership on individuals by relieving them of the necessity of paying for, and carrying, a permit that has to be renewed annually. Particularly in view of the economic hardships engendered by the pandemic, the General Assembly should afford Virginians at least that much relief. The bill, therefore, should be passed into law.

i am supporting all with exception to HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. i do not support HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. that bill will just mean i would be limited in housing options for having my hunting shotgun. I understand the intent, but it is just needless.

These are all reasonable measures and needed for saftey. ATF statistics show that criminals gravitate to gun ban regions. Please make America safer. Thank you; SD Hunt

Dear Sir or Madame : I oppose any gun control. As a citizen of America, father, and a husband I am responsible for four lives in this world. I take it serious. The self- determination thing with firearms is hard enough. I can't imagine freedom without them. But you, you and the left want to take that away. You want to LIMIT my ability to protect and serve. Why ? You sit in Richmond and serve your loyal democratic master, while I go un- represented. Look at the data. The data that's not paid for buy mike bloomburg and co. You'll see, more gun control only makes it easier for the criminal. My right shall not be infringed upon. Sincerely John Zielanski

Any bill that restricts use of weapons to law abiding citizens is a huge deal. You can outlaw the world but criminals will get anything they want - its the law abiding people who suffer. You may think it's about time to get big guns out of the way and of the streets but you will only restrict access away from those who may step up one day and save you, or that child, or that officer. Did you know the 2nd amendment was not written for hunters, it was written so that we could protect ourselves against a government gone so foul it was turning away from us to socialism and communism . Hitler took weapons first, China took weapons first, Russia did too. it is a paid for movie step one in the plan to make you a communist society. You then have nothing to defend the other rights with. You are done. People in this country will not give up their weapons peaceful in the night. Our weapons are our way of protecting our way of life. What is the government afraid of that they need to disarm us ? This is a SHAM. If you continue to come after criminalizing gun possession it will eventually be seen as an act of hostility against the people who depend on you! The Legal Ones. If our Constitution gave us the Right to bear arms to protect us from a government going crazy - yet that very government is trying to disarm all of us - what is this??? One can only be concerned that it may be disarming us before you do something horrible??? The Bill of Rights Is a Sacred document. Do not mess with it. it outlines our basic rights and freedoms ! Ann Austin

I support this bill... any law that has exemptions for police, military, lawyers, and politicians should also have exemptions for concealed permit holders. This seems like a logical safety issue for those permit holders who may run into someone while out and about who may want to do them harm, especially those with restraining orders against others.

As a constituent, I urge the Committee to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773 Sixteen other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793 The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. Permit holders have completed the required process, have clear backgrounds as verified by the investigations, and are proven outstanding citizens. HB 2285 This is needed to cleanup the language, bringing in obvious exemptions. HB 2310 This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319 There are serious flaws with this bill. First, requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. Second, requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Christopher Cusano 5720 Habersham Way Alexandria, VA 22310

I support all these bills with one exception: I agree either the concept put forth by Del. Guzman in HB 2319 that people who are not allowed to have firearms should be denied access to those firearms. However, requiring a locked weapon in a secure container to be unloaded is redundant, and increases the time that the owner needs to retrieve the firearm and prepare it for use to defend himself/ herself unnecessarily. Such emergencies require seconds to prepare for, and fumbling with a magazine or fumbling with loading rounds into the firearm in a highly stressful situation leaves the responsible gun owner defenseless to respond. If the committee would amend HB 2319 to remove this point, I can wholeheartedly support all these measures.

I support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I do NOT support HB2319. Living with a prohibited person doesn't prevent other criminals from perpetrating violent acts on anyone in the home. Rendering a firearm all but useless during violent attacks where seconds matter is irresponsible and dangerous.

I oppose all these bills because they solve no existing problems and are attempts to limit my constitutional rights. If looking for a problem to solve, try fixing the pathetic educational system that has evolved over the last 30 years.

Support individual gun rights. Respect the Constitution. An individual's right to carry a gun, buy a gun, train to use a gun, and defend themselves should not be limited. This country and this Commonwealth are divided politically. Please do not pass these divisive laws for which there is no mandate from the electorate. Criminals should be stopped, but law abiding gun owners should not be turned into criminals via unsubstantiated legislation. And in the current climate where people of one political persuasion (Conservatives) are being made to not feel comfortable voicing a particular opinion, it is a very bad time to limit people's right to self defense. Do not allow these trends that will break down the First and Second Amendments (cornerstones of our free democracy), to prevail. Protect the First Amendment. Allow all voices...even those of gun rights proponents.

I am a long time Arlington resident (30+) years, raised four kids here, and have never felt like I needed a gun. That changed this summer as rioters and looters stormed through Georgetown, breaking windows and many shops in Arlington (Apple!) boarded up windows. To have mobs march and scream for defunding the police all while destroying property and purposefully trying to frighten law abiding citizens leads even former gun haters to actually go out and buy guns. Millions across the country realized that self defense is an important right and duty! I support all of the pro gun rights bills checked above because gun ownership is not a crime. People who have received carry permits are more law abiding than even police. To have localities like Arlington start to enact laws that limit their rights to carry and self protect is quite wrong and I think there will be a voter backlash on this issue...even in Arlington! I am shocked by the number of people I have heard that purchased a gun or are contemplating it due to the summer's events. Please support an individual's right to buy, carry and have large enough magazines to defend themselves and their families. Support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 310. And oppose HB 2319 (Guzman).

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence opposes HB1773, HB1793 and HB2285. Carrying a concealed weapon in public should require a permit that includes a thorough background check and in-person training. Individuals who choose to carry firearms in public put other people at risk when not properly trained. Similarly, general prohibitions on carrying or possession of firearms on local property should apply to all persons - there is no reason to exempt persons with concealed carry permits from these generally applicable rules. More firearms in public increases risk of harm. Finally, there should be no exception to the prohibition on purchasing more than one handgun a month by persons with a concealed carry permit. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence supports HB2319. If an individual is aware or should have been aware that an individual with whom they reside is prohibited from possessing or transporting firearms, the onus should be on such lawful owner of firearms to ensure that the prohibited person is not able to access such firearm. Very reasonable exceptions exist to the requirement that firearms be locked and inaccessible for those individuals actually carrying the firearm or when the firearm is within their control - not the prohibited individual.

As a 20-plus-year CHP holder in Chesterfield Co., and a constituent who votes in EVERY election, I strongly urge you all to vote YES on the following 4 PRO-gun bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And I must also urge you all to vote NO on this last bill because it fails to acknowledge common sense and is fatally flawed in its construction and intent.: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank You, all, for your attention. Sincerely, Ryan S. Bonney Midlothian, VA

I urge my representatives to take no action that would limit constitutional gun rights, and to take proper action to expand or undo gun limits, as they relate to law-abiding citizens of the Commonwealth. Every day in America 65 million gun owners act responsibly with their guns. You never hear about us; you don't see our firearms; we are a threat to no one. Yet gun control laws affect only us because criminals pay no attention to the decisions you're making today. I urge you in the strongest of terms to keep these truths in mind when you vote. Thank you. Virginia Welch, Rockville, Va.

I'm a liberal gun owner looking to provide my own nuanced perspective on these bills. 1773: This one seems obvious to me. It has always seemed backwards to me that you could be in a situation where you're ONLY allowed to open carry. In this area, open carrying tends to make a lot of folks around you uncomfortable, and I personally view it as the less courteous of the two options. I doubt someone with malicious intent is going to open carry regardless of the law, so preventing law abiding gun owners from doing to just makes things more uncomfortable for them and those around them. 2310: To be clear, I think every gun owner should get in person training as soon as possible. However, the coronavirus pandemic has currently made doing so unsafe, which has also coincided with the largest increase in new gun owners in my lifetime (including a huge increase in minority and women gun owners). Reflecting on recent events at the Capitol, it's not hard to imagine why so many of our fellow citizens have decided to become proactive about their own safety, and it is important that the state be flexible in allowing them a reasonable and safe avenue to do so during the pandemic. 2319: I respect what this bill is attempting to accomplish, but have issue with the requirement that firearms be stored unloaded. Besides being unenforceable (as far as I can tell), this defeats the concept of having a firearm for self-defense. It is possible to keep a firearm loaded while also unaccessible from a prohibited cohabitant. Also, in the interest of placing no more burden than necessary on gun owning citizens, please consider amending "prohibited person" to "prohibited person who was also convicted of a violent crime", or similar wording. It seems unnecessary that a gun owner be subject to such measures simply because, for example, their partner was found guilty of tax evasion or was caught using marijuana years ago (both actual reasons you can become prohibited from owning a firearm). 1793: This bill seems essential for concealed carry license holders such as myself. As things stand, it is incredibly easy to accidentally commit a crime while attempting to concealed carry, unless you are able to memorize the specific local ordinances for every town I'm Virginia as they apply to public buildings, parks, and special events/parades, as well as be aware of any and all special events/parades happening on a daily basis. Not exempting concealed carry license holders from these laws makes absolutely no one safer, and creates a legal nightmare for people like me.

Please do not support these gun control bills. These bills have implications that will disproportionally affect minority communities and make it harder for these groups to exercise their second amendment rights.

I demand that you support: HB 1773, Delegate Freitas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. You also need to oppose: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This bill is an absolute joke and will do nothing. It is obvious that this is a pathetic attempt by Guzman to please her anti gun overlords. This truly is a gun control pandering bill. It's pathetic and this is wasting ink and paper.

I support these gun bills that respect individuals rights, specifically concealed carry rights. A concealed firearm by a vetted, lawful citizen presents no real danger to the public. Laws that create a patchwork of legal restrictions on the other hand, set up honest people to become accidental criminals or to make decisions that could let their firearm become stolen. If it is illegal to bring a gun in a park, do you want people to leave them in their car in high theft situations? Furthermore, patchwork legislation without exemptions leaves those who need a firearm for domestic safety vulnerable. Make laws that support honest gun owners and not criminals. Thank you

OPPOSE HB2319 You should OPPOSE HB2319. This bill seeks to penalize the law-abiding housemate gun owner, while ignoring the person who is already prohibited from handling guns. Last year's anti-gun laws had a goal: to disarm normal citizens rather than to reduce gun crime. For example, remember that the Virginia Beach killer was a municipal employee who killed his fellow employees in a gun-free municipal building. Just like this year's HB2319, last-year's anti-gun bills did not penalize actual criminals. You should support the new bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310 which help restore some of the rights taken by the 2020 anti-gun laws. Pat Grandelli

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Derek Le Vie 105 Combs Loop Yorktown, VA 23693-1915 heliman406@gmail.com

Freitas, Davis, Fowler, and Runion have proposed bills that recognize Virginians' fundamental right to bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, and their communities. I urge our delegates to support these measures wholeheartedly, recognizing that public safety lies first and foremost in their constituents' hands (our Commonwealth wouldn't be very democratic otherwise).

The 2nd Amendment of United States Constitution clearly states that our RIGHT to bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, therefore any bill or law that hinders that RIGHT in any way is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Those who put forth any such hindrance have grievously breached the Oath of Representative Office they hold and their Constituents Rights and Good Faith.

Please SUPPORT bills HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310, and OPPOSE HB 2319. 1773 Is for constitutional carry. Anyone who could qualify for a concealed handgun permit should be able to carry concealed. Anything less is an infringement on the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which is the Law of the Land. 1793 CHP holders are trained and law-abiding, and should be exempt from local gun-control laws and regulations. They are adding to the safety of their communities, being able to react to a situation and perhaps prevent a crime or mass shooting before police could get to the scene. 2285 Retired LEOs and non-resident CHP holders should be exempt from "one handgun a month". These people can be trusted. Their handgun purchases are not going to result in crime or malfeasance, but add to their ability to protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. 2310 Please extend the availability of online CHP training and certification until at least April 30, 2021. This is the quickest and least expensive way a person can qualify for concealed carry. It benefits many working people, who may not be able to take off work to attend an in-person class. It benefits the poor, who are more likely able to afford the nominal cost of an online course more than a resident course. And it benefits minorities, who often live in poorer neighborhoods where crime is rampant, in that it gives them a quicker way to qualify for a concealed handgun permit. 2319 Please oppose this bill, which, among other things, requires a secured, locked-up handgun to be UNLOADED, which would hamper its use in a life-threatening emergency. If it is locked up, it is already secure. In case of a home invasion, the safe would have to be opened, which is enough hindrance to the emergency acquisition of the firearm. Adding the burden of then having to load the weapon and chamber a round would further delay emergency response to a threat.

These five bills all protect the rights of Virginians to self-defense as they move about the Commonwealth during their daily schedules. For some reason, many prohibitions against the right to self-defense have been imposed on law-abiding Virginians. Of course, criminals will ignore any laws, including local bans on concealed carry. There have been numerous criminal acts near my home in the last six months and "gun free zones" have not prevented any of these acts. Support our rights to self-defense as we move about our daily activities.

I write in support of HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. I support these bills as they add to the freedoms & rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth. HP1773, from Del Freitas is of particular interest, as it follows the intent of a Commonwealth, in that your votes & laws imposed should be for the common good. This is a right & freedom that is being stripped from law-abiding citizens. I also vehemently oppose HB2319, as this bill directly throws common-sense right out the window. If you follow this logic, its not enough to lock your car in a locked garage, but you would have to either disconnect & remove the battery or remove the wheels & tires, to ensure that no one could drive your car who was not "authorized" to. What about the rights of the person who is authorized? Does their life mean less, as that the firearm is already locked away, then on top of it now unloaded? What about when something happens & it calls for quick action? First you have to get into the safe to get your firearm, then for sake of argument, you have a shotgun, then you have to locate each shotgun shell, one at a time & load them one at a time. When seconds count, it only takes minutes to get a serviceable firearm into a fireable condition. Are you going to start saying that someone who has never had a DUI, but lives with someone who has, would have to go through my example above every time they came home, because they have to reap the punishment of something they have never done. I know I brought it up earlier "Common-Sense", I understand it is a limited commodity now-a-days but we need to try our best to use it. A "Commonwealth" is just that, an intent for the common good of every single citizen as the whole. It is not for political agendas, the lobbyist, the squeaky wheel groups or any other agenda that is not for the whole of Virginias citizenry. Its time that we stop acting on agendas and parties, it time you ALL start thinking about every Virginian, even the silent ones, that sit back & pray you actually uphold you oath of office & do your jobs. Remember that We the People deserve better. You were sent their to represent all of us, not just some of us. It's time to stop being followers, because the party or fundraisers told you to, but time to stand up & be the leaders we expect you to be. Sic Semper Tyrannis

As a voting constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Gun owners in Fairfax county feel betrayed by the actions of the state and county. I also urge you to please OPPOSE HB2319

I don't know why you communists keep passing anti-gun legislation. There are too many anti-gun laws on the books to keep track of so people just ignore them! Do you really think that people bother to inconvenience themselves in order to follow your unconstitutional laws? No, they don't. They just go about their business regardless of what you do. The police don't even enforce those unconstitutional laws. They just look the other way or wave you on.

I strongly support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2310. They are common sense limits on localities extending the already egregious limitations on the law-abiding citizens' right to possess the means and have the opportunity to protect and defend themselves. Additional local regulations would also further Balkanize Virginia with respect to gun ownership and control. They are blatant tyranny calculated to harass and intimidate the law abiding citizens of the state. Such moves do not increase public safety. They are also strongly divisive. I also support HB 2319, noting that, in addition to any religious objection, citizens have a right to opt out of any treatment that has not been proven safe to the standards already established for other widely available medications and medical treatments. The public record on the current Covid-19 vaccines clearly shows that they have been hysterically rushed to approval without any of these safeguards. That a citizen may be compelled to take such treatments is even more ridiculous when the mortality rate from Covid-19 is a scant 0.3%. If the governor, any official, or any other entity under their governance volunteers to turn themselves into lab rats, that is fine by me. Under the circumstances, they should not have the right to require others to do so.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319!

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). -A permit is nothing more than a piece of paper and come on if that worked, domestic violence injunctions would work. Stop with the red tape, over-regulation and join the other states that have successfully adopted this. And with all the over-regulation about open-carry, and virtue signaling by people that are ignorant about guns (being scared because a responsible person has an openly carried gun) you would think this makes perfect sense. Besides, criminals don't follow the law, they already have constitutional carry. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. - These local laws are becoming more intrusive, probably unconstitutional, and making it difficult for law abiding people to be compliant. Law abiding people who have already been approved to own and use a firearm. The lack of common sense and lack of logic that is being thrown about in the name of "gun control" is ridiculous. Virginians have spoken, loudly, and yet you still continue to push for things YOU want, not what the people want. Useless laws that are not even being enforced are just, well, void!! HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. - Self explanatory HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Encouraging individuals to have to attend public gatherings is completely against the guidance given by the Governors office, the CDC, and many other agencies. And where is the data showing this is an issue related to the online class? - COVD - why are we forcing people to subject themselves to COVID just to obtain a permit when the governor even says social distance, stay home, don't do unnecessary socializing. Just seems like something that is a non-issue. Where are the stats saying this has been a problem? Have we had a rash of shootings by otherwise unqualified concealed permit holders that would have resulted otherwise had the holder been to an in-person class? And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. - Self Explanatory and already covered by federal law. How much over-regulation are you going to continue to propagate? And I'm sorry an unloaded, stored firearm in a home shows how ignorant the drafter of this bill really is to the aspects of self-defense. I'd challenge this is also unconstitutional and violates the constitution in that the home is not where the government gets to dictate law; it's intrusive and invasive and, again, where is the data supporting that there is an issue that needs to be addressed?

I’m pretty sure you all took an oath to protect, preserve, & uphold the Constitution of the United States. With that said then why do you even consider any gun legislation????It is very sad what is happening to this country with the continued attacks on the 2nd Amendment and the Constitution as a whole. Guns aren’t the problem, it’s people. The continued removal of God in this country is slowly destroying our society with less and less morals, respect, & love for one another. Your ‘gun control’ legislation serves no purpose but continue to chip away at the Constitution which is what got us to where we are today. I implore you to reconsider these bills and think of this country & our Constitution. We must have the right to defend ourselves with the same tools as the murderers and thieves amongst us. You KNOW they don’t EVER adhere to any gun control laws so therefore innocent men, women, children pay the price. Please...think. Thank you~

Attention Delegates, I do not want to waste much of. your time today, I would like to state my support for HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Thank you. Paul Jobson

I urge you to suport pri- Second Amendment bills and ooose the bill that further infringe on liberty and the right of Virginians to keeo and bear arms. Very Respectfully, Milton Clary

HB 1773 - This is also known as "Constitutional Carry" and has been enacted in many other states. The net effect in those states is a DECREASE in crime using a firearm and crime in general. This will only serve to make Virginia Safer HB 1793 - Holders of concealed carry permits are statistically LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT a crime than police officers. I ought to know as a former police officer. This will allow law abiding citizens who go through the extra scrutiny of obtaining a permit to protect themselves and others. HB 2285 - Retired police officer who served honorably deserve the respect entailed in this bill. HB 2310 - This is a necessary stop gap that will prevent law abiding citizens from running afoul of a new law. HB 2319 - This punishes a citizen who has done no wrong and will fall disproportionally on persons of color.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds people with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. I urge you to OPPOSE - HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

I support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and want no more gun control. Thank you.

I am what many would consider a Northern Virginia Liberal. I have not been particularly politically active and as far as firearms I own a 5 shot revolver and a pump action shotgun. I have a Concealed Carry Permit but have never used it. I am humbly writing to ask the Virginia State Legislature to respect the spirit of the constitution of our state and our country. Unlike some other states, Virginia has shown for centuries that it respects its own citizens to be well informed and mature enough to carry firearms. The recent trend away from this long held respect is worrisome. I implore the committee and the legislature at large to abandon obnoxious gun control efforts, to return to the free and open state we have been for so long, and to restore our rights in Northern Virginia and elsewhere now restricted. My vote, and the vote of anyone like me, which has been traditionally center left, depend upon the continued respect of our rights and liberties, given by God, and hitherto recognized by the state.

It is imperative to support the rights of the 2nd ammendment for citizens. As stated, the 2nd Ammendment states: "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. " . Ergo support of the first 5 bills HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 2310 supports the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. I am opposed to HB 2319 due to it infringes upon the right of a citizen to keep and bear Arms. It is important for the representatives to interrupt the constitutional rights of citizens and not infringe upon that right.

Why are you all trying to make us less safe? Its alot like saying you need to take a vaccine, but then suddenly make that vaccine less available and distribution less efficient. Its almost like you want people to die. The only thing that should die are these horrible bills. My body, my choice. My security, my choice. Hands off my security. Kill these bills.

Please support, and pass the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Greetings, Please follow the science and advocate for common sense solutions to crime and violence, and support actions which enable me to protect myself and my family if ever necessary to do so. Restricting civil liberties should not be taken so lightly. The CDC and many other organizations have clearly identified the root causes of crime, homicide, related early death as poverty, drugs, and alcohol. Our legislative bodies should never act to limit our Constitutional liberties. I urge you all to SUPPORT the following bills which advance citizens to protect themselves and their families form criminals. HB 1773, Delegate Frieta. HB 1793, Delegate Davis. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler. HB 2310, Delegate Runion. Please OPPOSE HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. This bill places an unreasonable limitation on citizens and places them at risk far more than it enhances safety. Understandably, the firearm should be adequately secured. Requiring it be unloaded and ammunition also secured elsewhere is a ridiculous provision. Further, how would you possibly enforce it. This is not a common sense proposal. Respectfully, Jarrett Rhodes

Please support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Please honor your oaths to the Virginia Constitution and the Constitution of the United States by supporting these bills. Supporting these bills will show the citizens of the Virginia your commitment to helping our nation and our commonwealth heal from the great political divide that exists. Start the healing process and honor your oaths by supporting these bills and opposing any liberty destroying bills that come your way. Thank you for your service, Tim Cullen

I am writing to express my opposition to any and all legislation that infringes on my constitutional right to bear arms. Our founding fathers knew then that an armed populace is a deterrent to those that would seek to take away other rights. History shows that the first thing those seeking to control the populace do is to disarm them. A responsible citizen gun owner is not the problem, criminals are. If fact, any devise: a car, a truck, a ball point pen, a utility knife, can become a weapon in the hands of someone with a bad intent. I urge you to stop these efforts to disarm Virginians.

Let's protect all of our constitutional rights. History has proven people loose their rights a little at a time. Don't trample on our Second Amendment rights because then we will loose out First Amendment rights and so forth.

I believe most Virginia citizens are pro-Second Amendment in the fullest sense. As one of them, I do not want my right to own, open-or-concealed carry, and use my firearms sensibly and lawfuly to be infringed upon. This right is a also matter of public safety. I have a right to defend myself and others against criminal, anarchist and terrorist elements should such an occasion arise. As a retired Army officer, an antique US military weapons collector, reentactor and target shooter, I think I am capable of repsonsibly, safely and lawfully able to own, care for and utilize my weapons without politically motivated restrictions placed upon me. Frankly, I believe that any further restrictions placed upon our collective/individual fundamental right to keep and bear arms as protected within the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution amounts to criminalistic legislation against me and my fellow citizens. I fully support HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and reject HB 2319 emphatically. Politicians need to listen to the citizens and not to the whims of divisive, anti-American special interest groups looking to alter American societal traditions, norms, and constitutional rights. Elected officials are meant to represent us and our Constitution as written and implemented, period. Americans do not need to be reeducated against our fundamental and inalienable rights, traditions, societal norms and culture, nor does our nation at the local, municipal, county, state and national strata need to be transformed into something unrecognizeable and un-American. Therefore, I reemphasize to the Virginia State Legislature - PASS HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and REJECT HB 2319! America first, America only, America always! Thank you.

Would like for your support on all the bills except HB2319.

Let's keep this simple. HB 1773 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 1793 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 2310 - This is a good bill to support, but it could be improved upon by simply doing away with the legislation that prohibits on line concealed carry training. HB 2319 - A horrible bill. VOTE IT DOWN!!! Sincerely, Craig S. Lane 613 Cobbler Terr Leesburg, VA 20175

Concerning HB 1793, 2285, 2310, 2319... I strongly encourage you to vote for these HBs as it is our 2nd Right Amendment Right to have such legislation protecting all and any lawful persons to exercise their God given rights to protect themselves and loved ones. These HBs contribute to and help enforce our 2nd Amendment Rights . Concerning HB 2319... Mr. Guzman, No anti-gun laws will stop criminals from committing crimes against law abiding people. They are criminals for a reason...they do not adhere to our country's laws ! This HB will only delay the reaction time of a law abiding citizen from protecting himself & loved ones, should a criminal engage in such crimes as home invasion, intent to cause injury or death to an innocent victim. This HB contradicts common sense when it comes to a person protecting themselves and loved ones from a criminal. I respectfully request this HB not pass the legislator. Respectfully, Drew Boles, Wirtz,VA.

These 4 bills would make va a safer place and would enhance our constitutional rights

There are four pro-gun bills and one anti-gun bill. The anti-gun bill should be rejected since the people of this Commonwealth believe in a freedom to own a gun and that should not be taken away. No matter what it represents, the anti-gun politicians want to remove all guns and in so doing are creating an environment that will not be so rewarding for anti-gunnersand their comrades.

Good evening. I am a resident of Virginia Beach and I urge you to vote Yea on HB1773, 1793, 2285 & 2310. These bills reduce the onerous restrictions placed on law-abiding concealed handgun permit holders. Virginia is making a habit of expending energy to place roadblocks to honest people that could be better spent on actually addressing crime and criminals. These bills represent the direction we should be moving. By giving freedoms to upstanding citizens of the Commonwealth. Thank you for your time. Vincent Smith

Please support HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310. Please particularly support HB 1793, which exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. Fairfax County wasted no time posting "no guns" signs on miles of secluded, wooded trails behind my neighborhood. I've lived here since 2012 and never once seen a police officer on those trails. Along with the risk of criminal interaction in a secluded area, there is the risk of attack by wildlife or stray dogs. Our most vulnerable populations should not be stripped of their most effective means of self defense deep in the woods. Concealed carry permit holders are the most law-abiding segment of society. They should not be targeted by a feel-good do-nothing law that emboldens the criminal element. Please oppose HB2319. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Any law against the constitution is not law !!! HB2319 should never be considered under the oath of office you took and HB 1773, 1793, 2285 and 2310 are in our Constitution and is your duty to uphold the Constitution you took a oath to uphold...

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Simon Khiabani 15268 Cartersville Ct Haymarket, VA 20169 1simon.sk@gmail.com

As a long-time Virginia citizen and voter, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, to correct errors in the previous bill bringing in some obvious exemptions. Allowing retired police officers is in the interests of public safety. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable, unnecessary, imposes added needless costs on the owner and does little to nothing for public safety. Sincerely, Marc Gorelick 1830 Columbia Pike #210 Arlington, VA 22204 gorelickmarc13rarius@hotmail.com

Please oppose HB2319, as it's another burden for gun owners. How could the legal gun owner protect themselves or their household base upon the code in this bill on storing the firearm when a thief breaks in during the night, or at any other unexpected time??? HB1793 is about the best house bill I've seen this year. Please support. HB1773 would be wonderful to gun owners, it would even help ease problems that HB2310 is trying to address. Thank you for your service

As Virginia & Roanoke County citizens who take an active part in National, State & local politics, we want all of our VA Elected Officials to know that we support and will defend our 2nd Amendment Rights and fully expect each and every one of you folks to do so also. Voting for any bill that restricts our 2nd Amendment Rights will be noted and appropriate actions on the upcoming election cycle can be assured. We will actively watch and remember how each member of our State Legislature votes on any such bills/measures. God Bless each one of you fine dedicated Virginia Representatives and we trust that you will individually & collectively give proper attention to our U.S. Constitution paying particular attention to our 2nd Amendment Rights prior to any further voting! Ralph & Mary Bosen 7180 Buckeye Road Roanoke, VA 24018 540-774-8949

Arlington young professional. Millenial. Latino. Pro-Gun. Thanks.

I respectfully request that any and all my representatives to please use common sense on pro-gun rights bills. I'm retired law enforcement and currently carry a LEOSA card. Some of the bills I've seen introduced should be thrown out and not even considered. Remember that criminals will ALWAYS get weapons regardless of your passed laws in Virginia or the United States. Please work on more important matters like the Covid situation, opening up businesses, employment, and stop tearing apart our history such as monuments. If you continue to let our present governor continue with his erratic ideas, I believe we're headed down a slippery slope. Respectfully, Roy Beatty

I am a voter. I will support anyone who supports bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I will not vote or support anyone who supports bill HB2319. Carl Dodge

I support these common sense bills that will reduce gun violence.

Hi Committee members and Staff, Support: HB-1773, HB-1793, HB-2285 HB-2310 Oppose: HB-2319 Thank you for honoring your Oath of Office and the Rights of the Citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There should be no limitation on the exercise of rights for law-abiding citizens. Instead, focus on keeping criminals off the streets so we can live free. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There is no reason to restrict carry by law-abiding citizens anywhere . HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. One handgun a month is a sill law to begin with. Two recent straw purchase cases in VA resulted in arrests and prosecution. Emphasis should be on enforcing existing law, not imposing new infringements on the rights of the law-abiding. CHP holders are the most law-abiding segment of society, and there is no reason their purchase thresholds should be limited under the guise of stopping arms trafficking. I object to any exemption for LEOs. They are citizens, too, and should be held accountable to the same laws as other citizens. This applies to active duty as well as retires LEOs. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. The law to require in-person training is silly to begin with. CHPs are silly to begin with. We need to return Constitutional carry since the right to keep an bear arms is protected by the 2nd Amendment. Anyone who is too dangerous to own and carry a firearm should be in prison or otherwise removed from civil society. Permitting does nothing more than turn a right into a privilege, HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This is a silly bill that grasps at possibility instead of being rooted in fact. It implies that gun owners are inherently irresponsible. There is no reason a law-abiding citizen should be required to act as a prohibited person just because he or she cohabitates with one. It is already illegal for a prohibited person to possess a firearm. We don't need more laws that only impact the law-abiding and will do nothing to stop crime.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. OPPOSE HB2319!

As an avid Sportsman please know that Virginia’s actions thus far has deterred me from hunting in the Commonwealth. I’m sure you’re aware of the enhanced revenue that out of state sportsman generate, both in licensing fees and sales taxes. Your recent anti-gun legislative stance is the reason I DID NOT come to Virginia to hunt this year. The word is out amongst Sportsmen, “Virginia is persona non grata”. STAY AWAY. is this truly the message the Legislature intended to send. You have made most of my hunting guns illegal. The patchwork of anti-gun laws you permitted can make me a felon simply by driving across a double secret imaginary line. You did this with intention, purpose and malice. Small businesses suffer as you infringe on my 2nd Amendment. I respectfully urge you to NOT approve these Bills. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. ! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it.

I am pro freedom and pro 2nd amendment. I am against any law that will abridge my 2nd amendment rights. Gun laws only affect the law abiding as the lawless will not heed restrictions that have been put to paper. Murderers use guns as tools to cause mayhem. Law abiders use guns as a tool to defend themselves and the helpless against these would be murderers. Most law enforcement recognizes this and are happy to have, these exemplary citizens as allies. Promote and support bills: HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Strike and kill HB 2319. Long live a free United States of America.

Virginia is a low crime and low gun crime state. Enacting a bunch of high crime state laws is going to make us a high crime state. Don't fix a problem that doesn't exist and hurt the citizens of Virginia doing it.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! Protect my right to defend my family if put into a situation where our lives are in imminent danger. In the current environment, where it can be dangerous to speak at all, I implore you to safeguard my God-given rights to protect myself and my loved ones. Sincerely, A 63-year-old woman, wife, mother, and grandmother

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. OPPOSE HB2319! This is one of the most absurd, intrusive, ridiculous, thoughtless, oppressive, un-Constitutional ideas I've ever heard in my life - sincerely!! - in my LIFE!!! Since your “red flag” law leaves a presumed-dangerous person free (though without her own firearms) to inflict harm to herself or others……..wouldn’t you want her roommate or spouse to have readily available means of self defense ?!?! Again, this is absurd, and you must oppose HB 2319 !! HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

HB 2319: Those who habitate with a person who is not authorized to operate a firearm, already have enough of a burden to secure the firearm. In the event of an emergency situation (home intrusion?), then the seconds it takes to reload a firearm could be the difference between life and death. HB1773: This makes logical sense. If a person holds a firearm, there is nothing to gain as a matter of public policy by requiring they open carry it. HB1793: CHP holders have already been subjected to background checks. HB 2285: Background checks have already been completed. Any further restrictions, serve no purpose, other than publicity. HB2310: Due to COVID, people have limited options for classroom education. We should not discourage people from exercising their rights. However, this would be moot if we passed HB1793

Concealed Carry Permit holders in Virginia have a consistent and clean history of abiding the law. As such it is important that permit holders not be caught in the net of new gun control laws aimed at preventing criminals from further abusing firearms. Frietas and Davis have presented excellent options to provide legal protection for the law abiding citizens to not have their liberties restricted upon . I'm all for keeping criminals from committing crime but law abiding citizens should not be affected if the true target for gun control laws are criminals and violent people.

As a Virginia citizen, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. The citizens of Virginia DO NOT want nor need any further infringements on their GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to defend themselves!

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Lee Ann Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the weapon be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Robert Hicks Linden, VA

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Eric Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

HB1173 Freitas: let's trust the people. If they would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun, why the paperwork and registration process so that they can? HB1793 Davis: let's make it easy for the people we ought to trust. Concealed is concealed - there's no argument for social comfort, there's no argument for public safety . . . crossing the street shouldn't change all of the rules. HB2285 Fowler: a good cleanup bill to align the populations affected by gun restrictions. HB2310 Runion: until COVID ends, we need to support virtual learning of all types. HB2319 Guzman: this bill would be awfully hard on those in small apartments and homes. Further, it puts the compliance onus on the innocent party.

Please do not pass any legislation tinkering with making it more burdensome to own firearms and ammunition or to use them in self-defense or any other legal activities. The government fixation on firearms is so embarrassing. Anyone wishing to keep tampering with the 2nd Amendment has ulterior motives on reducing freedom of American citizens, and I wish you would just make that agenda plain instead of continually hiding it.

HB 1773 - I support this bill. This bill would save court clerks huge amounts of unnecessary paperwork without a negative impact on public safety. HB 1793 - I support this bill. The restrictions put in place by localities in the last year are all about sending an anti-gun political message, not about making people safer. Concealed handgun permit holders can be trusted to safely carry a gun on the sidewalk--why should they be barred from bike trails and parks? HB 2285 - I support this bill, which may be helpful to military members who have moved to Virginia but have not obtained a Virginia concealed handgun permit. This would not exempt gun buyers from background checks. Permit holders from some other places, such as DC, have gone through even more stringent application processes than in Virginia! HB 2310 - I support this bill. The pandemic made it very difficult for people to get their concealed handgun permit applications submitted to their local court clerk, especially if they needed to submit something in person. This bill would help people who would have been able to submit by the deadline but for a pandemic-related closure of their local court clerk's office. HB 2319 - I oppose this bill. This bill would punish people who failed to understand the complex laws that caused their roommate to be prohibited from gun possession due to criminal and mental health histories. It would be difficult to prosecute because the Commonwealth's Attorney would have to show that the defendant knew about the roommate's history AND knew that it caused them to be prohibited from possessing guns. This bill also overreaches by putting requirements on ammunition storage that probably exceed the restrictions placed on some individuals due to their criminal convictions, protective orders, or mental health history.

Please vote against all gun control bills. With all the riots going on we the people need to be able to protect ourselves. If you to take away guns then you should give up your security. All people unprotected seems fair. Also maybe you should check the U.S. Constitution as to the second amendment. Thank you, A.G. Morris IV.

As a constituent in Arlington, VA, I would like the following actions to be taken on these bills. Oppose HB 1773 - If an individual is eligible for a CHP, they should take the necessary steps to apply for a CHP if they wish to carry concealed. This is common sense. Support HP 1793 - Individuals who have CHPs should be allowed to carry and be exempt from local gun control. Criminals do not obey laws that forbid crime so individuals who have received education and training to carry concealed should be allowed to do so. Oppose HB 2285 - One Handgun a month is perfectly reasonable, regardless of person. Support HB 2310 - CHP training being required in person during a pandemic seems dangerous. Please delay this until April. Oppose HB 2319 - If your roommate or child doesn't have a driver's license, you're not required by law to lock away the key or vehicle. Same should apply to firearms. Responsible storage and maintenance is the responsibility of the gun owner, not for the law to decide. There are common sense laws and then laws that don't make any sense. Please continue to make good legislative decisions that do not punish law abiding gun owners, while pushing for safety that is reasonable and constitutionally appropriate. THANK YOU!

In this day and age, after ALL of the settled law as opined by SCOTUS it absolutely stuns me that you liberals continue to infringe upon our GOD GIVEN CONSTITUTIONALLY protected RIGHTS (NOT privileges - RIGHTS) to protect ourselves through gun ownership which (as ratified and adopted by the Commonwealth) SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED). Have any of you even bothered to read the Federalist papers regarding the definition of gun ownership and rights to the same? GUN RIGHTS ARE A MATTER OF SETTLED LAW WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! It is long past time for you liberals to stop taking a note out of the authoritarian Nazi playbook, stop ne8ng so bigotted against gun owners, and stop trying to turn us into helpless victims! These rights are not ONLY enshrined in the 2nd Amendment (as adopted by the Commonwealth, written, in fact, by a Virginian), but also within the Preamble to the Constitution itself. As a FREE society (whether you like or or not), we CANNOT 'form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON DEFENSE, or promote the GENERAL WELFARE AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS of liberty to OURSELVES AND our posterity,' WITHOUT the settled laws of the land which ensure our gun rights and rights to ownership of same. Get over it tou bunch of school yard bullies!

I didn't spend 23 years of my life defending The Constitution to let a bunch of spinless, yellow bellied cowards shred kit.

Now that you have made a horrendous patchwork of inconsistent local laws regarding firearms, those of us that face very real dangers could accidentally break the law just by trying to protect ourselves. I am a woman. I am only 4'10" tall. I have had stalkers, and due to work in law enforcement as a computer forensic examiner, I am threatened by criminal defendants and their associates. Because I am not a cop or special agent, no law enforcement exceptions apply to me. I cannot get a protective order because I do not always know who made the threats. I have been attacked several times. My assailants threatened to burn my house, kill my family, and torture and rape me. The very least you could do after making the legislative mess in last year's session is to exempt concealed carry permit holders from these ridiculous restrictions. We have been background checked, we have taken at least one safety course (though many of us opt to take courses and train with our firearms regularly in order to be sure that our skills and safety practices remain current). HB2319 is particularly troubling. If the firearm is locked away from the "bad guy", then it is also less accessible to the peaceful law abiding person (who will be less able to access it when needed for self defense).

Dear delegates - As a law-abiding citizen who wishes to ensure my God-given (NOT state granted) right to protect myself and my family against both criminals and tyrannical government I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO SUPPORT the following four bills before your committee: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Likewise I STRONGLY OPPOSE yet another anti-gun bill submitted to your committee: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please vote against any and all forms of Bill's designed to limit or restrict our right to bear arms. Thank You Cameron Reed

I urge you to approve all of these except HB2319-Guzman. It should be rejected

Remember your oath of office and do not infringe on citizen’s rights!

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Would you please discontinue what seems like a targeting of honest gun owners on proposed laws that either punish owners in various ways making it very difficult to purchase ammo, use a high powered flash light, attempt to impose heavy taxation which of course targets people of lower income, limiting the ability to smith or modify self defense weapons. I understand that the nature of certain laws is to limit the ability to have fully automatic weapons which already exist, but continues to ignore the reality that anyone at anytime can obtain the necessary resources to act in a way that is malevolent to society that completely disregards any laws that could ever be passed. A law breaker has no intentions of abiding by laws acting in a way that demonstrates any actual character. The current laws that exist are already limiting and to expect complete certainty in all situations is impossible even at the expense of personal freedom that I and most everyone, even non gun owners typically value over continued restrictions. These points continue to be made time and time again and the laws that are propose need to practical purpose that does not restrict individuals who simply wish to have their rights respected rather than continually challenged. It always appears that these bills are also proposed with the attempt to pass them without the public having an awareness of such situations creating a lack of transparency. What is your intent as representatives of VA, to always follow a party affiliated narrative if democrat and attempt to institute control measures. Do we just endlessly continue to play out arguments of such nature for years to come or can we simply acknowledge that most people act responsible and some sadly at times do not but limiting those responsible is not a solution that deters those of evil intentions in the end.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Virginia voters have overwhelmingly shown that racist, Jim Crow gun control is unwelcome in the Commonwealth through Lobby Day after Lobby Day and hundreds of Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities. Your vote against civil rights for POC and all citizens will be remembered on voting day and beyond.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1793

All gun laws in the United States have lead to racial disparities in enforcement (see NY and DC) and support the carceral state by creating new victimless crimes to arrest more people. Ultimately these laws are created by people protected by guns (legislators) and are enforced by people with guns (police). Help end racism and step back from empowering the carceral state by opposing "gun control."

I ask you to heavily support HB1773 allowing common sense firearm carry enable individuals the right to adequately protect themselves. I ask you support HB1793 as local ordinances not allowing carry is a severe infringement on Virginians right to self protection. I ask you to support HB2310, as Virginians right to self defense doesn't go away in a pandemic I ask you to support HB2285 although I believe that the law of only purchasing 1 handgun a month for the common Virginian is infringement on their inherent 2nd amendment right. I ask you to strongly oppose HB2319. This is a violation of privacy and the enforcement of this would violate people privacy. Not a good slope to go down.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please support the constitutional rights of your constituents and break with the Democrats who are working so hard to subvert our rights! There is no human right more fundamental than the right to defend yourself and your loved ones from violent attack.

Committee Members, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Seth Tilstra

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Please SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Adam Gifford 1616 Peppers Ferry Rd Pulaski, VA 24301-2904 afgiff4d@gmail.com

Dear Delegates, Please, your existing gun laws do not work. Please do not enact more anti-gun legislation that also will not work. In all seriousness, if we're so worried and afraid about proven violent felons getting their hands on guns (again), how about you just put, and keep, them in jail out of circulation? That really is the only foolproof method of keeping criminals from repeating their violence upon us. No more gun control! Stop infringing on my 2nd Amendment rights (and similar rights in our Commonwealth's Constitution)! Enact strong laws that put and keep actual violent offenders in jail. Not useless laws that only serve to limit or prevent my ability to defend my family, and to engage in various firearms' competitions. If you want to actually save lives, how about banning cell phones and booze? Think about all the lives senselessly lost to drunk and distracted driving. Or do those lives not matter? Thank you for your consideration.

I am happy to see legislation protecting 2nd amendment rights, although disappointed that they have become necessary. Any gun control stacks the cards against women, people of color, and the disabled community. We should be providing education and training, NOT restricting rights of good citizens.

I ask that you support the following bills coming up in committee: HB 1773 HB 1793 HB 2285 HB 2310 I ask that you vote against bill HB 2319 (Delegate Guzman). This bill increases the time it would take for a lawful gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310! OPPOSE HB2319!

Please support HB1773, 1793, 2285, and 310. These are common sense changes that are needed to reduce the burden on law abiding citizens that practice their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and a bill of Rights. Please DO NOT support HB 2319 Citizens do not need any more restrictions on our rights. I do not support gun control and refuse to support political leaders that do.

As a Virginia Resident, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Hello, I am an honest, law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying, property-owning husband and father. Please do not further restrict my firearm-related rights. Thank you, Chris

If someone has passed the mandatory background checks needed for a Concealed Carry Permit, then they have shown themselves to be capable and trustworthy citizens in the eyes of the State. If that is the case, then there is no reasonable excuse to prevent the permit holder from carrying in all places. Additionally there is no reason to prevent the permit holder from purchasing an additional firearm within 30 days. Firearms are collectibles and transferring a collection should not take months or years to complete. That is unfair and undue towards the people that the State has already deemed safe.

HB1773 - I support this bill. Concealed carry permits should still be issued by localities for purposes of reciprocity with other jurisdictions, and for exemptions to the newly-created zones banning the law-abiding from carrying. HB1793 - strongly support. Allowing licensed and qualified persons to carry these zones will increase public safety as it will deter violent criminal actions.

i am supporting all with exception to HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. i do not support HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. that bill will just mean i would be limited in housing options for having my hunting shotgun. I understand the intent, but it is just needless.

These are all reasonable measures and needed for saftey. ATF statistics show that criminals gravitate to gun ban regions. Please make America safer. Thank you; SD Hunt

Dear Sir or Madame : I oppose any gun control. As a citizen of America, father, and a husband I am responsible for four lives in this world. I take it serious. The self- determination thing with firearms is hard enough. I can't imagine freedom without them. But you, you and the left want to take that away. You want to LIMIT my ability to protect and serve. Why ? You sit in Richmond and serve your loyal democratic master, while I go un- represented. Look at the data. The data that's not paid for buy mike bloomburg and co. You'll see, more gun control only makes it easier for the criminal. My right shall not be infringed upon. Sincerely John Zielanski

Any bill that restricts use of weapons to law abiding citizens is a huge deal. You can outlaw the world but criminals will get anything they want - its the law abiding people who suffer. You may think it's about time to get big guns out of the way and of the streets but you will only restrict access away from those who may step up one day and save you, or that child, or that officer. Did you know the 2nd amendment was not written for hunters, it was written so that we could protect ourselves against a government gone so foul it was turning away from us to socialism and communism . Hitler took weapons first, China took weapons first, Russia did too. it is a paid for movie step one in the plan to make you a communist society. You then have nothing to defend the other rights with. You are done. People in this country will not give up their weapons peaceful in the night. Our weapons are our way of protecting our way of life. What is the government afraid of that they need to disarm us ? This is a SHAM. If you continue to come after criminalizing gun possession it will eventually be seen as an act of hostility against the people who depend on you! The Legal Ones. If our Constitution gave us the Right to bear arms to protect us from a government going crazy - yet that very government is trying to disarm all of us - what is this??? One can only be concerned that it may be disarming us before you do something horrible??? The Bill of Rights Is a Sacred document. Do not mess with it. it outlines our basic rights and freedoms ! Ann Austin

As a constituent, I urge the Committee to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773 Sixteen other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793 The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. Permit holders have completed the required process, have clear backgrounds as verified by the investigations, and are proven outstanding citizens. HB 2285 This is needed to cleanup the language, bringing in obvious exemptions. HB 2310 This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319 There are serious flaws with this bill. First, requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. Second, requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Christopher Cusano 5720 Habersham Way Alexandria, VA 22310

I support all these bills with one exception: I agree either the concept put forth by Del. Guzman in HB 2319 that people who are not allowed to have firearms should be denied access to those firearms. However, requiring a locked weapon in a secure container to be unloaded is redundant, and increases the time that the owner needs to retrieve the firearm and prepare it for use to defend himself/ herself unnecessarily. Such emergencies require seconds to prepare for, and fumbling with a magazine or fumbling with loading rounds into the firearm in a highly stressful situation leaves the responsible gun owner defenseless to respond. If the committee would amend HB 2319 to remove this point, I can wholeheartedly support all these measures.

I support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I do NOT support HB2319. Living with a prohibited person doesn't prevent other criminals from perpetrating violent acts on anyone in the home. Rendering a firearm all but useless during violent attacks where seconds matter is irresponsible and dangerous.

I oppose all these bills because they solve no existing problems and are attempts to limit my constitutional rights. If looking for a problem to solve, try fixing the pathetic educational system that has evolved over the last 30 years.

Support individual gun rights. Respect the Constitution. An individual's right to carry a gun, buy a gun, train to use a gun, and defend themselves should not be limited. This country and this Commonwealth are divided politically. Please do not pass these divisive laws for which there is no mandate from the electorate. Criminals should be stopped, but law abiding gun owners should not be turned into criminals via unsubstantiated legislation. And in the current climate where people of one political persuasion (Conservatives) are being made to not feel comfortable voicing a particular opinion, it is a very bad time to limit people's right to self defense. Do not allow these trends that will break down the First and Second Amendments (cornerstones of our free democracy), to prevail. Protect the First Amendment. Allow all voices...even those of gun rights proponents.

I am a long time Arlington resident (30+) years, raised four kids here, and have never felt like I needed a gun. That changed this summer as rioters and looters stormed through Georgetown, breaking windows and many shops in Arlington (Apple!) boarded up windows. To have mobs march and scream for defunding the police all while destroying property and purposefully trying to frighten law abiding citizens leads even former gun haters to actually go out and buy guns. Millions across the country realized that self defense is an important right and duty! I support all of the pro gun rights bills checked above because gun ownership is not a crime. People who have received carry permits are more law abiding than even police. To have localities like Arlington start to enact laws that limit their rights to carry and self protect is quite wrong and I think there will be a voter backlash on this issue...even in Arlington! I am shocked by the number of people I have heard that purchased a gun or are contemplating it due to the summer's events. Please support an individual's right to buy, carry and have large enough magazines to defend themselves and their families. Support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 310. And oppose HB 2319 (Guzman).

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence opposes HB1773, HB1793 and HB2285. Carrying a concealed weapon in public should require a permit that includes a thorough background check and in-person training. Individuals who choose to carry firearms in public put other people at risk when not properly trained. Similarly, general prohibitions on carrying or possession of firearms on local property should apply to all persons - there is no reason to exempt persons with concealed carry permits from these generally applicable rules. More firearms in public increases risk of harm. Finally, there should be no exception to the prohibition on purchasing more than one handgun a month by persons with a concealed carry permit. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence supports HB2319. If an individual is aware or should have been aware that an individual with whom they reside is prohibited from possessing or transporting firearms, the onus should be on such lawful owner of firearms to ensure that the prohibited person is not able to access such firearm. Very reasonable exceptions exist to the requirement that firearms be locked and inaccessible for those individuals actually carrying the firearm or when the firearm is within their control - not the prohibited individual.

As a 20-plus-year CHP holder in Chesterfield Co., and a constituent who votes in EVERY election, I strongly urge you all to vote YES on the following 4 PRO-gun bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And I must also urge you all to vote NO on this last bill because it fails to acknowledge common sense and is fatally flawed in its construction and intent.: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank You, all, for your attention. Sincerely, Ryan S. Bonney Midlothian, VA

I urge my representatives to take no action that would limit constitutional gun rights, and to take proper action to expand or undo gun limits, as they relate to law-abiding citizens of the Commonwealth. Every day in America 65 million gun owners act responsibly with their guns. You never hear about us; you don't see our firearms; we are a threat to no one. Yet gun control laws affect only us because criminals pay no attention to the decisions you're making today. I urge you in the strongest of terms to keep these truths in mind when you vote. Thank you. Virginia Welch, Rockville, Va.

I'm a liberal gun owner looking to provide my own nuanced perspective on these bills. 1773: This one seems obvious to me. It has always seemed backwards to me that you could be in a situation where you're ONLY allowed to open carry. In this area, open carrying tends to make a lot of folks around you uncomfortable, and I personally view it as the less courteous of the two options. I doubt someone with malicious intent is going to open carry regardless of the law, so preventing law abiding gun owners from doing to just makes things more uncomfortable for them and those around them. 2310: To be clear, I think every gun owner should get in person training as soon as possible. However, the coronavirus pandemic has currently made doing so unsafe, which has also coincided with the largest increase in new gun owners in my lifetime (including a huge increase in minority and women gun owners). Reflecting on recent events at the Capitol, it's not hard to imagine why so many of our fellow citizens have decided to become proactive about their own safety, and it is important that the state be flexible in allowing them a reasonable and safe avenue to do so during the pandemic. 2319: I respect what this bill is attempting to accomplish, but have issue with the requirement that firearms be stored unloaded. Besides being unenforceable (as far as I can tell), this defeats the concept of having a firearm for self-defense. It is possible to keep a firearm loaded while also unaccessible from a prohibited cohabitant. Also, in the interest of placing no more burden than necessary on gun owning citizens, please consider amending "prohibited person" to "prohibited person who was also convicted of a violent crime", or similar wording. It seems unnecessary that a gun owner be subject to such measures simply because, for example, their partner was found guilty of tax evasion or was caught using marijuana years ago (both actual reasons you can become prohibited from owning a firearm). 1793: This bill seems essential for concealed carry license holders such as myself. As things stand, it is incredibly easy to accidentally commit a crime while attempting to concealed carry, unless you are able to memorize the specific local ordinances for every town I'm Virginia as they apply to public buildings, parks, and special events/parades, as well as be aware of any and all special events/parades happening on a daily basis. Not exempting concealed carry license holders from these laws makes absolutely no one safer, and creates a legal nightmare for people like me.

Please do not support these gun control bills. These bills have implications that will disproportionally affect minority communities and make it harder for these groups to exercise their second amendment rights.

I demand that you support: HB 1773, Delegate Freitas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. You also need to oppose: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This bill is an absolute joke and will do nothing. It is obvious that this is a pathetic attempt by Guzman to please her anti gun overlords. This truly is a gun control pandering bill. It's pathetic and this is wasting ink and paper.

I support these gun bills that respect individuals rights, specifically concealed carry rights. A concealed firearm by a vetted, lawful citizen presents no real danger to the public. Laws that create a patchwork of legal restrictions on the other hand, set up honest people to become accidental criminals or to make decisions that could let their firearm become stolen. If it is illegal to bring a gun in a park, do you want people to leave them in their car in high theft situations? Furthermore, patchwork legislation without exemptions leaves those who need a firearm for domestic safety vulnerable. Make laws that support honest gun owners and not criminals. Thank you

OPPOSE HB2319 You should OPPOSE HB2319. This bill seeks to penalize the law-abiding housemate gun owner, while ignoring the person who is already prohibited from handling guns. Last year's anti-gun laws had a goal: to disarm normal citizens rather than to reduce gun crime. For example, remember that the Virginia Beach killer was a municipal employee who killed his fellow employees in a gun-free municipal building. Just like this year's HB2319, last-year's anti-gun bills did not penalize actual criminals. You should support the new bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310 which help restore some of the rights taken by the 2020 anti-gun laws. Pat Grandelli

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Derek Le Vie 105 Combs Loop Yorktown, VA 23693-1915 heliman406@gmail.com

Freitas, Davis, Fowler, and Runion have proposed bills that recognize Virginians' fundamental right to bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, and their communities. I urge our delegates to support these measures wholeheartedly, recognizing that public safety lies first and foremost in their constituents' hands (our Commonwealth wouldn't be very democratic otherwise).

The 2nd Amendment of United States Constitution clearly states that our RIGHT to bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, therefore any bill or law that hinders that RIGHT in any way is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Those who put forth any such hindrance have grievously breached the Oath of Representative Office they hold and their Constituents Rights and Good Faith.

Please SUPPORT bills HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310, and OPPOSE HB 2319. 1773 Is for constitutional carry. Anyone who could qualify for a concealed handgun permit should be able to carry concealed. Anything less is an infringement on the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which is the Law of the Land. 1793 CHP holders are trained and law-abiding, and should be exempt from local gun-control laws and regulations. They are adding to the safety of their communities, being able to react to a situation and perhaps prevent a crime or mass shooting before police could get to the scene. 2285 Retired LEOs and non-resident CHP holders should be exempt from "one handgun a month". These people can be trusted. Their handgun purchases are not going to result in crime or malfeasance, but add to their ability to protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. 2310 Please extend the availability of online CHP training and certification until at least April 30, 2021. This is the quickest and least expensive way a person can qualify for concealed carry. It benefits many working people, who may not be able to take off work to attend an in-person class. It benefits the poor, who are more likely able to afford the nominal cost of an online course more than a resident course. And it benefits minorities, who often live in poorer neighborhoods where crime is rampant, in that it gives them a quicker way to qualify for a concealed handgun permit. 2319 Please oppose this bill, which, among other things, requires a secured, locked-up handgun to be UNLOADED, which would hamper its use in a life-threatening emergency. If it is locked up, it is already secure. In case of a home invasion, the safe would have to be opened, which is enough hindrance to the emergency acquisition of the firearm. Adding the burden of then having to load the weapon and chamber a round would further delay emergency response to a threat.

These five bills all protect the rights of Virginians to self-defense as they move about the Commonwealth during their daily schedules. For some reason, many prohibitions against the right to self-defense have been imposed on law-abiding Virginians. Of course, criminals will ignore any laws, including local bans on concealed carry. There have been numerous criminal acts near my home in the last six months and "gun free zones" have not prevented any of these acts. Support our rights to self-defense as we move about our daily activities.

I write in support of HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. I support these bills as they add to the freedoms & rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth. HP1773, from Del Freitas is of particular interest, as it follows the intent of a Commonwealth, in that your votes & laws imposed should be for the common good. This is a right & freedom that is being stripped from law-abiding citizens. I also vehemently oppose HB2319, as this bill directly throws common-sense right out the window. If you follow this logic, its not enough to lock your car in a locked garage, but you would have to either disconnect & remove the battery or remove the wheels & tires, to ensure that no one could drive your car who was not "authorized" to. What about the rights of the person who is authorized? Does their life mean less, as that the firearm is already locked away, then on top of it now unloaded? What about when something happens & it calls for quick action? First you have to get into the safe to get your firearm, then for sake of argument, you have a shotgun, then you have to locate each shotgun shell, one at a time & load them one at a time. When seconds count, it only takes minutes to get a serviceable firearm into a fireable condition. Are you going to start saying that someone who has never had a DUI, but lives with someone who has, would have to go through my example above every time they came home, because they have to reap the punishment of something they have never done. I know I brought it up earlier "Common-Sense", I understand it is a limited commodity now-a-days but we need to try our best to use it. A "Commonwealth" is just that, an intent for the common good of every single citizen as the whole. It is not for political agendas, the lobbyist, the squeaky wheel groups or any other agenda that is not for the whole of Virginias citizenry. Its time that we stop acting on agendas and parties, it time you ALL start thinking about every Virginian, even the silent ones, that sit back & pray you actually uphold you oath of office & do your jobs. Remember that We the People deserve better. You were sent their to represent all of us, not just some of us. It's time to stop being followers, because the party or fundraisers told you to, but time to stand up & be the leaders we expect you to be. Sic Semper Tyrannis

As a voting constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Gun owners in Fairfax county feel betrayed by the actions of the state and county. I also urge you to please OPPOSE HB2319

I don't know why you communists keep passing anti-gun legislation. There are too many anti-gun laws on the books to keep track of so people just ignore them! Do you really think that people bother to inconvenience themselves in order to follow your unconstitutional laws? No, they don't. They just go about their business regardless of what you do. The police don't even enforce those unconstitutional laws. They just look the other way or wave you on.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319!

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). -A permit is nothing more than a piece of paper and come on if that worked, domestic violence injunctions would work. Stop with the red tape, over-regulation and join the other states that have successfully adopted this. And with all the over-regulation about open-carry, and virtue signaling by people that are ignorant about guns (being scared because a responsible person has an openly carried gun) you would think this makes perfect sense. Besides, criminals don't follow the law, they already have constitutional carry. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. - These local laws are becoming more intrusive, probably unconstitutional, and making it difficult for law abiding people to be compliant. Law abiding people who have already been approved to own and use a firearm. The lack of common sense and lack of logic that is being thrown about in the name of "gun control" is ridiculous. Virginians have spoken, loudly, and yet you still continue to push for things YOU want, not what the people want. Useless laws that are not even being enforced are just, well, void!! HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. - Self explanatory HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Encouraging individuals to have to attend public gatherings is completely against the guidance given by the Governors office, the CDC, and many other agencies. And where is the data showing this is an issue related to the online class? - COVD - why are we forcing people to subject themselves to COVID just to obtain a permit when the governor even says social distance, stay home, don't do unnecessary socializing. Just seems like something that is a non-issue. Where are the stats saying this has been a problem? Have we had a rash of shootings by otherwise unqualified concealed permit holders that would have resulted otherwise had the holder been to an in-person class? And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. - Self Explanatory and already covered by federal law. How much over-regulation are you going to continue to propagate? And I'm sorry an unloaded, stored firearm in a home shows how ignorant the drafter of this bill really is to the aspects of self-defense. I'd challenge this is also unconstitutional and violates the constitution in that the home is not where the government gets to dictate law; it's intrusive and invasive and, again, where is the data supporting that there is an issue that needs to be addressed?

I’m pretty sure you all took an oath to protect, preserve, & uphold the Constitution of the United States. With that said then why do you even consider any gun legislation????It is very sad what is happening to this country with the continued attacks on the 2nd Amendment and the Constitution as a whole. Guns aren’t the problem, it’s people. The continued removal of God in this country is slowly destroying our society with less and less morals, respect, & love for one another. Your ‘gun control’ legislation serves no purpose but continue to chip away at the Constitution which is what got us to where we are today. I implore you to reconsider these bills and think of this country & our Constitution. We must have the right to defend ourselves with the same tools as the murderers and thieves amongst us. You KNOW they don’t EVER adhere to any gun control laws so therefore innocent men, women, children pay the price. Please...think. Thank you~

Attention Delegates, I do not want to waste much of. your time today, I would like to state my support for HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Thank you. Paul Jobson

I urge you to suport pri- Second Amendment bills and ooose the bill that further infringe on liberty and the right of Virginians to keeo and bear arms. Very Respectfully, Milton Clary

HB 1773 - This is also known as "Constitutional Carry" and has been enacted in many other states. The net effect in those states is a DECREASE in crime using a firearm and crime in general. This will only serve to make Virginia Safer HB 1793 - Holders of concealed carry permits are statistically LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT a crime than police officers. I ought to know as a former police officer. This will allow law abiding citizens who go through the extra scrutiny of obtaining a permit to protect themselves and others. HB 2285 - Retired police officer who served honorably deserve the respect entailed in this bill. HB 2310 - This is a necessary stop gap that will prevent law abiding citizens from running afoul of a new law. HB 2319 - This punishes a citizen who has done no wrong and will fall disproportionally on persons of color.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds people with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. I urge you to OPPOSE - HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

I support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and want no more gun control. Thank you.

I am what many would consider a Northern Virginia Liberal. I have not been particularly politically active and as far as firearms I own a 5 shot revolver and a pump action shotgun. I have a Concealed Carry Permit but have never used it. I am humbly writing to ask the Virginia State Legislature to respect the spirit of the constitution of our state and our country. Unlike some other states, Virginia has shown for centuries that it respects its own citizens to be well informed and mature enough to carry firearms. The recent trend away from this long held respect is worrisome. I implore the committee and the legislature at large to abandon obnoxious gun control efforts, to return to the free and open state we have been for so long, and to restore our rights in Northern Virginia and elsewhere now restricted. My vote, and the vote of anyone like me, which has been traditionally center left, depend upon the continued respect of our rights and liberties, given by God, and hitherto recognized by the state.

It is imperative to support the rights of the 2nd ammendment for citizens. As stated, the 2nd Ammendment states: "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. " . Ergo support of the first 5 bills HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 2310 supports the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. I am opposed to HB 2319 due to it infringes upon the right of a citizen to keep and bear Arms. It is important for the representatives to interrupt the constitutional rights of citizens and not infringe upon that right.

Why are you all trying to make us less safe? Its alot like saying you need to take a vaccine, but then suddenly make that vaccine less available and distribution less efficient. Its almost like you want people to die. The only thing that should die are these horrible bills. My body, my choice. My security, my choice. Hands off my security. Kill these bills.

Please support, and pass the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Greetings, Please follow the science and advocate for common sense solutions to crime and violence, and support actions which enable me to protect myself and my family if ever necessary to do so. Restricting civil liberties should not be taken so lightly. The CDC and many other organizations have clearly identified the root causes of crime, homicide, related early death as poverty, drugs, and alcohol. Our legislative bodies should never act to limit our Constitutional liberties. I urge you all to SUPPORT the following bills which advance citizens to protect themselves and their families form criminals. HB 1773, Delegate Frieta. HB 1793, Delegate Davis. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler. HB 2310, Delegate Runion. Please OPPOSE HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. This bill places an unreasonable limitation on citizens and places them at risk far more than it enhances safety. Understandably, the firearm should be adequately secured. Requiring it be unloaded and ammunition also secured elsewhere is a ridiculous provision. Further, how would you possibly enforce it. This is not a common sense proposal. Respectfully, Jarrett Rhodes

Please support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Please honor your oaths to the Virginia Constitution and the Constitution of the United States by supporting these bills. Supporting these bills will show the citizens of the Virginia your commitment to helping our nation and our commonwealth heal from the great political divide that exists. Start the healing process and honor your oaths by supporting these bills and opposing any liberty destroying bills that come your way. Thank you for your service, Tim Cullen

I am writing to express my opposition to any and all legislation that infringes on my constitutional right to bear arms. Our founding fathers knew then that an armed populace is a deterrent to those that would seek to take away other rights. History shows that the first thing those seeking to control the populace do is to disarm them. A responsible citizen gun owner is not the problem, criminals are. If fact, any devise: a car, a truck, a ball point pen, a utility knife, can become a weapon in the hands of someone with a bad intent. I urge you to stop these efforts to disarm Virginians.

Let's protect all of our constitutional rights. History has proven people loose their rights a little at a time. Don't trample on our Second Amendment rights because then we will loose out First Amendment rights and so forth.

I believe most Virginia citizens are pro-Second Amendment in the fullest sense. As one of them, I do not want my right to own, open-or-concealed carry, and use my firearms sensibly and lawfuly to be infringed upon. This right is a also matter of public safety. I have a right to defend myself and others against criminal, anarchist and terrorist elements should such an occasion arise. As a retired Army officer, an antique US military weapons collector, reentactor and target shooter, I think I am capable of repsonsibly, safely and lawfully able to own, care for and utilize my weapons without politically motivated restrictions placed upon me. Frankly, I believe that any further restrictions placed upon our collective/individual fundamental right to keep and bear arms as protected within the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution amounts to criminalistic legislation against me and my fellow citizens. I fully support HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and reject HB 2319 emphatically. Politicians need to listen to the citizens and not to the whims of divisive, anti-American special interest groups looking to alter American societal traditions, norms, and constitutional rights. Elected officials are meant to represent us and our Constitution as written and implemented, period. Americans do not need to be reeducated against our fundamental and inalienable rights, traditions, societal norms and culture, nor does our nation at the local, municipal, county, state and national strata need to be transformed into something unrecognizeable and un-American. Therefore, I reemphasize to the Virginia State Legislature - PASS HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and REJECT HB 2319! America first, America only, America always! Thank you.

Would like for your support on all the bills except HB2319.

Let's keep this simple. HB 1773 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 1793 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 2310 - This is a good bill to support, but it could be improved upon by simply doing away with the legislation that prohibits on line concealed carry training. HB 2319 - A horrible bill. VOTE IT DOWN!!! Sincerely, Craig S. Lane 613 Cobbler Terr Leesburg, VA 20175

Concerning HB 1793, 2285, 2310, 2319... I strongly encourage you to vote for these HBs as it is our 2nd Right Amendment Right to have such legislation protecting all and any lawful persons to exercise their God given rights to protect themselves and loved ones. These HBs contribute to and help enforce our 2nd Amendment Rights . Concerning HB 2319... Mr. Guzman, No anti-gun laws will stop criminals from committing crimes against law abiding people. They are criminals for a reason...they do not adhere to our country's laws ! This HB will only delay the reaction time of a law abiding citizen from protecting himself & loved ones, should a criminal engage in such crimes as home invasion, intent to cause injury or death to an innocent victim. This HB contradicts common sense when it comes to a person protecting themselves and loved ones from a criminal. I respectfully request this HB not pass the legislator. Respectfully, Drew Boles, Wirtz,VA.

These 4 bills would make va a safer place and would enhance our constitutional rights

There are four pro-gun bills and one anti-gun bill. The anti-gun bill should be rejected since the people of this Commonwealth believe in a freedom to own a gun and that should not be taken away. No matter what it represents, the anti-gun politicians want to remove all guns and in so doing are creating an environment that will not be so rewarding for anti-gunnersand their comrades.

Good evening. I am a resident of Virginia Beach and I urge you to vote Yea on HB1773, 1793, 2285 & 2310. These bills reduce the onerous restrictions placed on law-abiding concealed handgun permit holders. Virginia is making a habit of expending energy to place roadblocks to honest people that could be better spent on actually addressing crime and criminals. These bills represent the direction we should be moving. By giving freedoms to upstanding citizens of the Commonwealth. Thank you for your time. Vincent Smith

Please support HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310. Please particularly support HB 1793, which exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. Fairfax County wasted no time posting "no guns" signs on miles of secluded, wooded trails behind my neighborhood. I've lived here since 2012 and never once seen a police officer on those trails. Along with the risk of criminal interaction in a secluded area, there is the risk of attack by wildlife or stray dogs. Our most vulnerable populations should not be stripped of their most effective means of self defense deep in the woods. Concealed carry permit holders are the most law-abiding segment of society. They should not be targeted by a feel-good do-nothing law that emboldens the criminal element. Please oppose HB2319. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Any law against the constitution is not law !!! HB2319 should never be considered under the oath of office you took and HB 1773, 1793, 2285 and 2310 are in our Constitution and is your duty to uphold the Constitution you took a oath to uphold...

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Simon Khiabani 15268 Cartersville Ct Haymarket, VA 20169 1simon.sk@gmail.com

As a long-time Virginia citizen and voter, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, to correct errors in the previous bill bringing in some obvious exemptions. Allowing retired police officers is in the interests of public safety. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable, unnecessary, imposes added needless costs on the owner and does little to nothing for public safety. Sincerely, Marc Gorelick 1830 Columbia Pike #210 Arlington, VA 22204 gorelickmarc13rarius@hotmail.com

As Virginia & Roanoke County citizens who take an active part in National, State & local politics, we want all of our VA Elected Officials to know that we support and will defend our 2nd Amendment Rights and fully expect each and every one of you folks to do so also. Voting for any bill that restricts our 2nd Amendment Rights will be noted and appropriate actions on the upcoming election cycle can be assured. We will actively watch and remember how each member of our State Legislature votes on any such bills/measures. God Bless each one of you fine dedicated Virginia Representatives and we trust that you will individually & collectively give proper attention to our U.S. Constitution paying particular attention to our 2nd Amendment Rights prior to any further voting! Ralph & Mary Bosen 7180 Buckeye Road Roanoke, VA 24018 540-774-8949

Arlington young professional. Millenial. Latino. Pro-Gun. Thanks.

I respectfully request that any and all my representatives to please use common sense on pro-gun rights bills. I'm retired law enforcement and currently carry a LEOSA card. Some of the bills I've seen introduced should be thrown out and not even considered. Remember that criminals will ALWAYS get weapons regardless of your passed laws in Virginia or the United States. Please work on more important matters like the Covid situation, opening up businesses, employment, and stop tearing apart our history such as monuments. If you continue to let our present governor continue with his erratic ideas, I believe we're headed down a slippery slope. Respectfully, Roy Beatty

I am a voter. I will support anyone who supports bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I will not vote or support anyone who supports bill HB2319. Carl Dodge

I support these common sense bills that will reduce gun violence.

Hi Committee members and Staff, Support: HB-1773, HB-1793, HB-2285 HB-2310 Oppose: HB-2319 Thank you for honoring your Oath of Office and the Rights of the Citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There should be no limitation on the exercise of rights for law-abiding citizens. Instead, focus on keeping criminals off the streets so we can live free. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There is no reason to restrict carry by law-abiding citizens anywhere . HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. One handgun a month is a sill law to begin with. Two recent straw purchase cases in VA resulted in arrests and prosecution. Emphasis should be on enforcing existing law, not imposing new infringements on the rights of the law-abiding. CHP holders are the most law-abiding segment of society, and there is no reason their purchase thresholds should be limited under the guise of stopping arms trafficking. I object to any exemption for LEOs. They are citizens, too, and should be held accountable to the same laws as other citizens. This applies to active duty as well as retires LEOs. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. The law to require in-person training is silly to begin with. CHPs are silly to begin with. We need to return Constitutional carry since the right to keep an bear arms is protected by the 2nd Amendment. Anyone who is too dangerous to own and carry a firearm should be in prison or otherwise removed from civil society. Permitting does nothing more than turn a right into a privilege, HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This is a silly bill that grasps at possibility instead of being rooted in fact. It implies that gun owners are inherently irresponsible. There is no reason a law-abiding citizen should be required to act as a prohibited person just because he or she cohabitates with one. It is already illegal for a prohibited person to possess a firearm. We don't need more laws that only impact the law-abiding and will do nothing to stop crime.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. OPPOSE HB2319!

As an avid Sportsman please know that Virginia’s actions thus far has deterred me from hunting in the Commonwealth. I’m sure you’re aware of the enhanced revenue that out of state sportsman generate, both in licensing fees and sales taxes. Your recent anti-gun legislative stance is the reason I DID NOT come to Virginia to hunt this year. The word is out amongst Sportsmen, “Virginia is persona non grata”. STAY AWAY. is this truly the message the Legislature intended to send. You have made most of my hunting guns illegal. The patchwork of anti-gun laws you permitted can make me a felon simply by driving across a double secret imaginary line. You did this with intention, purpose and malice. Small businesses suffer as you infringe on my 2nd Amendment. I respectfully urge you to NOT approve these Bills. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. ! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it.

I am pro freedom and pro 2nd amendment. I am against any law that will abridge my 2nd amendment rights. Gun laws only affect the law abiding as the lawless will not heed restrictions that have been put to paper. Murderers use guns as tools to cause mayhem. Law abiders use guns as a tool to defend themselves and the helpless against these would be murderers. Most law enforcement recognizes this and are happy to have, these exemplary citizens as allies. Promote and support bills: HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Strike and kill HB 2319. Long live a free United States of America.

Virginia is a low crime and low gun crime state. Enacting a bunch of high crime state laws is going to make us a high crime state. Don't fix a problem that doesn't exist and hurt the citizens of Virginia doing it.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! Protect my right to defend my family if put into a situation where our lives are in imminent danger. In the current environment, where it can be dangerous to speak at all, I implore you to safeguard my God-given rights to protect myself and my loved ones. Sincerely, A 63-year-old woman, wife, mother, and grandmother

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. OPPOSE HB2319! This is one of the most absurd, intrusive, ridiculous, thoughtless, oppressive, un-Constitutional ideas I've ever heard in my life - sincerely!! - in my LIFE!!! Since your “red flag” law leaves a presumed-dangerous person free (though without her own firearms) to inflict harm to herself or others……..wouldn’t you want her roommate or spouse to have readily available means of self defense ?!?! Again, this is absurd, and you must oppose HB 2319 !! HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

HB 2319: Those who habitate with a person who is not authorized to operate a firearm, already have enough of a burden to secure the firearm. In the event of an emergency situation (home intrusion?), then the seconds it takes to reload a firearm could be the difference between life and death. HB1773: This makes logical sense. If a person holds a firearm, there is nothing to gain as a matter of public policy by requiring they open carry it. HB1793: CHP holders have already been subjected to background checks. HB 2285: Background checks have already been completed. Any further restrictions, serve no purpose, other than publicity. HB2310: Due to COVID, people have limited options for classroom education. We should not discourage people from exercising their rights. However, this would be moot if we passed HB1793

As a Virginia citizen, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. The citizens of Virginia DO NOT want nor need any further infringements on their GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to defend themselves!

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Lee Ann Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the weapon be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Robert Hicks Linden, VA

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Eric Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

HB1173 Freitas: let's trust the people. If they would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun, why the paperwork and registration process so that they can? HB1793 Davis: let's make it easy for the people we ought to trust. Concealed is concealed - there's no argument for social comfort, there's no argument for public safety . . . crossing the street shouldn't change all of the rules. HB2285 Fowler: a good cleanup bill to align the populations affected by gun restrictions. HB2310 Runion: until COVID ends, we need to support virtual learning of all types. HB2319 Guzman: this bill would be awfully hard on those in small apartments and homes. Further, it puts the compliance onus on the innocent party.

Please do not pass any legislation tinkering with making it more burdensome to own firearms and ammunition or to use them in self-defense or any other legal activities. The government fixation on firearms is so embarrassing. Anyone wishing to keep tampering with the 2nd Amendment has ulterior motives on reducing freedom of American citizens, and I wish you would just make that agenda plain instead of continually hiding it.

HB 1773 - I support this bill. This bill would save court clerks huge amounts of unnecessary paperwork without a negative impact on public safety. HB 1793 - I support this bill. The restrictions put in place by localities in the last year are all about sending an anti-gun political message, not about making people safer. Concealed handgun permit holders can be trusted to safely carry a gun on the sidewalk--why should they be barred from bike trails and parks? HB 2285 - I support this bill, which may be helpful to military members who have moved to Virginia but have not obtained a Virginia concealed handgun permit. This would not exempt gun buyers from background checks. Permit holders from some other places, such as DC, have gone through even more stringent application processes than in Virginia! HB 2310 - I support this bill. The pandemic made it very difficult for people to get their concealed handgun permit applications submitted to their local court clerk, especially if they needed to submit something in person. This bill would help people who would have been able to submit by the deadline but for a pandemic-related closure of their local court clerk's office. HB 2319 - I oppose this bill. This bill would punish people who failed to understand the complex laws that caused their roommate to be prohibited from gun possession due to criminal and mental health histories. It would be difficult to prosecute because the Commonwealth's Attorney would have to show that the defendant knew about the roommate's history AND knew that it caused them to be prohibited from possessing guns. This bill also overreaches by putting requirements on ammunition storage that probably exceed the restrictions placed on some individuals due to their criminal convictions, protective orders, or mental health history.

Please vote against all gun control bills. With all the riots going on we the people need to be able to protect ourselves. If you to take away guns then you should give up your security. All people unprotected seems fair. Also maybe you should check the U.S. Constitution as to the second amendment. Thank you, A.G. Morris IV.

As a constituent in Arlington, VA, I would like the following actions to be taken on these bills. Oppose HB 1773 - If an individual is eligible for a CHP, they should take the necessary steps to apply for a CHP if they wish to carry concealed. This is common sense. Support HP 1793 - Individuals who have CHPs should be allowed to carry and be exempt from local gun control. Criminals do not obey laws that forbid crime so individuals who have received education and training to carry concealed should be allowed to do so. Oppose HB 2285 - One Handgun a month is perfectly reasonable, regardless of person. Support HB 2310 - CHP training being required in person during a pandemic seems dangerous. Please delay this until April. Oppose HB 2319 - If your roommate or child doesn't have a driver's license, you're not required by law to lock away the key or vehicle. Same should apply to firearms. Responsible storage and maintenance is the responsibility of the gun owner, not for the law to decide. There are common sense laws and then laws that don't make any sense. Please continue to make good legislative decisions that do not punish law abiding gun owners, while pushing for safety that is reasonable and constitutionally appropriate. THANK YOU!

In this day and age, after ALL of the settled law as opined by SCOTUS it absolutely stuns me that you liberals continue to infringe upon our GOD GIVEN CONSTITUTIONALLY protected RIGHTS (NOT privileges - RIGHTS) to protect ourselves through gun ownership which (as ratified and adopted by the Commonwealth) SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED). Have any of you even bothered to read the Federalist papers regarding the definition of gun ownership and rights to the same? GUN RIGHTS ARE A MATTER OF SETTLED LAW WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! It is long past time for you liberals to stop taking a note out of the authoritarian Nazi playbook, stop ne8ng so bigotted against gun owners, and stop trying to turn us into helpless victims! These rights are not ONLY enshrined in the 2nd Amendment (as adopted by the Commonwealth, written, in fact, by a Virginian), but also within the Preamble to the Constitution itself. As a FREE society (whether you like or or not), we CANNOT 'form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON DEFENSE, or promote the GENERAL WELFARE AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS of liberty to OURSELVES AND our posterity,' WITHOUT the settled laws of the land which ensure our gun rights and rights to ownership of same. Get over it tou bunch of school yard bullies!

I didn't spend 23 years of my life defending The Constitution to let a bunch of spinless, yellow bellied cowards shred kit.

Now that you have made a horrendous patchwork of inconsistent local laws regarding firearms, those of us that face very real dangers could accidentally break the law just by trying to protect ourselves. I am a woman. I am only 4'10" tall. I have had stalkers, and due to work in law enforcement as a computer forensic examiner, I am threatened by criminal defendants and their associates. Because I am not a cop or special agent, no law enforcement exceptions apply to me. I cannot get a protective order because I do not always know who made the threats. I have been attacked several times. My assailants threatened to burn my house, kill my family, and torture and rape me. The very least you could do after making the legislative mess in last year's session is to exempt concealed carry permit holders from these ridiculous restrictions. We have been background checked, we have taken at least one safety course (though many of us opt to take courses and train with our firearms regularly in order to be sure that our skills and safety practices remain current). HB2319 is particularly troubling. If the firearm is locked away from the "bad guy", then it is also less accessible to the peaceful law abiding person (who will be less able to access it when needed for self defense).

Dear delegates - As a law-abiding citizen who wishes to ensure my God-given (NOT state granted) right to protect myself and my family against both criminals and tyrannical government I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO SUPPORT the following four bills before your committee: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Likewise I STRONGLY OPPOSE yet another anti-gun bill submitted to your committee: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please vote against any and all forms of Bill's designed to limit or restrict our right to bear arms. Thank You Cameron Reed

I urge you to approve all of these except HB2319-Guzman. It should be rejected

Remember your oath of office and do not infringe on citizen’s rights!

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Would you please discontinue what seems like a targeting of honest gun owners on proposed laws that either punish owners in various ways making it very difficult to purchase ammo, use a high powered flash light, attempt to impose heavy taxation which of course targets people of lower income, limiting the ability to smith or modify self defense weapons. I understand that the nature of certain laws is to limit the ability to have fully automatic weapons which already exist, but continues to ignore the reality that anyone at anytime can obtain the necessary resources to act in a way that is malevolent to society that completely disregards any laws that could ever be passed. A law breaker has no intentions of abiding by laws acting in a way that demonstrates any actual character. The current laws that exist are already limiting and to expect complete certainty in all situations is impossible even at the expense of personal freedom that I and most everyone, even non gun owners typically value over continued restrictions. These points continue to be made time and time again and the laws that are propose need to practical purpose that does not restrict individuals who simply wish to have their rights respected rather than continually challenged. It always appears that these bills are also proposed with the attempt to pass them without the public having an awareness of such situations creating a lack of transparency. What is your intent as representatives of VA, to always follow a party affiliated narrative if democrat and attempt to institute control measures. Do we just endlessly continue to play out arguments of such nature for years to come or can we simply acknowledge that most people act responsible and some sadly at times do not but limiting those responsible is not a solution that deters those of evil intentions in the end.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Virginia voters have overwhelmingly shown that racist, Jim Crow gun control is unwelcome in the Commonwealth through Lobby Day after Lobby Day and hundreds of Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities. Your vote against civil rights for POC and all citizens will be remembered on voting day and beyond.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB2285

All gun laws in the United States have lead to racial disparities in enforcement (see NY and DC) and support the carceral state by creating new victimless crimes to arrest more people. Ultimately these laws are created by people protected by guns (legislators) and are enforced by people with guns (police). Help end racism and step back from empowering the carceral state by opposing "gun control."

I ask you to heavily support HB1773 allowing common sense firearm carry enable individuals the right to adequately protect themselves. I ask you support HB1793 as local ordinances not allowing carry is a severe infringement on Virginians right to self protection. I ask you to support HB2310, as Virginians right to self defense doesn't go away in a pandemic I ask you to support HB2285 although I believe that the law of only purchasing 1 handgun a month for the common Virginian is infringement on their inherent 2nd amendment right. I ask you to strongly oppose HB2319. This is a violation of privacy and the enforcement of this would violate people privacy. Not a good slope to go down.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please support the constitutional rights of your constituents and break with the Democrats who are working so hard to subvert our rights! There is no human right more fundamental than the right to defend yourself and your loved ones from violent attack.

Committee Members, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Seth Tilstra

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Please SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Adam Gifford 1616 Peppers Ferry Rd Pulaski, VA 24301-2904 afgiff4d@gmail.com

Dear Delegates, Please, your existing gun laws do not work. Please do not enact more anti-gun legislation that also will not work. In all seriousness, if we're so worried and afraid about proven violent felons getting their hands on guns (again), how about you just put, and keep, them in jail out of circulation? That really is the only foolproof method of keeping criminals from repeating their violence upon us. No more gun control! Stop infringing on my 2nd Amendment rights (and similar rights in our Commonwealth's Constitution)! Enact strong laws that put and keep actual violent offenders in jail. Not useless laws that only serve to limit or prevent my ability to defend my family, and to engage in various firearms' competitions. If you want to actually save lives, how about banning cell phones and booze? Think about all the lives senselessly lost to drunk and distracted driving. Or do those lives not matter? Thank you for your consideration.

I am happy to see legislation protecting 2nd amendment rights, although disappointed that they have become necessary. Any gun control stacks the cards against women, people of color, and the disabled community. We should be providing education and training, NOT restricting rights of good citizens.

I ask that you support the following bills coming up in committee: HB 1773 HB 1793 HB 2285 HB 2310 I ask that you vote against bill HB 2319 (Delegate Guzman). This bill increases the time it would take for a lawful gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310! OPPOSE HB2319!

Please support HB1773, 1793, 2285, and 310. These are common sense changes that are needed to reduce the burden on law abiding citizens that practice their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and a bill of Rights. Please DO NOT support HB 2319 Citizens do not need any more restrictions on our rights. I do not support gun control and refuse to support political leaders that do.

As a Virginia Resident, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Hello, I am an honest, law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying, property-owning husband and father. Please do not further restrict my firearm-related rights. Thank you, Chris

If someone has passed the mandatory background checks needed for a Concealed Carry Permit, then they have shown themselves to be capable and trustworthy citizens in the eyes of the State. If that is the case, then there is no reasonable excuse to prevent the permit holder from carrying in all places. Additionally there is no reason to prevent the permit holder from purchasing an additional firearm within 30 days. Firearms are collectibles and transferring a collection should not take months or years to complete. That is unfair and undue towards the people that the State has already deemed safe.

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 see need for this additional language, BUT, If you think there is a need well OK.

HB2310 addresses a very real issue related to COVID-19 quarantines. Many people took online classes to meet the permissible proof of training in 2020. However, they were prevented from submitting applications due to jurisdictional restrictions based on COVID-19. This bill would afford these people their rightful application process. It is not asking to extend the deadline or change the law that took affect on January 1, 2021. It is simply allowing those people who acted in good faith and made every effort submit their application before the deadline to move forward with the process. Many people were told to mail in their applications, however the US Postal Service took 4 or more weeks to deliver. Others were told to leave the application in a drop box, only to find out that the box was not checked daily. This travesty of justice is easily remedied by the passage of this bill. I thank you for voting to move this bill forward. HB2319 requires that care be taken to keep firearms out of the hands of prohibited people. As amended, with Subsection B which allows for viable access by nonprohibited household members, I am neutral on this bill. However, if the Subsection were to be altered or struck from the bill my position would change to opposition. Thank you for your time and consideration, Patricia Y Webb

i am supporting all with exception to HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. i do not support HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. that bill will just mean i would be limited in housing options for having my hunting shotgun. I understand the intent, but it is just needless.

These are all reasonable measures and needed for saftey. ATF statistics show that criminals gravitate to gun ban regions. Please make America safer. Thank you; SD Hunt

Dear Sir or Madame : I oppose any gun control. As a citizen of America, father, and a husband I am responsible for four lives in this world. I take it serious. The self- determination thing with firearms is hard enough. I can't imagine freedom without them. But you, you and the left want to take that away. You want to LIMIT my ability to protect and serve. Why ? You sit in Richmond and serve your loyal democratic master, while I go un- represented. Look at the data. The data that's not paid for buy mike bloomburg and co. You'll see, more gun control only makes it easier for the criminal. My right shall not be infringed upon. Sincerely John Zielanski

Any bill that restricts use of weapons to law abiding citizens is a huge deal. You can outlaw the world but criminals will get anything they want - its the law abiding people who suffer. You may think it's about time to get big guns out of the way and of the streets but you will only restrict access away from those who may step up one day and save you, or that child, or that officer. Did you know the 2nd amendment was not written for hunters, it was written so that we could protect ourselves against a government gone so foul it was turning away from us to socialism and communism . Hitler took weapons first, China took weapons first, Russia did too. it is a paid for movie step one in the plan to make you a communist society. You then have nothing to defend the other rights with. You are done. People in this country will not give up their weapons peaceful in the night. Our weapons are our way of protecting our way of life. What is the government afraid of that they need to disarm us ? This is a SHAM. If you continue to come after criminalizing gun possession it will eventually be seen as an act of hostility against the people who depend on you! The Legal Ones. If our Constitution gave us the Right to bear arms to protect us from a government going crazy - yet that very government is trying to disarm all of us - what is this??? One can only be concerned that it may be disarming us before you do something horrible??? The Bill of Rights Is a Sacred document. Do not mess with it. it outlines our basic rights and freedoms ! Ann Austin

This is a common sense bill that should pass...

As a constituent, I urge the Committee to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773 Sixteen other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793 The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. Permit holders have completed the required process, have clear backgrounds as verified by the investigations, and are proven outstanding citizens. HB 2285 This is needed to cleanup the language, bringing in obvious exemptions. HB 2310 This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319 There are serious flaws with this bill. First, requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. Second, requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Christopher Cusano 5720 Habersham Way Alexandria, VA 22310

I support all these bills with one exception: I agree either the concept put forth by Del. Guzman in HB 2319 that people who are not allowed to have firearms should be denied access to those firearms. However, requiring a locked weapon in a secure container to be unloaded is redundant, and increases the time that the owner needs to retrieve the firearm and prepare it for use to defend himself/ herself unnecessarily. Such emergencies require seconds to prepare for, and fumbling with a magazine or fumbling with loading rounds into the firearm in a highly stressful situation leaves the responsible gun owner defenseless to respond. If the committee would amend HB 2319 to remove this point, I can wholeheartedly support all these measures.

I support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I do NOT support HB2319. Living with a prohibited person doesn't prevent other criminals from perpetrating violent acts on anyone in the home. Rendering a firearm all but useless during violent attacks where seconds matter is irresponsible and dangerous.

I oppose all these bills because they solve no existing problems and are attempts to limit my constitutional rights. If looking for a problem to solve, try fixing the pathetic educational system that has evolved over the last 30 years.

Support individual gun rights. Respect the Constitution. An individual's right to carry a gun, buy a gun, train to use a gun, and defend themselves should not be limited. This country and this Commonwealth are divided politically. Please do not pass these divisive laws for which there is no mandate from the electorate. Criminals should be stopped, but law abiding gun owners should not be turned into criminals via unsubstantiated legislation. And in the current climate where people of one political persuasion (Conservatives) are being made to not feel comfortable voicing a particular opinion, it is a very bad time to limit people's right to self defense. Do not allow these trends that will break down the First and Second Amendments (cornerstones of our free democracy), to prevail. Protect the First Amendment. Allow all voices...even those of gun rights proponents.

I am a long time Arlington resident (30+) years, raised four kids here, and have never felt like I needed a gun. That changed this summer as rioters and looters stormed through Georgetown, breaking windows and many shops in Arlington (Apple!) boarded up windows. To have mobs march and scream for defunding the police all while destroying property and purposefully trying to frighten law abiding citizens leads even former gun haters to actually go out and buy guns. Millions across the country realized that self defense is an important right and duty! I support all of the pro gun rights bills checked above because gun ownership is not a crime. People who have received carry permits are more law abiding than even police. To have localities like Arlington start to enact laws that limit their rights to carry and self protect is quite wrong and I think there will be a voter backlash on this issue...even in Arlington! I am shocked by the number of people I have heard that purchased a gun or are contemplating it due to the summer's events. Please support an individual's right to buy, carry and have large enough magazines to defend themselves and their families. Support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 310. And oppose HB 2319 (Guzman).

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

As a 20-plus-year CHP holder in Chesterfield Co., and a constituent who votes in EVERY election, I strongly urge you all to vote YES on the following 4 PRO-gun bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And I must also urge you all to vote NO on this last bill because it fails to acknowledge common sense and is fatally flawed in its construction and intent.: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank You, all, for your attention. Sincerely, Ryan S. Bonney Midlothian, VA

I urge my representatives to take no action that would limit constitutional gun rights, and to take proper action to expand or undo gun limits, as they relate to law-abiding citizens of the Commonwealth. Every day in America 65 million gun owners act responsibly with their guns. You never hear about us; you don't see our firearms; we are a threat to no one. Yet gun control laws affect only us because criminals pay no attention to the decisions you're making today. I urge you in the strongest of terms to keep these truths in mind when you vote. Thank you. Virginia Welch, Rockville, Va.

I'm a liberal gun owner looking to provide my own nuanced perspective on these bills. 1773: This one seems obvious to me. It has always seemed backwards to me that you could be in a situation where you're ONLY allowed to open carry. In this area, open carrying tends to make a lot of folks around you uncomfortable, and I personally view it as the less courteous of the two options. I doubt someone with malicious intent is going to open carry regardless of the law, so preventing law abiding gun owners from doing to just makes things more uncomfortable for them and those around them. 2310: To be clear, I think every gun owner should get in person training as soon as possible. However, the coronavirus pandemic has currently made doing so unsafe, which has also coincided with the largest increase in new gun owners in my lifetime (including a huge increase in minority and women gun owners). Reflecting on recent events at the Capitol, it's not hard to imagine why so many of our fellow citizens have decided to become proactive about their own safety, and it is important that the state be flexible in allowing them a reasonable and safe avenue to do so during the pandemic. 2319: I respect what this bill is attempting to accomplish, but have issue with the requirement that firearms be stored unloaded. Besides being unenforceable (as far as I can tell), this defeats the concept of having a firearm for self-defense. It is possible to keep a firearm loaded while also unaccessible from a prohibited cohabitant. Also, in the interest of placing no more burden than necessary on gun owning citizens, please consider amending "prohibited person" to "prohibited person who was also convicted of a violent crime", or similar wording. It seems unnecessary that a gun owner be subject to such measures simply because, for example, their partner was found guilty of tax evasion or was caught using marijuana years ago (both actual reasons you can become prohibited from owning a firearm). 1793: This bill seems essential for concealed carry license holders such as myself. As things stand, it is incredibly easy to accidentally commit a crime while attempting to concealed carry, unless you are able to memorize the specific local ordinances for every town I'm Virginia as they apply to public buildings, parks, and special events/parades, as well as be aware of any and all special events/parades happening on a daily basis. Not exempting concealed carry license holders from these laws makes absolutely no one safer, and creates a legal nightmare for people like me.

Please do not support these gun control bills. These bills have implications that will disproportionally affect minority communities and make it harder for these groups to exercise their second amendment rights.

I demand that you support: HB 1773, Delegate Freitas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. You also need to oppose: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This bill is an absolute joke and will do nothing. It is obvious that this is a pathetic attempt by Guzman to please her anti gun overlords. This truly is a gun control pandering bill. It's pathetic and this is wasting ink and paper.

I support these gun bills that respect individuals rights, specifically concealed carry rights. A concealed firearm by a vetted, lawful citizen presents no real danger to the public. Laws that create a patchwork of legal restrictions on the other hand, set up honest people to become accidental criminals or to make decisions that could let their firearm become stolen. If it is illegal to bring a gun in a park, do you want people to leave them in their car in high theft situations? Furthermore, patchwork legislation without exemptions leaves those who need a firearm for domestic safety vulnerable. Make laws that support honest gun owners and not criminals. Thank you

OPPOSE HB2319 You should OPPOSE HB2319. This bill seeks to penalize the law-abiding housemate gun owner, while ignoring the person who is already prohibited from handling guns. Last year's anti-gun laws had a goal: to disarm normal citizens rather than to reduce gun crime. For example, remember that the Virginia Beach killer was a municipal employee who killed his fellow employees in a gun-free municipal building. Just like this year's HB2319, last-year's anti-gun bills did not penalize actual criminals. You should support the new bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310 which help restore some of the rights taken by the 2020 anti-gun laws. Pat Grandelli

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Derek Le Vie 105 Combs Loop Yorktown, VA 23693-1915 heliman406@gmail.com

Freitas, Davis, Fowler, and Runion have proposed bills that recognize Virginians' fundamental right to bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, and their communities. I urge our delegates to support these measures wholeheartedly, recognizing that public safety lies first and foremost in their constituents' hands (our Commonwealth wouldn't be very democratic otherwise).

The 2nd Amendment of United States Constitution clearly states that our RIGHT to bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, therefore any bill or law that hinders that RIGHT in any way is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Those who put forth any such hindrance have grievously breached the Oath of Representative Office they hold and their Constituents Rights and Good Faith.

Please SUPPORT bills HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310, and OPPOSE HB 2319. 1773 Is for constitutional carry. Anyone who could qualify for a concealed handgun permit should be able to carry concealed. Anything less is an infringement on the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which is the Law of the Land. 1793 CHP holders are trained and law-abiding, and should be exempt from local gun-control laws and regulations. They are adding to the safety of their communities, being able to react to a situation and perhaps prevent a crime or mass shooting before police could get to the scene. 2285 Retired LEOs and non-resident CHP holders should be exempt from "one handgun a month". These people can be trusted. Their handgun purchases are not going to result in crime or malfeasance, but add to their ability to protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. 2310 Please extend the availability of online CHP training and certification until at least April 30, 2021. This is the quickest and least expensive way a person can qualify for concealed carry. It benefits many working people, who may not be able to take off work to attend an in-person class. It benefits the poor, who are more likely able to afford the nominal cost of an online course more than a resident course. And it benefits minorities, who often live in poorer neighborhoods where crime is rampant, in that it gives them a quicker way to qualify for a concealed handgun permit. 2319 Please oppose this bill, which, among other things, requires a secured, locked-up handgun to be UNLOADED, which would hamper its use in a life-threatening emergency. If it is locked up, it is already secure. In case of a home invasion, the safe would have to be opened, which is enough hindrance to the emergency acquisition of the firearm. Adding the burden of then having to load the weapon and chamber a round would further delay emergency response to a threat.

These five bills all protect the rights of Virginians to self-defense as they move about the Commonwealth during their daily schedules. For some reason, many prohibitions against the right to self-defense have been imposed on law-abiding Virginians. Of course, criminals will ignore any laws, including local bans on concealed carry. There have been numerous criminal acts near my home in the last six months and "gun free zones" have not prevented any of these acts. Support our rights to self-defense as we move about our daily activities.

I write in support of HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. I support these bills as they add to the freedoms & rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth. HP1773, from Del Freitas is of particular interest, as it follows the intent of a Commonwealth, in that your votes & laws imposed should be for the common good. This is a right & freedom that is being stripped from law-abiding citizens. I also vehemently oppose HB2319, as this bill directly throws common-sense right out the window. If you follow this logic, its not enough to lock your car in a locked garage, but you would have to either disconnect & remove the battery or remove the wheels & tires, to ensure that no one could drive your car who was not "authorized" to. What about the rights of the person who is authorized? Does their life mean less, as that the firearm is already locked away, then on top of it now unloaded? What about when something happens & it calls for quick action? First you have to get into the safe to get your firearm, then for sake of argument, you have a shotgun, then you have to locate each shotgun shell, one at a time & load them one at a time. When seconds count, it only takes minutes to get a serviceable firearm into a fireable condition. Are you going to start saying that someone who has never had a DUI, but lives with someone who has, would have to go through my example above every time they came home, because they have to reap the punishment of something they have never done. I know I brought it up earlier "Common-Sense", I understand it is a limited commodity now-a-days but we need to try our best to use it. A "Commonwealth" is just that, an intent for the common good of every single citizen as the whole. It is not for political agendas, the lobbyist, the squeaky wheel groups or any other agenda that is not for the whole of Virginias citizenry. Its time that we stop acting on agendas and parties, it time you ALL start thinking about every Virginian, even the silent ones, that sit back & pray you actually uphold you oath of office & do your jobs. Remember that We the People deserve better. You were sent their to represent all of us, not just some of us. It's time to stop being followers, because the party or fundraisers told you to, but time to stand up & be the leaders we expect you to be. Sic Semper Tyrannis

As a voting constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Gun owners in Fairfax county feel betrayed by the actions of the state and county. I also urge you to please OPPOSE HB2319

I don't know why you communists keep passing anti-gun legislation. There are too many anti-gun laws on the books to keep track of so people just ignore them! Do you really think that people bother to inconvenience themselves in order to follow your unconstitutional laws? No, they don't. They just go about their business regardless of what you do. The police don't even enforce those unconstitutional laws. They just look the other way or wave you on.

I strongly support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2310. They are common sense limits on localities extending the already egregious limitations on the law-abiding citizens' right to possess the means and have the opportunity to protect and defend themselves. Additional local regulations would also further Balkanize Virginia with respect to gun ownership and control. They are blatant tyranny calculated to harass and intimidate the law abiding citizens of the state. Such moves do not increase public safety. They are also strongly divisive. I also support HB 2319, noting that, in addition to any religious objection, citizens have a right to opt out of any treatment that has not been proven safe to the standards already established for other widely available medications and medical treatments. The public record on the current Covid-19 vaccines clearly shows that they have been hysterically rushed to approval without any of these safeguards. That a citizen may be compelled to take such treatments is even more ridiculous when the mortality rate from Covid-19 is a scant 0.3%. If the governor, any official, or any other entity under their governance volunteers to turn themselves into lab rats, that is fine by me. Under the circumstances, they should not have the right to require others to do so.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319!

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). -A permit is nothing more than a piece of paper and come on if that worked, domestic violence injunctions would work. Stop with the red tape, over-regulation and join the other states that have successfully adopted this. And with all the over-regulation about open-carry, and virtue signaling by people that are ignorant about guns (being scared because a responsible person has an openly carried gun) you would think this makes perfect sense. Besides, criminals don't follow the law, they already have constitutional carry. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. - These local laws are becoming more intrusive, probably unconstitutional, and making it difficult for law abiding people to be compliant. Law abiding people who have already been approved to own and use a firearm. The lack of common sense and lack of logic that is being thrown about in the name of "gun control" is ridiculous. Virginians have spoken, loudly, and yet you still continue to push for things YOU want, not what the people want. Useless laws that are not even being enforced are just, well, void!! HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. - Self explanatory HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Encouraging individuals to have to attend public gatherings is completely against the guidance given by the Governors office, the CDC, and many other agencies. And where is the data showing this is an issue related to the online class? - COVD - why are we forcing people to subject themselves to COVID just to obtain a permit when the governor even says social distance, stay home, don't do unnecessary socializing. Just seems like something that is a non-issue. Where are the stats saying this has been a problem? Have we had a rash of shootings by otherwise unqualified concealed permit holders that would have resulted otherwise had the holder been to an in-person class? And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. - Self Explanatory and already covered by federal law. How much over-regulation are you going to continue to propagate? And I'm sorry an unloaded, stored firearm in a home shows how ignorant the drafter of this bill really is to the aspects of self-defense. I'd challenge this is also unconstitutional and violates the constitution in that the home is not where the government gets to dictate law; it's intrusive and invasive and, again, where is the data supporting that there is an issue that needs to be addressed?

I’m pretty sure you all took an oath to protect, preserve, & uphold the Constitution of the United States. With that said then why do you even consider any gun legislation????It is very sad what is happening to this country with the continued attacks on the 2nd Amendment and the Constitution as a whole. Guns aren’t the problem, it’s people. The continued removal of God in this country is slowly destroying our society with less and less morals, respect, & love for one another. Your ‘gun control’ legislation serves no purpose but continue to chip away at the Constitution which is what got us to where we are today. I implore you to reconsider these bills and think of this country & our Constitution. We must have the right to defend ourselves with the same tools as the murderers and thieves amongst us. You KNOW they don’t EVER adhere to any gun control laws so therefore innocent men, women, children pay the price. Please...think. Thank you~

Attention Delegates, I do not want to waste much of. your time today, I would like to state my support for HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Thank you. Paul Jobson

I urge you to suport pri- Second Amendment bills and ooose the bill that further infringe on liberty and the right of Virginians to keeo and bear arms. Very Respectfully, Milton Clary

HB 1773 - This is also known as "Constitutional Carry" and has been enacted in many other states. The net effect in those states is a DECREASE in crime using a firearm and crime in general. This will only serve to make Virginia Safer HB 1793 - Holders of concealed carry permits are statistically LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT a crime than police officers. I ought to know as a former police officer. This will allow law abiding citizens who go through the extra scrutiny of obtaining a permit to protect themselves and others. HB 2285 - Retired police officer who served honorably deserve the respect entailed in this bill. HB 2310 - This is a necessary stop gap that will prevent law abiding citizens from running afoul of a new law. HB 2319 - This punishes a citizen who has done no wrong and will fall disproportionally on persons of color.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds people with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. I urge you to OPPOSE - HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

I support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and want no more gun control. Thank you.

I am what many would consider a Northern Virginia Liberal. I have not been particularly politically active and as far as firearms I own a 5 shot revolver and a pump action shotgun. I have a Concealed Carry Permit but have never used it. I am humbly writing to ask the Virginia State Legislature to respect the spirit of the constitution of our state and our country. Unlike some other states, Virginia has shown for centuries that it respects its own citizens to be well informed and mature enough to carry firearms. The recent trend away from this long held respect is worrisome. I implore the committee and the legislature at large to abandon obnoxious gun control efforts, to return to the free and open state we have been for so long, and to restore our rights in Northern Virginia and elsewhere now restricted. My vote, and the vote of anyone like me, which has been traditionally center left, depend upon the continued respect of our rights and liberties, given by God, and hitherto recognized by the state.

It is imperative to support the rights of the 2nd ammendment for citizens. As stated, the 2nd Ammendment states: "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. " . Ergo support of the first 5 bills HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 2310 supports the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. I am opposed to HB 2319 due to it infringes upon the right of a citizen to keep and bear Arms. It is important for the representatives to interrupt the constitutional rights of citizens and not infringe upon that right.

Why are you all trying to make us less safe? Its alot like saying you need to take a vaccine, but then suddenly make that vaccine less available and distribution less efficient. Its almost like you want people to die. The only thing that should die are these horrible bills. My body, my choice. My security, my choice. Hands off my security. Kill these bills.

Please support, and pass the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Greetings, Please follow the science and advocate for common sense solutions to crime and violence, and support actions which enable me to protect myself and my family if ever necessary to do so. Restricting civil liberties should not be taken so lightly. The CDC and many other organizations have clearly identified the root causes of crime, homicide, related early death as poverty, drugs, and alcohol. Our legislative bodies should never act to limit our Constitutional liberties. I urge you all to SUPPORT the following bills which advance citizens to protect themselves and their families form criminals. HB 1773, Delegate Frieta. HB 1793, Delegate Davis. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler. HB 2310, Delegate Runion. Please OPPOSE HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. This bill places an unreasonable limitation on citizens and places them at risk far more than it enhances safety. Understandably, the firearm should be adequately secured. Requiring it be unloaded and ammunition also secured elsewhere is a ridiculous provision. Further, how would you possibly enforce it. This is not a common sense proposal. Respectfully, Jarrett Rhodes

Please support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. Please honor your oaths to the Virginia Constitution and the Constitution of the United States by supporting these bills. Supporting these bills will show the citizens of the Virginia your commitment to helping our nation and our commonwealth heal from the great political divide that exists. Start the healing process and honor your oaths by supporting these bills and opposing any liberty destroying bills that come your way. Thank you for your service, Tim Cullen

I am writing to express my opposition to any and all legislation that infringes on my constitutional right to bear arms. Our founding fathers knew then that an armed populace is a deterrent to those that would seek to take away other rights. History shows that the first thing those seeking to control the populace do is to disarm them. A responsible citizen gun owner is not the problem, criminals are. If fact, any devise: a car, a truck, a ball point pen, a utility knife, can become a weapon in the hands of someone with a bad intent. I urge you to stop these efforts to disarm Virginians.

Let's protect all of our constitutional rights. History has proven people loose their rights a little at a time. Don't trample on our Second Amendment rights because then we will loose out First Amendment rights and so forth.

I believe most Virginia citizens are pro-Second Amendment in the fullest sense. As one of them, I do not want my right to own, open-or-concealed carry, and use my firearms sensibly and lawfuly to be infringed upon. This right is a also matter of public safety. I have a right to defend myself and others against criminal, anarchist and terrorist elements should such an occasion arise. As a retired Army officer, an antique US military weapons collector, reentactor and target shooter, I think I am capable of repsonsibly, safely and lawfully able to own, care for and utilize my weapons without politically motivated restrictions placed upon me. Frankly, I believe that any further restrictions placed upon our collective/individual fundamental right to keep and bear arms as protected within the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution amounts to criminalistic legislation against me and my fellow citizens. I fully support HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and reject HB 2319 emphatically. Politicians need to listen to the citizens and not to the whims of divisive, anti-American special interest groups looking to alter American societal traditions, norms, and constitutional rights. Elected officials are meant to represent us and our Constitution as written and implemented, period. Americans do not need to be reeducated against our fundamental and inalienable rights, traditions, societal norms and culture, nor does our nation at the local, municipal, county, state and national strata need to be transformed into something unrecognizeable and un-American. Therefore, I reemphasize to the Virginia State Legislature - PASS HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and REJECT HB 2319! America first, America only, America always! Thank you.

Would like for your support on all the bills except HB2319.

DO NOT Support HB 2310. 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.

Concerning HB 1793, 2285, 2310, 2319... I strongly encourage you to vote for these HBs as it is our 2nd Right Amendment Right to have such legislation protecting all and any lawful persons to exercise their God given rights to protect themselves and loved ones. These HBs contribute to and help enforce our 2nd Amendment Rights . Concerning HB 2319... Mr. Guzman, No anti-gun laws will stop criminals from committing crimes against law abiding people. They are criminals for a reason...they do not adhere to our country's laws ! This HB will only delay the reaction time of a law abiding citizen from protecting himself & loved ones, should a criminal engage in such crimes as home invasion, intent to cause injury or death to an innocent victim. This HB contradicts common sense when it comes to a person protecting themselves and loved ones from a criminal. I respectfully request this HB not pass the legislator. Respectfully, Drew Boles, Wirtz,VA.

These 4 bills would make va a safer place and would enhance our constitutional rights

There are four pro-gun bills and one anti-gun bill. The anti-gun bill should be rejected since the people of this Commonwealth believe in a freedom to own a gun and that should not be taken away. No matter what it represents, the anti-gun politicians want to remove all guns and in so doing are creating an environment that will not be so rewarding for anti-gunnersand their comrades.

Good evening. I am a resident of Virginia Beach and I urge you to vote Yea on HB1773, 1793, 2285 & 2310. These bills reduce the onerous restrictions placed on law-abiding concealed handgun permit holders. Virginia is making a habit of expending energy to place roadblocks to honest people that could be better spent on actually addressing crime and criminals. These bills represent the direction we should be moving. By giving freedoms to upstanding citizens of the Commonwealth. Thank you for your time. Vincent Smith

Please support HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310. Please particularly support HB 1793, which exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. Fairfax County wasted no time posting "no guns" signs on miles of secluded, wooded trails behind my neighborhood. I've lived here since 2012 and never once seen a police officer on those trails. Along with the risk of criminal interaction in a secluded area, there is the risk of attack by wildlife or stray dogs. Our most vulnerable populations should not be stripped of their most effective means of self defense deep in the woods. Concealed carry permit holders are the most law-abiding segment of society. They should not be targeted by a feel-good do-nothing law that emboldens the criminal element. Please oppose HB2319. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Any law against the constitution is not law !!! HB2319 should never be considered under the oath of office you took and HB 1773, 1793, 2285 and 2310 are in our Constitution and is your duty to uphold the Constitution you took a oath to uphold...

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Simon Khiabani 15268 Cartersville Ct Haymarket, VA 20169 1simon.sk@gmail.com

As a long-time Virginia citizen and voter, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, to correct errors in the previous bill bringing in some obvious exemptions. Allowing retired police officers is in the interests of public safety. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable, unnecessary, imposes added needless costs on the owner and does little to nothing for public safety. Sincerely, Marc Gorelick 1830 Columbia Pike #210 Arlington, VA 22204 gorelickmarc13rarius@hotmail.com

Please oppose HB2319, as it's another burden for gun owners. How could the legal gun owner protect themselves or their household base upon the code in this bill on storing the firearm when a thief breaks in during the night, or at any other unexpected time??? HB1793 is about the best house bill I've seen this year. Please support. HB1773 would be wonderful to gun owners, it would even help ease problems that HB2310 is trying to address. Thank you for your service

As Virginia & Roanoke County citizens who take an active part in National, State & local politics, we want all of our VA Elected Officials to know that we support and will defend our 2nd Amendment Rights and fully expect each and every one of you folks to do so also. Voting for any bill that restricts our 2nd Amendment Rights will be noted and appropriate actions on the upcoming election cycle can be assured. We will actively watch and remember how each member of our State Legislature votes on any such bills/measures. God Bless each one of you fine dedicated Virginia Representatives and we trust that you will individually & collectively give proper attention to our U.S. Constitution paying particular attention to our 2nd Amendment Rights prior to any further voting! Ralph & Mary Bosen 7180 Buckeye Road Roanoke, VA 24018 540-774-8949

Arlington young professional. Millenial. Latino. Pro-Gun. Thanks.

I respectfully request that any and all my representatives to please use common sense on pro-gun rights bills. I'm retired law enforcement and currently carry a LEOSA card. Some of the bills I've seen introduced should be thrown out and not even considered. Remember that criminals will ALWAYS get weapons regardless of your passed laws in Virginia or the United States. Please work on more important matters like the Covid situation, opening up businesses, employment, and stop tearing apart our history such as monuments. If you continue to let our present governor continue with his erratic ideas, I believe we're headed down a slippery slope. Respectfully, Roy Beatty

I am a voter. I will support anyone who supports bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I will not vote or support anyone who supports bill HB2319. Carl Dodge

I support these common sense bills that will reduce gun violence.

Hi Committee members and Staff, Support: HB-1773, HB-1793, HB-2285 HB-2310 Oppose: HB-2319 Thank you for honoring your Oath of Office and the Rights of the Citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There should be no limitation on the exercise of rights for law-abiding citizens. Instead, focus on keeping criminals off the streets so we can live free. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There is no reason to restrict carry by law-abiding citizens anywhere . HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. One handgun a month is a sill law to begin with. Two recent straw purchase cases in VA resulted in arrests and prosecution. Emphasis should be on enforcing existing law, not imposing new infringements on the rights of the law-abiding. CHP holders are the most law-abiding segment of society, and there is no reason their purchase thresholds should be limited under the guise of stopping arms trafficking. I object to any exemption for LEOs. They are citizens, too, and should be held accountable to the same laws as other citizens. This applies to active duty as well as retires LEOs. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. The law to require in-person training is silly to begin with. CHPs are silly to begin with. We need to return Constitutional carry since the right to keep an bear arms is protected by the 2nd Amendment. Anyone who is too dangerous to own and carry a firearm should be in prison or otherwise removed from civil society. Permitting does nothing more than turn a right into a privilege, HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This is a silly bill that grasps at possibility instead of being rooted in fact. It implies that gun owners are inherently irresponsible. There is no reason a law-abiding citizen should be required to act as a prohibited person just because he or she cohabitates with one. It is already illegal for a prohibited person to possess a firearm. We don't need more laws that only impact the law-abiding and will do nothing to stop crime.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. OPPOSE HB2319!

This is a step in fixing a problem that was created by the legislature last secession. This will help add relief to the massive backlog of CHP classes that at clarkbros gunshop alone was backlogged to April when inquired about in the middle of December last year. Also when it come to getting a permit like this, criminals simply won't do the training, fill out the application, pay the fees, nor wait the 45 day court processing the permit. Also some quotes of saying thenonline tests being 11 questions is true, but after hearing the lies and general failure of firearms knowledge that they and those who voted for that ban on online training would not have passed the test if it were to be given to them.

As an avid Sportsman please know that Virginia’s actions thus far has deterred me from hunting in the Commonwealth. I’m sure you’re aware of the enhanced revenue that out of state sportsman generate, both in licensing fees and sales taxes. Your recent anti-gun legislative stance is the reason I DID NOT come to Virginia to hunt this year. The word is out amongst Sportsmen, “Virginia is persona non grata”. STAY AWAY. is this truly the message the Legislature intended to send. You have made most of my hunting guns illegal. The patchwork of anti-gun laws you permitted can make me a felon simply by driving across a double secret imaginary line. You did this with intention, purpose and malice. Small businesses suffer as you infringe on my 2nd Amendment. I respectfully urge you to NOT approve these Bills. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. ! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it.

I am pro freedom and pro 2nd amendment. I am against any law that will abridge my 2nd amendment rights. Gun laws only affect the law abiding as the lawless will not heed restrictions that have been put to paper. Murderers use guns as tools to cause mayhem. Law abiders use guns as a tool to defend themselves and the helpless against these would be murderers. Most law enforcement recognizes this and are happy to have, these exemplary citizens as allies. Promote and support bills: HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Strike and kill HB 2319. Long live a free United States of America.

Virginia is a low crime and low gun crime state. Enacting a bunch of high crime state laws is going to make us a high crime state. Don't fix a problem that doesn't exist and hurt the citizens of Virginia doing it.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! Protect my right to defend my family if put into a situation where our lives are in imminent danger. In the current environment, where it can be dangerous to speak at all, I implore you to safeguard my God-given rights to protect myself and my loved ones. Sincerely, A 63-year-old woman, wife, mother, and grandmother

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. OPPOSE HB2319! This is one of the most absurd, intrusive, ridiculous, thoughtless, oppressive, un-Constitutional ideas I've ever heard in my life - sincerely!! - in my LIFE!!! Since your “red flag” law leaves a presumed-dangerous person free (though without her own firearms) to inflict harm to herself or others……..wouldn’t you want her roommate or spouse to have readily available means of self defense ?!?! Again, this is absurd, and you must oppose HB 2319 !! HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

HB 2319: Those who habitate with a person who is not authorized to operate a firearm, already have enough of a burden to secure the firearm. In the event of an emergency situation (home intrusion?), then the seconds it takes to reload a firearm could be the difference between life and death. HB1773: This makes logical sense. If a person holds a firearm, there is nothing to gain as a matter of public policy by requiring they open carry it. HB1793: CHP holders have already been subjected to background checks. HB 2285: Background checks have already been completed. Any further restrictions, serve no purpose, other than publicity. HB2310: Due to COVID, people have limited options for classroom education. We should not discourage people from exercising their rights. However, this would be moot if we passed HB1793

As a Virginia citizen, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. The citizens of Virginia DO NOT want nor need any further infringements on their GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to defend themselves!

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Lee Ann Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the weapon be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Robert Hicks Linden, VA

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Eric Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

HB1173 Freitas: let's trust the people. If they would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun, why the paperwork and registration process so that they can? HB1793 Davis: let's make it easy for the people we ought to trust. Concealed is concealed - there's no argument for social comfort, there's no argument for public safety . . . crossing the street shouldn't change all of the rules. HB2285 Fowler: a good cleanup bill to align the populations affected by gun restrictions. HB2310 Runion: until COVID ends, we need to support virtual learning of all types. HB2319 Guzman: this bill would be awfully hard on those in small apartments and homes. Further, it puts the compliance onus on the innocent party.

Please do not pass any legislation tinkering with making it more burdensome to own firearms and ammunition or to use them in self-defense or any other legal activities. The government fixation on firearms is so embarrassing. Anyone wishing to keep tampering with the 2nd Amendment has ulterior motives on reducing freedom of American citizens, and I wish you would just make that agenda plain instead of continually hiding it.

HB 1773 - I support this bill. This bill would save court clerks huge amounts of unnecessary paperwork without a negative impact on public safety. HB 1793 - I support this bill. The restrictions put in place by localities in the last year are all about sending an anti-gun political message, not about making people safer. Concealed handgun permit holders can be trusted to safely carry a gun on the sidewalk--why should they be barred from bike trails and parks? HB 2285 - I support this bill, which may be helpful to military members who have moved to Virginia but have not obtained a Virginia concealed handgun permit. This would not exempt gun buyers from background checks. Permit holders from some other places, such as DC, have gone through even more stringent application processes than in Virginia! HB 2310 - I support this bill. The pandemic made it very difficult for people to get their concealed handgun permit applications submitted to their local court clerk, especially if they needed to submit something in person. This bill would help people who would have been able to submit by the deadline but for a pandemic-related closure of their local court clerk's office. HB 2319 - I oppose this bill. This bill would punish people who failed to understand the complex laws that caused their roommate to be prohibited from gun possession due to criminal and mental health histories. It would be difficult to prosecute because the Commonwealth's Attorney would have to show that the defendant knew about the roommate's history AND knew that it caused them to be prohibited from possessing guns. This bill also overreaches by putting requirements on ammunition storage that probably exceed the restrictions placed on some individuals due to their criminal convictions, protective orders, or mental health history.

Please vote against all gun control bills. With all the riots going on we the people need to be able to protect ourselves. If you to take away guns then you should give up your security. All people unprotected seems fair. Also maybe you should check the U.S. Constitution as to the second amendment. Thank you, A.G. Morris IV.

As a constituent in Arlington, VA, I would like the following actions to be taken on these bills. Oppose HB 1773 - If an individual is eligible for a CHP, they should take the necessary steps to apply for a CHP if they wish to carry concealed. This is common sense. Support HP 1793 - Individuals who have CHPs should be allowed to carry and be exempt from local gun control. Criminals do not obey laws that forbid crime so individuals who have received education and training to carry concealed should be allowed to do so. Oppose HB 2285 - One Handgun a month is perfectly reasonable, regardless of person. Support HB 2310 - CHP training being required in person during a pandemic seems dangerous. Please delay this until April. Oppose HB 2319 - If your roommate or child doesn't have a driver's license, you're not required by law to lock away the key or vehicle. Same should apply to firearms. Responsible storage and maintenance is the responsibility of the gun owner, not for the law to decide. There are common sense laws and then laws that don't make any sense. Please continue to make good legislative decisions that do not punish law abiding gun owners, while pushing for safety that is reasonable and constitutionally appropriate. THANK YOU!

In this day and age, after ALL of the settled law as opined by SCOTUS it absolutely stuns me that you liberals continue to infringe upon our GOD GIVEN CONSTITUTIONALLY protected RIGHTS (NOT privileges - RIGHTS) to protect ourselves through gun ownership which (as ratified and adopted by the Commonwealth) SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED). Have any of you even bothered to read the Federalist papers regarding the definition of gun ownership and rights to the same? GUN RIGHTS ARE A MATTER OF SETTLED LAW WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! It is long past time for you liberals to stop taking a note out of the authoritarian Nazi playbook, stop ne8ng so bigotted against gun owners, and stop trying to turn us into helpless victims! These rights are not ONLY enshrined in the 2nd Amendment (as adopted by the Commonwealth, written, in fact, by a Virginian), but also within the Preamble to the Constitution itself. As a FREE society (whether you like or or not), we CANNOT 'form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON DEFENSE, or promote the GENERAL WELFARE AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS of liberty to OURSELVES AND our posterity,' WITHOUT the settled laws of the land which ensure our gun rights and rights to ownership of same. Get over it tou bunch of school yard bullies!

I didn't spend 23 years of my life defending The Constitution to let a bunch of spinless, yellow bellied cowards shred kit.

Now that you have made a horrendous patchwork of inconsistent local laws regarding firearms, those of us that face very real dangers could accidentally break the law just by trying to protect ourselves. I am a woman. I am only 4'10" tall. I have had stalkers, and due to work in law enforcement as a computer forensic examiner, I am threatened by criminal defendants and their associates. Because I am not a cop or special agent, no law enforcement exceptions apply to me. I cannot get a protective order because I do not always know who made the threats. I have been attacked several times. My assailants threatened to burn my house, kill my family, and torture and rape me. The very least you could do after making the legislative mess in last year's session is to exempt concealed carry permit holders from these ridiculous restrictions. We have been background checked, we have taken at least one safety course (though many of us opt to take courses and train with our firearms regularly in order to be sure that our skills and safety practices remain current). HB2319 is particularly troubling. If the firearm is locked away from the "bad guy", then it is also less accessible to the peaceful law abiding person (who will be less able to access it when needed for self defense).

Dear delegates - As a law-abiding citizen who wishes to ensure my God-given (NOT state granted) right to protect myself and my family against both criminals and tyrannical government I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO SUPPORT the following four bills before your committee: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Likewise I STRONGLY OPPOSE yet another anti-gun bill submitted to your committee: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please vote against any and all forms of Bill's designed to limit or restrict our right to bear arms. Thank You Cameron Reed

I urge you to approve all of these except HB2319-Guzman. It should be rejected

Remember your oath of office and do not infringe on citizen’s rights!

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Would you please discontinue what seems like a targeting of honest gun owners on proposed laws that either punish owners in various ways making it very difficult to purchase ammo, use a high powered flash light, attempt to impose heavy taxation which of course targets people of lower income, limiting the ability to smith or modify self defense weapons. I understand that the nature of certain laws is to limit the ability to have fully automatic weapons which already exist, but continues to ignore the reality that anyone at anytime can obtain the necessary resources to act in a way that is malevolent to society that completely disregards any laws that could ever be passed. A law breaker has no intentions of abiding by laws acting in a way that demonstrates any actual character. The current laws that exist are already limiting and to expect complete certainty in all situations is impossible even at the expense of personal freedom that I and most everyone, even non gun owners typically value over continued restrictions. These points continue to be made time and time again and the laws that are propose need to practical purpose that does not restrict individuals who simply wish to have their rights respected rather than continually challenged. It always appears that these bills are also proposed with the attempt to pass them without the public having an awareness of such situations creating a lack of transparency. What is your intent as representatives of VA, to always follow a party affiliated narrative if democrat and attempt to institute control measures. Do we just endlessly continue to play out arguments of such nature for years to come or can we simply acknowledge that most people act responsible and some sadly at times do not but limiting those responsible is not a solution that deters those of evil intentions in the end.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Virginia voters have overwhelmingly shown that racist, Jim Crow gun control is unwelcome in the Commonwealth through Lobby Day after Lobby Day and hundreds of Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities. Your vote against civil rights for POC and all citizens will be remembered on voting day and beyond.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB2310.

All gun laws in the United States have lead to racial disparities in enforcement (see NY and DC) and support the carceral state by creating new victimless crimes to arrest more people. Ultimately these laws are created by people protected by guns (legislators) and are enforced by people with guns (police). Help end racism and step back from empowering the carceral state by opposing "gun control."

I ask you to heavily support HB1773 allowing common sense firearm carry enable individuals the right to adequately protect themselves. I ask you support HB1793 as local ordinances not allowing carry is a severe infringement on Virginians right to self protection. I ask you to support HB2310, as Virginians right to self defense doesn't go away in a pandemic I ask you to support HB2285 although I believe that the law of only purchasing 1 handgun a month for the common Virginian is infringement on their inherent 2nd amendment right. I ask you to strongly oppose HB2319. This is a violation of privacy and the enforcement of this would violate people privacy. Not a good slope to go down.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please support the constitutional rights of your constituents and break with the Democrats who are working so hard to subvert our rights! There is no human right more fundamental than the right to defend yourself and your loved ones from violent attack.

Committee Members, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Seth Tilstra

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Please SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Adam Gifford 1616 Peppers Ferry Rd Pulaski, VA 24301-2904 afgiff4d@gmail.com

Dear Delegates, Please, your existing gun laws do not work. Please do not enact more anti-gun legislation that also will not work. In all seriousness, if we're so worried and afraid about proven violent felons getting their hands on guns (again), how about you just put, and keep, them in jail out of circulation? That really is the only foolproof method of keeping criminals from repeating their violence upon us. No more gun control! Stop infringing on my 2nd Amendment rights (and similar rights in our Commonwealth's Constitution)! Enact strong laws that put and keep actual violent offenders in jail. Not useless laws that only serve to limit or prevent my ability to defend my family, and to engage in various firearms' competitions. If you want to actually save lives, how about banning cell phones and booze? Think about all the lives senselessly lost to drunk and distracted driving. Or do those lives not matter? Thank you for your consideration.

I am happy to see legislation protecting 2nd amendment rights, although disappointed that they have become necessary. Any gun control stacks the cards against women, people of color, and the disabled community. We should be providing education and training, NOT restricting rights of good citizens.

I ask that you support the following bills coming up in committee: HB 1773 HB 1793 HB 2285 HB 2310 I ask that you vote against bill HB 2319 (Delegate Guzman). This bill increases the time it would take for a lawful gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank you.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310! OPPOSE HB2319!

Please support HB1773, 1793, 2285, and 310. These are common sense changes that are needed to reduce the burden on law abiding citizens that practice their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and a bill of Rights. Please DO NOT support HB 2319 Citizens do not need any more restrictions on our rights. I do not support gun control and refuse to support political leaders that do.

As a Virginia Resident, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Hello, I am an honest, law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying, property-owning husband and father. Please do not further restrict my firearm-related rights. Thank you, Chris

If someone has passed the mandatory background checks needed for a Concealed Carry Permit, then they have shown themselves to be capable and trustworthy citizens in the eyes of the State. If that is the case, then there is no reasonable excuse to prevent the permit holder from carrying in all places. Additionally there is no reason to prevent the permit holder from purchasing an additional firearm within 30 days. Firearms are collectibles and transferring a collection should not take months or years to complete. That is unfair and undue towards the people that the State has already deemed safe.

I would like you support this bill!

I have a secured firearm for home protection. For home protection my firearm is readily armed. What purpose is a fire arm that is not loaded and separate from ammunition for home protection? You are violating my rights to insist that I keep that fire arm and ammunition separate.

When a convicted felon has lost his or her right to possess a firearm it stands to reason that the person or persons residing with that felon should not allow easy access. Convenience and casual carelessness turn into powerful forces, so too does the notion that a friend, a family member, a roommate or domestic partner, despite conviction, is not the threat that law enforcement and the courts have proven them to be. This legislation deals directly with the single most common sense way of keeping firearms out of the hands of convicted felons by keeping them out of their all too easy reach. When the father of a convicted violent felon failed to listen to reason, when he failed to secure his weapon despite pleas to consider his own safety and the safety of others in his rural Virginia community, tragedy struck. How long will it take for a 5 year-old to get over the physical and emotional scars from a bullet shattering her tiny bones? Five years, ten years, never? How many years will it take for her brother, who narrowly dodged another bullet to his own head to get over witnessing this tragedy perpetrated in the place they called home by a man known to be dangerous and with easy access to a firearm? Had this legislation been enacted in Virginia two years ago, I wouldn't be asking these questions. When common sense fails, money talks. The threat of a civil penalty, albeit modest, could have helped to erase the rationalizing, the pity and the carelessness. It may have resulted in denial of access or the securing of the weapon used to fire upon these children. I urge you to consider those who cannot bear arms in their own defence. I urge you to support this lifesaving legislation.

What HB 2319 Does: This bill (and its substitute) impose(s) a $500 civil penalty on any individual who resides or cohabitates with a person who they “know or [have] reason to believe is prohibited from possessing or transporting a firearm […]” who ALLOWS that prohibited person access to a firearms. Concerns about Unintended Consequences: As the Domestic and Sexual Violence Attorney for Virginia Poverty Law Center, I am worried about the unintended consequences…and potentially dangerous impact… of this bill on victims of domestic and/or sexual violence who live with abusers. Victims often live with their abusers. If this bill were to become law, victims would be responsible for policing their own abusers’ firearms access: 1. Any attempt by a victim to deny an abuser access to their firearms could endanger their lives and those of anyone else, children, etc. who also live in the home; 2. Enforcement of firearms laws should be the responsibility of law enforcement, not victims; and 3. This bill would penalize a victim for their abuser’s illegal possession or transport of a firearm. While surely unintentional, if passed, HB 2319 would effectively hold victims who reside or cohabitate with their abusers accountable for their abusers’ illegal firearms behavior. It would blame victims even as it further endangered their lives. For these reasons, VPLC opposes it.

HB2310 addresses a very real issue related to COVID-19 quarantines. Many people took online classes to meet the permissible proof of training in 2020. However, they were prevented from submitting applications due to jurisdictional restrictions based on COVID-19. This bill would afford these people their rightful application process. It is not asking to extend the deadline or change the law that took affect on January 1, 2021. It is simply allowing those people who acted in good faith and made every effort submit their application before the deadline to move forward with the process. Many people were told to mail in their applications, however the US Postal Service took 4 or more weeks to deliver. Others were told to leave the application in a drop box, only to find out that the box was not checked daily. This travesty of justice is easily remedied by the passage of this bill. I thank you for voting to move this bill forward. HB2319 requires that care be taken to keep firearms out of the hands of prohibited people. As amended, with Subsection B which allows for viable access by nonprohibited household members, I am neutral on this bill. However, if the Subsection were to be altered or struck from the bill my position would change to opposition. Thank you for your time and consideration, Patricia Y Webb

i am supporting all with exception to HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. i do not support HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. that bill will just mean i would be limited in housing options for having my hunting shotgun. I understand the intent, but it is just needless.

While I understand that intention behind this bill is to promote the safe storage of firearms, I am deeply concerned about the very real impact of this bill on the lives of many Virginians who live with abusive partners and family members. Putting the onus on a victim of domestic violence to keep guns out of the hands of their abuser puts that victim at even more risk. Intimate partner violence and gun violence in the US are inextricably linked, impacting millions of women, families, and communities across the country. Abusers with firearms are five times more likely to kill their victims, and guns further exacerbate the power and control dynamic used by abusers to inflict emotional abuse and exert coercive control over their victims. (https://everytownresearch.org/report/guns-and-violence-against-women-americas-uniquely-lethal-intimate-partner-violence-problem/). I ask Delegate Guzman to please reconsider this bill and reach out to Virginian experts in domestic violence including the VA Action Alliance. If this comes up for more votes, I also ask to please vote no on this well-intentioned but harmful bill. Thank you.

These are all reasonable measures and needed for saftey. ATF statistics show that criminals gravitate to gun ban regions. Please make America safer. Thank you; SD Hunt

HB2319 Should be frustrated and denied at all costs. It would essentially punish someone who would need or want to own a firearm for certain reasons including self defense the inability to do so just because of close proximity with someone who can't own firearms. A firearm for self defense is useless unless it can be readily deployed. Making it so a firearm must not only be locked up while unloaded would hinder any defensive use. Especially during these times of unrest, where the majority of new gun owners have only bought a firearm for self defense, you would be stripping their ability to do so. Our second amendment right allows us the access to arms and ammunition, but our other amendments secure our privacy to do what we wish with our property. Beyond stripping people of the fundamental primary use age of their arms, you are arguably going against our constitutional rights by implementing this law

Dear Sir or Madame : I oppose any gun control. As a citizen of America, father, and a husband I am responsible for four lives in this world. I take it serious. The self- determination thing with firearms is hard enough. I can't imagine freedom without them. But you, you and the left want to take that away. You want to LIMIT my ability to protect and serve. Why ? You sit in Richmond and serve your loyal democratic master, while I go un- represented. Look at the data. The data that's not paid for buy mike bloomburg and co. You'll see, more gun control only makes it easier for the criminal. My right shall not be infringed upon. Sincerely John Zielanski

Any bill that restricts use of weapons to law abiding citizens is a huge deal. You can outlaw the world but criminals will get anything they want - its the law abiding people who suffer. You may think it's about time to get big guns out of the way and of the streets but you will only restrict access away from those who may step up one day and save you, or that child, or that officer. Did you know the 2nd amendment was not written for hunters, it was written so that we could protect ourselves against a government gone so foul it was turning away from us to socialism and communism . Hitler took weapons first, China took weapons first, Russia did too. it is a paid for movie step one in the plan to make you a communist society. You then have nothing to defend the other rights with. You are done. People in this country will not give up their weapons peaceful in the night. Our weapons are our way of protecting our way of life. What is the government afraid of that they need to disarm us ? This is a SHAM. If you continue to come after criminalizing gun possession it will eventually be seen as an act of hostility against the people who depend on you! The Legal Ones. If our Constitution gave us the Right to bear arms to protect us from a government going crazy - yet that very government is trying to disarm all of us - what is this??? One can only be concerned that it may be disarming us before you do something horrible??? The Bill of Rights Is a Sacred document. Do not mess with it. it outlines our basic rights and freedoms ! Ann Austin

I oppose this bill. People are responsible for their own actions not the actions of others. This bill will affect poor and minority communities at a much greater rate than others. Turning a working single mom into a criminal for giving a friend or family member a place to stay when in need while not having a gun safe for a legally owned firearm used for self defense is criminal in and of itself. This is effectively a tax on those who can least afford it, Virginia has a history of racist gun control legislation and this is a bill which furthers that.

I strongly oppose any law that makes it nearly impossible to access a weapon in protection of their home or person. Oppose Bill 2319

As a constituent, I urge the Committee to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773 Sixteen other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793 The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. Permit holders have completed the required process, have clear backgrounds as verified by the investigations, and are proven outstanding citizens. HB 2285 This is needed to cleanup the language, bringing in obvious exemptions. HB 2310 This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319 There are serious flaws with this bill. First, requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. Second, requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Christopher Cusano 5720 Habersham Way Alexandria, VA 22310

This bill is another trap to ensnare an otherwise law-abiding citizen into inadvertently committing a crime. It is ill-conceived and should be discarded.

I support all these bills with one exception: I agree either the concept put forth by Del. Guzman in HB 2319 that people who are not allowed to have firearms should be denied access to those firearms. However, requiring a locked weapon in a secure container to be unloaded is redundant, and increases the time that the owner needs to retrieve the firearm and prepare it for use to defend himself/ herself unnecessarily. Such emergencies require seconds to prepare for, and fumbling with a magazine or fumbling with loading rounds into the firearm in a highly stressful situation leaves the responsible gun owner defenseless to respond. If the committee would amend HB 2319 to remove this point, I can wholeheartedly support all these measures.

I support HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I do NOT support HB2319. Living with a prohibited person doesn't prevent other criminals from perpetrating violent acts on anyone in the home. Rendering a firearm all but useless during violent attacks where seconds matter is irresponsible and dangerous.

I oppose all these bills because they solve no existing problems and are attempts to limit my constitutional rights. If looking for a problem to solve, try fixing the pathetic educational system that has evolved over the last 30 years.

I am a long time Arlington resident (30+) years, raised four kids here, and have never felt like I needed a gun. That changed this summer as rioters and looters stormed through Georgetown, breaking windows and many shops in Arlington (Apple!) boarded up windows. To have mobs march and scream for defunding the police all while destroying property and purposefully trying to frighten law abiding citizens leads even former gun haters to actually go out and buy guns. Millions across the country realized that self defense is an important right and duty! I support all of the pro gun rights bills checked above because gun ownership is not a crime. People who have received carry permits are more law abiding than even police. To have localities like Arlington start to enact laws that limit their rights to carry and self protect is quite wrong and I think there will be a voter backlash on this issue...even in Arlington! I am shocked by the number of people I have heard that purchased a gun or are contemplating it due to the summer's events. Please support an individual's right to buy, carry and have large enough magazines to defend themselves and their families. Support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 310. And oppose HB 2319 (Guzman).

This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is ALREADY LOCKED away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence opposes HB1773, HB1793 and HB2285. Carrying a concealed weapon in public should require a permit that includes a thorough background check and in-person training. Individuals who choose to carry firearms in public put other people at risk when not properly trained. Similarly, general prohibitions on carrying or possession of firearms on local property should apply to all persons - there is no reason to exempt persons with concealed carry permits from these generally applicable rules. More firearms in public increases risk of harm. Finally, there should be no exception to the prohibition on purchasing more than one handgun a month by persons with a concealed carry permit. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence supports HB2319. If an individual is aware or should have been aware that an individual with whom they reside is prohibited from possessing or transporting firearms, the onus should be on such lawful owner of firearms to ensure that the prohibited person is not able to access such firearm. Very reasonable exceptions exist to the requirement that firearms be locked and inaccessible for those individuals actually carrying the firearm or when the firearm is within their control - not the prohibited individual.

This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. I am opposed to HB2319 and urge you to vote against this bill. It will accomplish nothing other than to endanger law abiding citizens who might become involved in a life-or-death situation.

As a 20-plus-year CHP holder in Chesterfield Co., and a constituent who votes in EVERY election, I strongly urge you all to vote YES on the following 4 PRO-gun bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And I must also urge you all to vote NO on this last bill because it fails to acknowledge common sense and is fatally flawed in its construction and intent.: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. Thank You, all, for your attention. Sincerely, Ryan S. Bonney Midlothian, VA

I urge my representatives to take no action that would limit constitutional gun rights, and to take proper action to expand or undo gun limits, as they relate to law-abiding citizens of the Commonwealth. Every day in America 65 million gun owners act responsibly with their guns. You never hear about us; you don't see our firearms; we are a threat to no one. Yet gun control laws affect only us because criminals pay no attention to the decisions you're making today. I urge you in the strongest of terms to keep these truths in mind when you vote. Thank you. Virginia Welch, Rockville, Va.

Please do not infringe on our right to self defense and protection by voting this bill into law.

I'm a liberal gun owner looking to provide my own nuanced perspective on these bills. 1773: This one seems obvious to me. It has always seemed backwards to me that you could be in a situation where you're ONLY allowed to open carry. In this area, open carrying tends to make a lot of folks around you uncomfortable, and I personally view it as the less courteous of the two options. I doubt someone with malicious intent is going to open carry regardless of the law, so preventing law abiding gun owners from doing to just makes things more uncomfortable for them and those around them. 2310: To be clear, I think every gun owner should get in person training as soon as possible. However, the coronavirus pandemic has currently made doing so unsafe, which has also coincided with the largest increase in new gun owners in my lifetime (including a huge increase in minority and women gun owners). Reflecting on recent events at the Capitol, it's not hard to imagine why so many of our fellow citizens have decided to become proactive about their own safety, and it is important that the state be flexible in allowing them a reasonable and safe avenue to do so during the pandemic. 2319: I respect what this bill is attempting to accomplish, but have issue with the requirement that firearms be stored unloaded. Besides being unenforceable (as far as I can tell), this defeats the concept of having a firearm for self-defense. It is possible to keep a firearm loaded while also unaccessible from a prohibited cohabitant. Also, in the interest of placing no more burden than necessary on gun owning citizens, please consider amending "prohibited person" to "prohibited person who was also convicted of a violent crime", or similar wording. It seems unnecessary that a gun owner be subject to such measures simply because, for example, their partner was found guilty of tax evasion or was caught using marijuana years ago (both actual reasons you can become prohibited from owning a firearm). 1793: This bill seems essential for concealed carry license holders such as myself. As things stand, it is incredibly easy to accidentally commit a crime while attempting to concealed carry, unless you are able to memorize the specific local ordinances for every town I'm Virginia as they apply to public buildings, parks, and special events/parades, as well as be aware of any and all special events/parades happening on a daily basis. Not exempting concealed carry license holders from these laws makes absolutely no one safer, and creates a legal nightmare for people like me.

Please do not support these gun control bills. These bills have implications that will disproportionally affect minority communities and make it harder for these groups to exercise their second amendment rights.

While a law made to prevent someone who should not have a firearm sounds good, you have to consider the practicality of such a law. It is not practical to have a firearm and ammo separately locked up in all situations. Further, I think this law skips the real issue here which is the person who should not be around a firearm. What are our failures as a society that this person cannot be near a firearm? Clearly we are doing a lot wrong when it comes to proper education, of firearms but also classical education, the failures in the justice system, failures in mental healthcare. There needs to be responsibility taken for these crises not shifting the blame to an inanimate object that someone decides to use for something bad. Stop the viewing and making of fantastical, murderous movies and games that glorify killing. Something is wrong when kids willfully sit playing a game all night where they continually hunt down and “kill” other people for fun. This is a major ethical failure for our country. We promote violent murderous games and movies then when one of these poorly educated, mentally Unstable individuals decided to play i the real work everyone freaks out. We should be freaking out about the failures we have made as a society that causes these people to do this. Hint: it isn’t the presence of real firearms.

I demand that you support: HB 1773, Delegate Freitas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. You also need to oppose: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This bill is an absolute joke and will do nothing. It is obvious that this is a pathetic attempt by Guzman to please her anti gun overlords. This truly is a gun control pandering bill. It's pathetic and this is wasting ink and paper.

When i was growing up i had so much respect for politicians, I thought what an honor to serve the greatest nation on earth. To take an oath to “DEFEND” the CONSTITUTION of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA. To DEFEND the BILL of RIGHTS. That’s the oath you take ! To Defend not to amend as you see fit, these are GOD Given. Not suggestions, NO Politician had the power to change or take away any of these rights, The arrogance of taking the power away from WE the People and more important to put yourselves above God has been shown by our disgraced governor and senators. God fearing Virginian’s have lost our first amendment rights already, almost our second. Please honor the only oath you take when you ate sworn in. Defend our great Constitution. Thank you for your time David Smith Roanoke Virginia 24012

OPPOSE HB2319 You should OPPOSE HB2319. This bill seeks to penalize the law-abiding housemate gun owner, while ignoring the person who is already prohibited from handling guns. Last year's anti-gun laws had a goal: to disarm normal citizens rather than to reduce gun crime. For example, remember that the Virginia Beach killer was a municipal employee who killed his fellow employees in a gun-free municipal building. Just like this year's HB2319, last-year's anti-gun bills did not penalize actual criminals. You should support the new bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310 which help restore some of the rights taken by the 2020 anti-gun laws. Pat Grandelli

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Derek Le Vie 105 Combs Loop Yorktown, VA 23693-1915 heliman406@gmail.com

The 2nd Amendment of United States Constitution clearly states that our RIGHT to bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, therefore any bill or law that hinders that RIGHT in any way is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Those who put forth any such hindrance have grievously breached the Oath of Representative Office they hold and their Constituents Rights and Good Faith.

Please SUPPORT bills HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310, and OPPOSE HB 2319. 1773 Is for constitutional carry. Anyone who could qualify for a concealed handgun permit should be able to carry concealed. Anything less is an infringement on the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which is the Law of the Land. 1793 CHP holders are trained and law-abiding, and should be exempt from local gun-control laws and regulations. They are adding to the safety of their communities, being able to react to a situation and perhaps prevent a crime or mass shooting before police could get to the scene. 2285 Retired LEOs and non-resident CHP holders should be exempt from "one handgun a month". These people can be trusted. Their handgun purchases are not going to result in crime or malfeasance, but add to their ability to protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. 2310 Please extend the availability of online CHP training and certification until at least April 30, 2021. This is the quickest and least expensive way a person can qualify for concealed carry. It benefits many working people, who may not be able to take off work to attend an in-person class. It benefits the poor, who are more likely able to afford the nominal cost of an online course more than a resident course. And it benefits minorities, who often live in poorer neighborhoods where crime is rampant, in that it gives them a quicker way to qualify for a concealed handgun permit. 2319 Please oppose this bill, which, among other things, requires a secured, locked-up handgun to be UNLOADED, which would hamper its use in a life-threatening emergency. If it is locked up, it is already secure. In case of a home invasion, the safe would have to be opened, which is enough hindrance to the emergency acquisition of the firearm. Adding the burden of then having to load the weapon and chamber a round would further delay emergency response to a threat.

These five bills all protect the rights of Virginians to self-defense as they move about the Commonwealth during their daily schedules. For some reason, many prohibitions against the right to self-defense have been imposed on law-abiding Virginians. Of course, criminals will ignore any laws, including local bans on concealed carry. There have been numerous criminal acts near my home in the last six months and "gun free zones" have not prevented any of these acts. Support our rights to self-defense as we move about our daily activities.

I write in support of HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. I support these bills as they add to the freedoms & rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth. HP1773, from Del Freitas is of particular interest, as it follows the intent of a Commonwealth, in that your votes & laws imposed should be for the common good. This is a right & freedom that is being stripped from law-abiding citizens. I also vehemently oppose HB2319, as this bill directly throws common-sense right out the window. If you follow this logic, its not enough to lock your car in a locked garage, but you would have to either disconnect & remove the battery or remove the wheels & tires, to ensure that no one could drive your car who was not "authorized" to. What about the rights of the person who is authorized? Does their life mean less, as that the firearm is already locked away, then on top of it now unloaded? What about when something happens & it calls for quick action? First you have to get into the safe to get your firearm, then for sake of argument, you have a shotgun, then you have to locate each shotgun shell, one at a time & load them one at a time. When seconds count, it only takes minutes to get a serviceable firearm into a fireable condition. Are you going to start saying that someone who has never had a DUI, but lives with someone who has, would have to go through my example above every time they came home, because they have to reap the punishment of something they have never done. I know I brought it up earlier "Common-Sense", I understand it is a limited commodity now-a-days but we need to try our best to use it. A "Commonwealth" is just that, an intent for the common good of every single citizen as the whole. It is not for political agendas, the lobbyist, the squeaky wheel groups or any other agenda that is not for the whole of Virginias citizenry. Its time that we stop acting on agendas and parties, it time you ALL start thinking about every Virginian, even the silent ones, that sit back & pray you actually uphold you oath of office & do your jobs. Remember that We the People deserve better. You were sent their to represent all of us, not just some of us. It's time to stop being followers, because the party or fundraisers told you to, but time to stand up & be the leaders we expect you to be. Sic Semper Tyrannis

As a voting constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Gun owners in Fairfax county feel betrayed by the actions of the state and county. I also urge you to please OPPOSE HB2319

I don't know why you communists keep passing anti-gun legislation. There are too many anti-gun laws on the books to keep track of so people just ignore them! Do you really think that people bother to inconvenience themselves in order to follow your unconstitutional laws? No, they don't. They just go about their business regardless of what you do. The police don't even enforce those unconstitutional laws. They just look the other way or wave you on.

I strongly support HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2310. They are common sense limits on localities extending the already egregious limitations on the law-abiding citizens' right to possess the means and have the opportunity to protect and defend themselves. Additional local regulations would also further Balkanize Virginia with respect to gun ownership and control. They are blatant tyranny calculated to harass and intimidate the law abiding citizens of the state. Such moves do not increase public safety. They are also strongly divisive. I also support HB 2319, noting that, in addition to any religious objection, citizens have a right to opt out of any treatment that has not been proven safe to the standards already established for other widely available medications and medical treatments. The public record on the current Covid-19 vaccines clearly shows that they have been hysterically rushed to approval without any of these safeguards. That a citizen may be compelled to take such treatments is even more ridiculous when the mortality rate from Covid-19 is a scant 0.3%. If the governor, any official, or any other entity under their governance volunteers to turn themselves into lab rats, that is fine by me. Under the circumstances, they should not have the right to require others to do so.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). -A permit is nothing more than a piece of paper and come on if that worked, domestic violence injunctions would work. Stop with the red tape, over-regulation and join the other states that have successfully adopted this. And with all the over-regulation about open-carry, and virtue signaling by people that are ignorant about guns (being scared because a responsible person has an openly carried gun) you would think this makes perfect sense. Besides, criminals don't follow the law, they already have constitutional carry. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. - These local laws are becoming more intrusive, probably unconstitutional, and making it difficult for law abiding people to be compliant. Law abiding people who have already been approved to own and use a firearm. The lack of common sense and lack of logic that is being thrown about in the name of "gun control" is ridiculous. Virginians have spoken, loudly, and yet you still continue to push for things YOU want, not what the people want. Useless laws that are not even being enforced are just, well, void!! HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. - Self explanatory HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Encouraging individuals to have to attend public gatherings is completely against the guidance given by the Governors office, the CDC, and many other agencies. And where is the data showing this is an issue related to the online class? - COVD - why are we forcing people to subject themselves to COVID just to obtain a permit when the governor even says social distance, stay home, don't do unnecessary socializing. Just seems like something that is a non-issue. Where are the stats saying this has been a problem? Have we had a rash of shootings by otherwise unqualified concealed permit holders that would have resulted otherwise had the holder been to an in-person class? And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. - Self Explanatory and already covered by federal law. How much over-regulation are you going to continue to propagate? And I'm sorry an unloaded, stored firearm in a home shows how ignorant the drafter of this bill really is to the aspects of self-defense. I'd challenge this is also unconstitutional and violates the constitution in that the home is not where the government gets to dictate law; it's intrusive and invasive and, again, where is the data supporting that there is an issue that needs to be addressed?

I’m pretty sure you all took an oath to protect, preserve, & uphold the Constitution of the United States. With that said then why do you even consider any gun legislation????It is very sad what is happening to this country with the continued attacks on the 2nd Amendment and the Constitution as a whole. Guns aren’t the problem, it’s people. The continued removal of God in this country is slowly destroying our society with less and less morals, respect, & love for one another. Your ‘gun control’ legislation serves no purpose but continue to chip away at the Constitution which is what got us to where we are today. I implore you to reconsider these bills and think of this country & our Constitution. We must have the right to defend ourselves with the same tools as the murderers and thieves amongst us. You KNOW they don’t EVER adhere to any gun control laws so therefore innocent men, women, children pay the price. Please...think. Thank you~

I urge you to suport pri- Second Amendment bills and ooose the bill that further infringe on liberty and the right of Virginians to keeo and bear arms. Very Respectfully, Milton Clary

When reading this purposed, I do not see how punishing someone for the former actions of someone else will solve anything and even enforcement raises more than enough questions to recognize that this is another unenforceable law if it were to be made law. Stigmatizing someone who served their time and then casting that net onto others will not change anything and will be a only be a tack on charge after a crime happens. Rather than focus on creating legislation that will only disproportionately be enforced and further stigmatize people, focuse energy on rehabilitative laws. The most concerning problem is that the current legislature has expressed desire to expand and experiment with what makes someone a prohibited person effectivly weaponizing laws like these against nonprohibited persons in a false claim of "safety" for even prohibited persons who comitted non-violent offenses.

HB 1773 - This is also known as "Constitutional Carry" and has been enacted in many other states. The net effect in those states is a DECREASE in crime using a firearm and crime in general. This will only serve to make Virginia Safer HB 1793 - Holders of concealed carry permits are statistically LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT a crime than police officers. I ought to know as a former police officer. This will allow law abiding citizens who go through the extra scrutiny of obtaining a permit to protect themselves and others. HB 2285 - Retired police officer who served honorably deserve the respect entailed in this bill. HB 2310 - This is a necessary stop gap that will prevent law abiding citizens from running afoul of a new law. HB 2319 - This punishes a citizen who has done no wrong and will fall disproportionally on persons of color.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds people with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. I urge you to OPPOSE - HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

I support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and want no more gun control. Thank you.

I am what many would consider a Northern Virginia Liberal. I have not been particularly politically active and as far as firearms I own a 5 shot revolver and a pump action shotgun. I have a Concealed Carry Permit but have never used it. I am humbly writing to ask the Virginia State Legislature to respect the spirit of the constitution of our state and our country. Unlike some other states, Virginia has shown for centuries that it respects its own citizens to be well informed and mature enough to carry firearms. The recent trend away from this long held respect is worrisome. I implore the committee and the legislature at large to abandon obnoxious gun control efforts, to return to the free and open state we have been for so long, and to restore our rights in Northern Virginia and elsewhere now restricted. My vote, and the vote of anyone like me, which has been traditionally center left, depend upon the continued respect of our rights and liberties, given by God, and hitherto recognized by the state.

It is imperative to support the rights of the 2nd ammendment for citizens. As stated, the 2nd Ammendment states: "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. " . Ergo support of the first 5 bills HB 1773, HB 1793, HB 2285, HB 2310 supports the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. I am opposed to HB 2319 due to it infringes upon the right of a citizen to keep and bear Arms. It is important for the representatives to interrupt the constitutional rights of citizens and not infringe upon that right.

Why are you all trying to make us less safe? Its alot like saying you need to take a vaccine, but then suddenly make that vaccine less available and distribution less efficient. Its almost like you want people to die. The only thing that should die are these horrible bills. My body, my choice. My security, my choice. Hands off my security. Kill these bills.

Please support, and pass the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Greetings, Please follow the science and advocate for common sense solutions to crime and violence, and support actions which enable me to protect myself and my family if ever necessary to do so. Restricting civil liberties should not be taken so lightly. The CDC and many other organizations have clearly identified the root causes of crime, homicide, related early death as poverty, drugs, and alcohol. Our legislative bodies should never act to limit our Constitutional liberties. I urge you all to SUPPORT the following bills which advance citizens to protect themselves and their families form criminals. HB 1773, Delegate Frieta. HB 1793, Delegate Davis. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler. HB 2310, Delegate Runion. Please OPPOSE HB 2319, Delegate Guzman. This bill places an unreasonable limitation on citizens and places them at risk far more than it enhances safety. Understandably, the firearm should be adequately secured. Requiring it be unloaded and ammunition also secured elsewhere is a ridiculous provision. Further, how would you possibly enforce it. This is not a common sense proposal. Respectfully, Jarrett Rhodes

Representative Guzman, We need to stop with the division in America. You can start by dropping all the anti gun legislation that yourself and fellow democrats are attempting to pass. They are all a direct “INFRINGEMENT” upon our 2nd Amendment right. You can and should be focusing on real issues that affect so many folks here in our Commonwealth. Take a stroll down Broad Street sometime and look at all the boarded up locations. Ask the people what they really need. They will probably say things like good paying jobs, good housing at an affordable price, safe schools and streets and peace of mind that our social security will be there when the time comes and not given away to illegal immigrants. Focus on things that will get our country another 200 years down the road. So our children’s children will have a solid safe country. Do these things and Virginia will be the gold standard of our society. Freedom, Peace and Protectors of OUR Constitution, not dismantlers. Don’t do these things and you will complete the digression to a third world country that the DNC has been hell bent on. Remember, your not there to “control” the people. You are there to ensure we have a safe, efficient and secure state, and country, so “We the People” can flourish, make memories, raise our families and be proud to be an American. American Patriot, Chuck Pulver

I am writing to express my opposition to any and all legislation that infringes on my constitutional right to bear arms. Our founding fathers knew then that an armed populace is a deterrent to those that would seek to take away other rights. History shows that the first thing those seeking to control the populace do is to disarm them. A responsible citizen gun owner is not the problem, criminals are. If fact, any devise: a car, a truck, a ball point pen, a utility knife, can become a weapon in the hands of someone with a bad intent. I urge you to stop these efforts to disarm Virginians.

I believe most Virginia citizens are pro-Second Amendment in the fullest sense. As one of them, I do not want my right to own, open-or-concealed carry, and use my firearms sensibly and lawfuly to be infringed upon. This right is a also matter of public safety. I have a right to defend myself and others against criminal, anarchist and terrorist elements should such an occasion arise. As a retired Army officer, an antique US military weapons collector, reentactor and target shooter, I think I am capable of repsonsibly, safely and lawfully able to own, care for and utilize my weapons without politically motivated restrictions placed upon me. Frankly, I believe that any further restrictions placed upon our collective/individual fundamental right to keep and bear arms as protected within the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution amounts to criminalistic legislation against me and my fellow citizens. I fully support HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and reject HB 2319 emphatically. Politicians need to listen to the citizens and not to the whims of divisive, anti-American special interest groups looking to alter American societal traditions, norms, and constitutional rights. Elected officials are meant to represent us and our Constitution as written and implemented, period. Americans do not need to be reeducated against our fundamental and inalienable rights, traditions, societal norms and culture, nor does our nation at the local, municipal, county, state and national strata need to be transformed into something unrecognizeable and un-American. Therefore, I reemphasize to the Virginia State Legislature - PASS HBs 1773, 1793, 2285,& 2310, and REJECT HB 2319! America first, America only, America always! Thank you.

Would like for your support on all the bills except HB2319.

Let's keep this simple. HB 1773 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 1793 - This is a GREAT bill. Please move this along. HB 2310 - This is a good bill to support, but it could be improved upon by simply doing away with the legislation that prohibits on line concealed carry training. HB 2319 - A horrible bill. VOTE IT DOWN!!! Sincerely, Craig S. Lane 613 Cobbler Terr Leesburg, VA 20175

Concerning HB 1793, 2285, 2310, 2319... I strongly encourage you to vote for these HBs as it is our 2nd Right Amendment Right to have such legislation protecting all and any lawful persons to exercise their God given rights to protect themselves and loved ones. These HBs contribute to and help enforce our 2nd Amendment Rights . Concerning HB 2319... Mr. Guzman, No anti-gun laws will stop criminals from committing crimes against law abiding people. They are criminals for a reason...they do not adhere to our country's laws ! This HB will only delay the reaction time of a law abiding citizen from protecting himself & loved ones, should a criminal engage in such crimes as home invasion, intent to cause injury or death to an innocent victim. This HB contradicts common sense when it comes to a person protecting themselves and loved ones from a criminal. I respectfully request this HB not pass the legislator. Respectfully, Drew Boles, Wirtz,VA.

DO NOT Support HB 2319. 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.

Good evening, I urge you to vote NAY on this bill. HB 2319 would place restrictions on an honest, law-abiding citizen for the irresponsibility of another. This is not how justice works. Will you next require neighbors of someone with a DUI be restricted from driving? Will neighbors of pedophiles be banned from procreating? Again, we have an attempt to punish good people for the actions of bad people. Please vote NAY on this bill. Thank you, Vincent Smith

There are four pro-gun bills and one anti-gun bill. The anti-gun bill should be rejected since the people of this Commonwealth believe in a freedom to own a gun and that should not be taken away. No matter what it represents, the anti-gun politicians want to remove all guns and in so doing are creating an environment that will not be so rewarding for anti-gunnersand their comrades.

Please support HB 1773, 1793, 2285, and 2310. Please particularly support HB 1793, which exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. Fairfax County wasted no time posting "no guns" signs on miles of secluded, wooded trails behind my neighborhood. I've lived here since 2012 and never once seen a police officer on those trails. Along with the risk of criminal interaction in a secluded area, there is the risk of attack by wildlife or stray dogs. Our most vulnerable populations should not be stripped of their most effective means of self defense deep in the woods. Concealed carry permit holders are the most law-abiding segment of society. They should not be targeted by a feel-good do-nothing law that emboldens the criminal element. Please oppose HB2319. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

HB2319 is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This bill is a form of infringment.

Please do not pass this legislation. This is the kind of bill that chips away little by little at the 2nd amendment, and that's exactly what you all are trying to do with these kinds of bills. Death by a thousand cuts. If you look at any of the raw data behind gun violence, it doesn't take long to figure out that most of the gun violence is committed by career criminals who are not buying their weapons the way that law abiding citizens buy weapons, they are acquiring them on the black market, through drug deals, or through theft. There is nothing you can pass(as far as legislation) is concerned that will stop criminals. The only way to stop crime is to enforce the laws we currently have, strongly. We cannot be lenient when enforcing the law! It must be swift and consistent. That is the only way to deter crime, along with teaching and raising our youth better than we have. Law abiding citizens are not the one's committing crime. Very rarely are guns used in violence(when you consider the entire country), and even more rare is someone that commits a crime not to have a past history of committing crimes, and that comes from a failure to rehabilitate them. Please, please consider the hard evidence when considering legislation that goes against a constitutional right, and even more so when it's a constitutional right to protect oneself and our families.

Any law against the constitution is not law !!! HB2319 should never be considered under the oath of office you took and HB 1773, 1793, 2285 and 2310 are in our Constitution and is your duty to uphold the Constitution you took a oath to uphold...

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Simon Khiabani 15268 Cartersville Ct Haymarket, VA 20169 1simon.sk@gmail.com

As a long-time Virginia citizen and voter, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, to correct errors in the previous bill bringing in some obvious exemptions. Allowing retired police officers is in the interests of public safety. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable, unnecessary, imposes added needless costs on the owner and does little to nothing for public safety. Sincerely, Marc Gorelick 1830 Columbia Pike #210 Arlington, VA 22204 gorelickmarc13rarius@hotmail.com

Please oppose HB2319, as it's another burden for gun owners. How could the legal gun owner protect themselves or their household base upon the code in this bill on storing the firearm when a thief breaks in during the night, or at any other unexpected time??? HB1793 is about the best house bill I've seen this year. Please support. HB1773 would be wonderful to gun owners, it would even help ease problems that HB2310 is trying to address. Thank you for your service

As Virginia & Roanoke County citizens who take an active part in National, State & local politics, we want all of our VA Elected Officials to know that we support and will defend our 2nd Amendment Rights and fully expect each and every one of you folks to do so also. Voting for any bill that restricts our 2nd Amendment Rights will be noted and appropriate actions on the upcoming election cycle can be assured. We will actively watch and remember how each member of our State Legislature votes on any such bills/measures. God Bless each one of you fine dedicated Virginia Representatives and we trust that you will individually & collectively give proper attention to our U.S. Constitution paying particular attention to our 2nd Amendment Rights prior to any further voting! Ralph & Mary Bosen 7180 Buckeye Road Roanoke, VA 24018 540-774-8949

Arlington young professional. Millenial. Latino. Pro-Gun. Thanks.

I respectfully request that any and all my representatives to please use common sense on pro-gun rights bills. I'm retired law enforcement and currently carry a LEOSA card. Some of the bills I've seen introduced should be thrown out and not even considered. Remember that criminals will ALWAYS get weapons regardless of your passed laws in Virginia or the United States. Please work on more important matters like the Covid situation, opening up businesses, employment, and stop tearing apart our history such as monuments. If you continue to let our present governor continue with his erratic ideas, I believe we're headed down a slippery slope. Respectfully, Roy Beatty

I am a voter. I will support anyone who supports bills HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. I will not vote or support anyone who supports bill HB2319. Carl Dodge

Hi Committee members and Staff, Support: HB-1773, HB-1793, HB-2285 HB-2310 Oppose: HB-2319 Thank you for honoring your Oath of Office and the Rights of the Citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There should be no limitation on the exercise of rights for law-abiding citizens. Instead, focus on keeping criminals off the streets so we can live free. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. I strongly support this bill because CHP holders are statistically the most law-abiding citizens. There is no reason to restrict carry by law-abiding citizens anywhere . HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. One handgun a month is a sill law to begin with. Two recent straw purchase cases in VA resulted in arrests and prosecution. Emphasis should be on enforcing existing law, not imposing new infringements on the rights of the law-abiding. CHP holders are the most law-abiding segment of society, and there is no reason their purchase thresholds should be limited under the guise of stopping arms trafficking. I object to any exemption for LEOs. They are citizens, too, and should be held accountable to the same laws as other citizens. This applies to active duty as well as retires LEOs. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. The law to require in-person training is silly to begin with. CHPs are silly to begin with. We need to return Constitutional carry since the right to keep an bear arms is protected by the 2nd Amendment. Anyone who is too dangerous to own and carry a firearm should be in prison or otherwise removed from civil society. Permitting does nothing more than turn a right into a privilege, HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack. This is a silly bill that grasps at possibility instead of being rooted in fact. It implies that gun owners are inherently irresponsible. There is no reason a law-abiding citizen should be required to act as a prohibited person just because he or she cohabitates with one. It is already illegal for a prohibited person to possess a firearm. We don't need more laws that only impact the law-abiding and will do nothing to stop crime.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310. OPPOSE HB2319!

As an avid Sportsman please know that Virginia’s actions thus far has deterred me from hunting in the Commonwealth. I’m sure you’re aware of the enhanced revenue that out of state sportsman generate, both in licensing fees and sales taxes. Your recent anti-gun legislative stance is the reason I DID NOT come to Virginia to hunt this year. The word is out amongst Sportsmen, “Virginia is persona non grata”. STAY AWAY. is this truly the message the Legislature intended to send. You have made most of my hunting guns illegal. The patchwork of anti-gun laws you permitted can make me a felon simply by driving across a double secret imaginary line. You did this with intention, purpose and malice. Small businesses suffer as you infringe on my 2nd Amendment. I respectfully urge you to NOT approve these Bills. Thank you.

I am pro freedom and pro 2nd amendment. I am against any law that will abridge my 2nd amendment rights. Gun laws only affect the law abiding as the lawless will not heed restrictions that have been put to paper. Murderers use guns as tools to cause mayhem. Law abiders use guns as a tool to defend themselves and the helpless against these would be murderers. Most law enforcement recognizes this and are happy to have, these exemplary citizens as allies. Promote and support bills: HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. Strike and kill HB 2319. Long live a free United States of America.

Virginia is a low crime and low gun crime state. Enacting a bunch of high crime state laws is going to make us a high crime state. Don't fix a problem that doesn't exist and hurt the citizens of Virginia doing it.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. OPPOSE HB2319! Protect my right to defend my family if put into a situation where our lives are in imminent danger. In the current environment, where it can be dangerous to speak at all, I implore you to safeguard my God-given rights to protect myself and my loved ones. Sincerely, A 63-year-old woman, wife, mother, and grandmother

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB310. HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. OPPOSE HB2319! This is one of the most absurd, intrusive, ridiculous, thoughtless, oppressive, un-Constitutional ideas I've ever heard in my life - sincerely!! - in my LIFE!!! Since your “red flag” law leaves a presumed-dangerous person free (though without her own firearms) to inflict harm to herself or others……..wouldn’t you want her roommate or spouse to have readily available means of self defense ?!?! Again, this is absurd, and you must oppose HB 2319 !! HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

I am a 69 year veteran and life long Commonwealth citizen. I hold a degree in Political Science and History and Masters in Management, specifically organizational behavior. The bill as written, has several points which are lacking a logical basis. First if a firearm is stored loaded it is intended to be used for personal self defense. If a firearm is intended to be stored until sporting use is utilized then of course it is stored unloaded. These two states are standard states of firearm storage by any responsible gun owner. As it concerns safe storage for a firearm utilized for self defense this adds an extra step, which requires time in order insert a magazine or load an individual cartridge, and then chamber the round or shell. In most situations in a response for self defense, this additional time could be the difference between life and death. Not to mention the noise of going through this procedure would create, possibly hastening the actions of the perpetrator. Also, with the various types of storage units that require some from of biometric access such as a code or fingerprint, its nearly impossible for the unintended to actually access a firearm. This delayed access is particularly important when police response times are extended such as in rural areas. The results of the passing of this bill would just create a greater danger to the gun owner and his or her family. The net result of this bill is actually a public safety negative. Personally, as a citizen, I would prefer the committee spend more of its time insuring the safety of the public by introducing bills that would reduce the number of Opioid deaths in the state, that are many times those of the criminal use of a firearm. With due respect to the committee, Patrick L Hamp, USNR(ret) Oak Hill, VA

HB 2319: Those who habitate with a person who is not authorized to operate a firearm, already have enough of a burden to secure the firearm. In the event of an emergency situation (home intrusion?), then the seconds it takes to reload a firearm could be the difference between life and death. HB1773: This makes logical sense. If a person holds a firearm, there is nothing to gain as a matter of public policy by requiring they open carry it. HB1793: CHP holders have already been subjected to background checks. HB 2285: Background checks have already been completed. Any further restrictions, serve no purpose, other than publicity. HB2310: Due to COVID, people have limited options for classroom education. We should not discourage people from exercising their rights. However, this would be moot if we passed HB1793

OPPOSE HB2319 The lawful citizens have had enough “Gun Control” wrongfully forced upon them. The good people of Virginia have had enough of the State Government’s tyranny. Strike this bill down !

As a Virginia citizen, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. The citizens of Virginia DO NOT want nor need any further infringements on their GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to defend themselves!

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Lee Ann Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the weapon be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Robert Hicks Linden, VA

As a constituent, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has ever repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Eric Bonnell Glen Allen, VA 23059

HB1173 Freitas: let's trust the people. If they would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun, why the paperwork and registration process so that they can? HB1793 Davis: let's make it easy for the people we ought to trust. Concealed is concealed - there's no argument for social comfort, there's no argument for public safety . . . crossing the street shouldn't change all of the rules. HB2285 Fowler: a good cleanup bill to align the populations affected by gun restrictions. HB2310 Runion: until COVID ends, we need to support virtual learning of all types. HB2319 Guzman: this bill would be awfully hard on those in small apartments and homes. Further, it puts the compliance onus on the innocent party.

Please do not pass any legislation tinkering with making it more burdensome to own firearms and ammunition or to use them in self-defense or any other legal activities. The government fixation on firearms is so embarrassing. Anyone wishing to keep tampering with the 2nd Amendment has ulterior motives on reducing freedom of American citizens, and I wish you would just make that agenda plain instead of continually hiding it.

HB 1773 - I support this bill. This bill would save court clerks huge amounts of unnecessary paperwork without a negative impact on public safety. HB 1793 - I support this bill. The restrictions put in place by localities in the last year are all about sending an anti-gun political message, not about making people safer. Concealed handgun permit holders can be trusted to safely carry a gun on the sidewalk--why should they be barred from bike trails and parks? HB 2285 - I support this bill, which may be helpful to military members who have moved to Virginia but have not obtained a Virginia concealed handgun permit. This would not exempt gun buyers from background checks. Permit holders from some other places, such as DC, have gone through even more stringent application processes than in Virginia! HB 2310 - I support this bill. The pandemic made it very difficult for people to get their concealed handgun permit applications submitted to their local court clerk, especially if they needed to submit something in person. This bill would help people who would have been able to submit by the deadline but for a pandemic-related closure of their local court clerk's office. HB 2319 - I oppose this bill. This bill would punish people who failed to understand the complex laws that caused their roommate to be prohibited from gun possession due to criminal and mental health histories. It would be difficult to prosecute because the Commonwealth's Attorney would have to show that the defendant knew about the roommate's history AND knew that it caused them to be prohibited from possessing guns. This bill also overreaches by putting requirements on ammunition storage that probably exceed the restrictions placed on some individuals due to their criminal convictions, protective orders, or mental health history.

Please vote against all gun control bills. With all the riots going on we the people need to be able to protect ourselves. If you to take away guns then you should give up your security. All people unprotected seems fair. Also maybe you should check the U.S. Constitution as to the second amendment. Thank you, A.G. Morris IV.

As a constituent in Arlington, VA, I would like the following actions to be taken on these bills. Oppose HB 1773 - If an individual is eligible for a CHP, they should take the necessary steps to apply for a CHP if they wish to carry concealed. This is common sense. Support HP 1793 - Individuals who have CHPs should be allowed to carry and be exempt from local gun control. Criminals do not obey laws that forbid crime so individuals who have received education and training to carry concealed should be allowed to do so. Oppose HB 2285 - One Handgun a month is perfectly reasonable, regardless of person. Support HB 2310 - CHP training being required in person during a pandemic seems dangerous. Please delay this until April. Oppose HB 2319 - If your roommate or child doesn't have a driver's license, you're not required by law to lock away the key or vehicle. Same should apply to firearms. Responsible storage and maintenance is the responsibility of the gun owner, not for the law to decide. There are common sense laws and then laws that don't make any sense. Please continue to make good legislative decisions that do not punish law abiding gun owners, while pushing for safety that is reasonable and constitutionally appropriate. THANK YOU!

In this day and age, after ALL of the settled law as opined by SCOTUS it absolutely stuns me that you liberals continue to infringe upon our GOD GIVEN CONSTITUTIONALLY protected RIGHTS (NOT privileges - RIGHTS) to protect ourselves through gun ownership which (as ratified and adopted by the Commonwealth) SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED). Have any of you even bothered to read the Federalist papers regarding the definition of gun ownership and rights to the same? GUN RIGHTS ARE A MATTER OF SETTLED LAW WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! It is long past time for you liberals to stop taking a note out of the authoritarian Nazi playbook, stop ne8ng so bigotted against gun owners, and stop trying to turn us into helpless victims! These rights are not ONLY enshrined in the 2nd Amendment (as adopted by the Commonwealth, written, in fact, by a Virginian), but also within the Preamble to the Constitution itself. As a FREE society (whether you like or or not), we CANNOT 'form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON DEFENSE, or promote the GENERAL WELFARE AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS of liberty to OURSELVES AND our posterity,' WITHOUT the settled laws of the land which ensure our gun rights and rights to ownership of same. Get over it tou bunch of school yard bullies!

I didn't spend 23 years of my life defending The Constitution to let a bunch of spinless, yellow bellied cowards shred kit.

Now that you have made a horrendous patchwork of inconsistent local laws regarding firearms, those of us that face very real dangers could accidentally break the law just by trying to protect ourselves. I am a woman. I am only 4'10" tall. I have had stalkers, and due to work in law enforcement as a computer forensic examiner, I am threatened by criminal defendants and their associates. Because I am not a cop or special agent, no law enforcement exceptions apply to me. I cannot get a protective order because I do not always know who made the threats. I have been attacked several times. My assailants threatened to burn my house, kill my family, and torture and rape me. The very least you could do after making the legislative mess in last year's session is to exempt concealed carry permit holders from these ridiculous restrictions. We have been background checked, we have taken at least one safety course (though many of us opt to take courses and train with our firearms regularly in order to be sure that our skills and safety practices remain current). HB2319 is particularly troubling. If the firearm is locked away from the "bad guy", then it is also less accessible to the peaceful law abiding person (who will be less able to access it when needed for self defense).

Dear delegates - As a law-abiding citizen who wishes to ensure my God-given (NOT state granted) right to protect myself and my family against both criminals and tyrannical government I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO SUPPORT the following four bills before your committee: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Likewise I STRONGLY OPPOSE yet another anti-gun bill submitted to your committee: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please vote against any and all forms of Bill's designed to limit or restrict our right to bear arms. Thank You Cameron Reed

I urge you to approve all of these except HB2319-Guzman. It should be rejected

Remember your oath of office and do not infringe on citizen’s rights!

I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Would you please discontinue what seems like a targeting of honest gun owners on proposed laws that either punish owners in various ways making it very difficult to purchase ammo, use a high powered flash light, attempt to impose heavy taxation which of course targets people of lower income, limiting the ability to smith or modify self defense weapons. I understand that the nature of certain laws is to limit the ability to have fully automatic weapons which already exist, but continues to ignore the reality that anyone at anytime can obtain the necessary resources to act in a way that is malevolent to society that completely disregards any laws that could ever be passed. A law breaker has no intentions of abiding by laws acting in a way that demonstrates any actual character. The current laws that exist are already limiting and to expect complete certainty in all situations is impossible even at the expense of personal freedom that I and most everyone, even non gun owners typically value over continued restrictions. These points continue to be made time and time again and the laws that are propose need to practical purpose that does not restrict individuals who simply wish to have their rights respected rather than continually challenged. It always appears that these bills are also proposed with the attempt to pass them without the public having an awareness of such situations creating a lack of transparency. What is your intent as representatives of VA, to always follow a party affiliated narrative if democrat and attempt to institute control measures. Do we just endlessly continue to play out arguments of such nature for years to come or can we simply acknowledge that most people act responsible and some sadly at times do not but limiting those responsible is not a solution that deters those of evil intentions in the end.

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Virginia voters have overwhelmingly shown that racist, Jim Crow gun control is unwelcome in the Commonwealth through Lobby Day after Lobby Day and hundreds of Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities. Your vote against civil rights for POC and all citizens will be remembered on voting day and beyond.

As a constituent I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

All gun laws in the United States have lead to racial disparities in enforcement (see NY and DC) and support the carceral state by creating new victimless crimes to arrest more people. Ultimately these laws are created by people protected by guns (legislators) and are enforced by people with guns (police). Help end racism and step back from empowering the carceral state by opposing "gun control."

I ask you to heavily support HB1773 allowing common sense firearm carry enable individuals the right to adequately protect themselves. I ask you support HB1793 as local ordinances not allowing carry is a severe infringement on Virginians right to self protection. I ask you to support HB2310, as Virginians right to self defense doesn't go away in a pandemic I ask you to support HB2285 although I believe that the law of only purchasing 1 handgun a month for the common Virginian is infringement on their inherent 2nd amendment right. I ask you to strongly oppose HB2319. This is a violation of privacy and the enforcement of this would violate people privacy. Not a good slope to go down.

HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. And this one anti-gun bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures any firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. This bill requires that stored firearms must be UNLOADED, which is unreasonable since the gun is already locked away from the prohibited person. This bill increases the time it would take for the gun owner to respond to a violent attack.

Please support the constitutional rights of your constituents and break with the Democrats who are working so hard to subvert our rights! There is no human right more fundamental than the right to defend yourself and your loved ones from violent attack.

Committee Members, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Seth Tilstra

As a constituent I urge you to SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285 and HB2310. I urge you to OPPOSE HB2319.

Please SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And please OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary. Sincerely, Adam Gifford 1616 Peppers Ferry Rd Pulaski, VA 24301-2904 afgiff4d@gmail.com

Dear Delegates, Please, your existing gun laws do not work. Please do not enact more anti-gun legislation that also will not work. In all seriousness, if we're so worried and afraid about proven violent felons getting their hands on guns (again), how about you just put, and keep, them in jail out of circulation? That really is the only foolproof method of keeping criminals from repeating their violence upon us. No more gun control! Stop infringing on my 2nd Amendment rights (and similar rights in our Commonwealth's Constitution)! Enact strong laws that put and keep actual violent offenders in jail. Not useless laws that only serve to limit or prevent my ability to defend my family, and to engage in various firearms' competitions. If you want to actually save lives, how about banning cell phones and booze? Think about all the lives senselessly lost to drunk and distracted driving. Or do those lives not matter? Thank you for your consideration.

I am happy to see legislation protecting 2nd amendment rights, although disappointed that they have become necessary. Any gun control stacks the cards against women, people of color, and the disabled community. We should be providing education and training, NOT restricting rights of good citizens.

SUPPORT HB1773, HB1793, HB2285, and HB2310! OPPOSE HB2319!

Please support HB1773, 1793, 2285, and 310. These are common sense changes that are needed to reduce the burden on law abiding citizens that practice their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and a bill of Rights. Please DO NOT support HB 2319 Citizens do not need any more restrictions on our rights. I do not support gun control and refuse to support political leaders that do.

As a Virginia Resident, I urge you to SUPPORT the following bills: HB 1773, Delegate Frietas, allows a person who would qualify to get a Virginia concealed handgun permit to be able to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere that person could lawfully openly carry a handgun (“Constitutional Carry”). 16 other states already have Constitutional Carry and no state has every repealed it. HB 1793, Delegate Davis, exempts concealed handgun permit holders from any local gun-control that is permitted by 15.2-915. The Virginia State Police keep track of concealed handgun permit revocations for any reason, and those revocations are a fraction of one percent for Virginia’s 700,000 permit holders. There is no public safety reason to prohibit permit holders from carrying a handgun everywhere they go. They have jumped through every hoop the state has required, have squeaky-clean backgrounds, and have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. HB 2285, Delegate Fowler, adds someone with a valid non-resident concealed carry permit and retired police officers to the list of exemptions to One Handgun a Month. This is more of a cleanup bill, bringing in some obvious exemptions. HB 2310, Delegate Runion, extends the time that an online concealed handgun permit training course is valid to April 30, 2021. This bill has an emergency clause to take effect the minute the Governor signs it. Because local government services have been cut back due to COVID-19, online firearms courses are helpful in following government guidelines on social distancing and doing as much as possible in a virtual manner. And OPPOSE this bill: HB 2319, Delegate Guzman, requires a person cohabiting with another person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, secures firearms and ammunition so the prohibited person does not have access to them. There are two serious flaws with this bill. 1) requiring a gun that is stored locked and inaccessible to the prohibited person AND UNLOADED is unreasonable and makes the firearm unusable in an emergency by the gun’s owner. 2) requiring the ammunition be stored separately from the ammunition is also unreasonable. Unless the gun and ammunition can be stored in the same vault, the gun owner needs two vaults. A vault for gun owners with many firearms can be an entire room with a steel door that only the gun owner can access. Requiring two separate rooms in the house to be used is unreasonable and unnecessary.

Hello, I am an honest, law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying, property-owning husband and father. Please do not further restrict my firearm-related rights. Thank you, Chris