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VCDL Legislative Update 2/14/24



We have now passed crossover day, the halfway mark, where gun bills that passed one body are now being heard in the other body.  So, House bills are being heard in the Senate and Senate bills are being heard in the House.  (ACTION ITEM on Delegate Coyner at end of this alert.)



Here’s where the bills stand:



All major gun-rights bills have been killed in committees in both houses.




VCDL has changed its position on these two bills, from OPPOSE to NEUTRAL, after both were modified to protect gun-owners from being wrongly charged:


HB 36, Delegate Willett, and SB 44, Senator VanVaulkenburg, makes it a crime for a parent to allow their child to gain possession of a firearm after having been notified that their child is a danger to himself or others due to things such as being convicted of a violent crime.





Gun-control bills that passed on a bipartisan vote, with all Democrats supporting and some Republicans supporting:


NOTE, except for SB 225, which is a senate bill, Delegate Coyner voted in support of all 8 of the House gun-control bills on this list.  See section 6 on Delegate Coyner at the end.



HB 46, Delegate Bennett-Parker, requires a person holding guns for a prohibited person to be at least 21 and live at a different address.  Delegate Coyner voted for this bill.



HB 173, Delegate Simon, requires homemade guns made after 1968 to be serialized.  Delegate Coyner voted for this bill



HB 362, Delegate McClure, adds a “dating relationship” to misdemeanor domestic violence category.  Delegates Coyner and Lovejoy voted for this bill.



HB 454, Delegate Callsen, bans guns at higher education buildings.  Delegate Coyner voted for this bill.



HB 637, Delegate Sullivan, creates a Substantial Risk Order (Red Flag) training program for law enforcement.  Delegate Coyner voted for this bill.



HB 798, Delegate Hope, takes away gun rights for simple assault, assault and battery, and stalking.  Delegate Coyner voted for this bill.



HB 861, Delegate Hernandez, bans guns in hospitals.  Delegate Coyner voted for this bill.



HB 1174, Delegate Sickles, makes it illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase an “assault firearm.”  Delegate Coyner voted for this bill.





Gun-control bills that passed on a party-line vote, with all Democrats supporting and all Republicans opposing:


HB 2, Delegate Helmer, bans “assault weapon” and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds which were made after July 1, 2024.



SB 2, Senator Deeds, bans “assault weapon” and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds which were made after July 1, 2024.



SB 47, Senator Favola, requires a person holding guns for a prohibited person be 21 or older and live at a different address.



SB 57, Senator Salim, makes it illegal for a CHP holder to carry concealed in a restaurant or club that serves alcoholic beverages.



SB 99, Senator Ebbin, prohibits open carry of “assault weapons” in public areas.



SB 100, Senator Ebbin, requires serialization of homemade guns made after 1968.



HB 158, Delegate McClure, requires locking devices for firearms and a warning sheet be included when a gun is sold.



HB 175, Delegate Simon, prohibits open carry of “assault weapons” in public areas.



HB 183, Delegate Simon, requires all firearms in a home, that are not being carried, to be locked up if someone in the home is under 18-years-old.



SB 258, Senator Surovell, expands what a judge can consider when issuing a red flag order.



SB 273, Senator Subramanyam, creates a five-day waiting period for gun sales.



HB 318, Delegate Helmer, allows the firearms industry to be subject to frivolous civil lawsuits.



SB 327, Senator Salim, makes it illegal for someone under 21 to purchase a handgun or “assault firearm.”



SB 368, Senator Boysco, requires all firearms in a home, that are not being carried, to be locked up if someone in the home is under 18-years-old.



SB 373, Senator Deeds, bans guns in higher-education buildings.



SB 447, Senator Marsden, creates a civil fine with car towing, for a handgun left visible in an unattended vehicle.



SB 491, Senator Carroll Foy, allows the firearms industry to be subject to frivolous civil lawsuits.



SB 515, Senator Williams Graves, bans guns in hospitals.



SB 522, Senator Williams Graves, requires training to be able to purchase a firearm.



HB 585, Delegate Mundon King, prevents home-based FFLs from operating within 1.5 miles of a school.



SB 642, Senator Perry, adds “dating relationship” to misdemeanor domestic violence definition to prohibit a person from owning firearms.



HB 797, Delegate Hope, removes NRA and USCCA courses as training for getting a CHP.  It also requires 10 rounds of live fire.



HB 799, Delegate Hope, requires fingerprinting to get a CHP.



HB 939, Delegate Shin, prohibits firearms within 100 feet of electoral board, voter registration, voter satellite buildings, or absentee drop-off locations.





Gun-control bills that are either defeated or have been continued until next year:


HB 113, Delegate Sullivan, takes away gun rights for misdemeanor drunk driving, defeated.



HB 270, Delegate Reid, omnibus bills that includes semi-auto and magazine bans, waiting periods, and more, continued to 2025.



HB 319, Delegate Helmer, removes NRA and USCCA courses as those that are accepted training for getting a CHP, continued to 2025.



HB 602, Delegate Price, creates a government agency, the Virginia Center for Firearm Violence and Prevention, continued to 2025.



HB 791, Delegate Henson, makes it a felony to have a BB gun on school property, defeated.





Republican Delegate Coyner is voting for gun control and that is bad for all of us!


Delegate Coyner seems to be confused as to whether she is a Republican or a Democrat, or she doesn’t understand either her Party’s platform or the 2A’s “shall not be infringed.”  The vast majority of the Republicans in the General Assembly don’t have that problem and are standing strong so far.



Here is what Delegate Coyner supports in a nutshell:



No guns in hospitals, even for CHP holders
No guns in higher-education buildings, even for CHP holders
No “assault firearms” for young adults
Gun rights taken away for misdemeanor simple assault, assault and battery, or stalking
Add the nebulous term “dating relationships” to the misdemeanor domestic violence law, opening up a Pandora’s Box that can be abused by a disgruntled ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend
Training police so they can violate our rights more efficiently using the Red Flag law
A spouse or family member living in the home with someone who has been issued a protective order, have to give up their guns, too, even though they have nothing to do with the protective order
Homemade guns have to be registered on a Form 4473, as if they are commercially made firearms


ACTION ITEM!



Bipartisan votes, even if it is just one Republican that breaks ranks, are harmful when it comes to gun-control bills landing on the Governor’s desk next week.  If you live in Delegate Coyner’s district, I suggest you give her a polite, but firm, call about all those bad votes:  804-698-1075.

VCDL does a great job of reporting on the bills and their status.

https://vcdl-lis.org/

Only one bill is on the Governor's desk to sign by March 8.

HB46/SB47 Firearm transfers to another person from a prohibited person.

Here's a quick check for vetoed bills.

https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+lst+VET