The Virginia General Assembly has rejected Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed amendments to three gun safety bills in order to preserve the bills’ original intent. These measures will be sent back to Youngkin’s desk, where he will have 30 days to sign them into law or veto them.
Lawmakers did accept proposed amendments on a measure to prohibit the purchase, selling or possession of a firearm with a removed, altered or defaced serial number.
“Now that our lawmakers have sent these bills back to Governor Youngkin in their original state, he has another opportunity to build on the progress from earlier this session and sign them into law,” said Shantell Rock, a volunteer with the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our lawmakers passed these strong gun violence prevention measures because they knew that they were needed to protect our communities. We’re grateful for the bipartisan progress that has already been made this legislative session, and we’re hopeful that more can be done.”
Three bills sent back to the governor
- HB 173/SB 100, which would regulate untraceable “ghost guns,” which are do-it-yourself, homemade guns assembled using unfinished, unserialized core parts and kits that can be acquired without a background check. This would make Virginia the 14th state to enact a law prohibiting ghost guns,
- HB 498/SB 225, which would require school boards to annually notify parents of their legal responsibility to safely store any firearm present in the household and information regarding the risks associated with improperly stored firearms
- HB 861/SB 515, which would prohibit firearms in any facility that provides mental health or developmental services, including hospitals and ERs.
“Our lawmakers worked tirelessly to strengthen our gun safety laws this year and now we have another opportunity to get more of these measures signed into law,” said Sofia Posadas, a volunteer with the University of Virginia Students Demand Action chapter.
“Governor Youngkin must take this opportunity to build on the bipartisan progress we’ve already made this session. These laws will save lives – Virginians need them.”
Four other gun safety measures were passed and signed into law this session with bipartisan support.
Gun safety measures passed this session
- HB 35, a bill to expand Virginia’s secure firearm storage tax credit to include more devices such as cable locks and further encouraging firearm owners to securely store their guns
- HB 626/SB 484, a bill to create the Community Builders Pilot Program and Fund for Roanoke and Petersburg public schools to deter youth gun violence
- HB 22/SB 210, a bill to prohibit auto sears, which are devices that convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons
- HB 36/SB 44, a bill to hold gun owners accountable for allowing children under their care with certain dangerous histories to access firearms.
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Crystal Graham
