Not that it matters much but one "blue dog" dem is on the 2A's side.
VCDL Legislative Update 1/22/26
Democrat Delegate Dan Helmer led the charge to kill most of the pro-gun bills tonight in the Public Safety Firearms subcommittee.
The rest reads like a horror story:
SB 348, Senator Boysko, requires all firearms in a home, that are not being carried on or about a person, to be unloaded and placed in a locked container if there is a minor in the home or if there is a prohibited person in the home. A gun may only be stored loaded if it is in a biometric safe. Gun dealers must post signage about the law and there is also a provision to educate the public on firearm storage.
SB 364, Senator Carroll Foy, creates a state agency named the Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention.
SB 496, Senator Marsden, eliminates the ability to transport a long gun to or from a place of purchase or repair! The bill also requires a handgun in an unattended vehicle to be stored in a locked hard-sided container that is placed out of plain view.
SB 643, Senator Surovell, requires a person to have a permit to purchase a firearm (“permit”), which is good for 5 years. To qualify for a permit, the applicant must have had his fingerprints taken and have had firearms training within the last two years. The training must be approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services and include live fire of at least 10 rounds. Persons under 21-years-old cannot apply for a permit and are thus prohibited from buying firearms. A person renting a gun, persons with dual residency, and out of state residents purchasing long guns must have a permit. In a private sale, the purchaser must have a verified permit. The State Police can charge whatever fee they feel covers their cost in processing the permit application and can take as long as 45 days to issue the permit. Local law enforcement will be notified that you have been issued or denied a permit. This bill adds new misdemeanor prohibitors from getting a permit. The bill also removes the exemption from One Handgun a Month by CHP holders.
SB 727, Senator Jones, prohibits the carry of certain loaded semi-automatic rifles, pistols, or shotguns on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public in the Commonwealth. This used to only apply to the cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach and the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William.
SB 763, Senator Williams Graves, creates an 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition manufacturers for gross sales into the Commonwealth.
Is there going to be an excise tax for book publishers, raising the cost for people who want to exercise their First Amendment rights? This is a “sin tax,” that affects a basic civil right. Owning a gun is not a sin. Guns are used to save hundreds of thousands of lives every year.
HB 1359, Delegate Hope, requires a person to have a permit to purchase a firearm (“permit”), which is good for 5 years. To qualify for a permit, the applicant must have had his fingerprints taken and have had firearms training within the last two years. The training must be approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services and include live fire of at least 10 rounds. Persons under 21-years-old cannot apply for a permit and are thus prohibited from buying firearms. A person renting a gun, persons with dual residency, and out of state residents purchasing long guns must have a permit. In a private sale, the purchaser must have a verified permit. The State Police can charge whatever fee they feel covers their cost in processing the permit application and can take as long as 45 days to issue the permit. Local law enforcement will be notified that you have been issued or denied a permit. This bill adds new misdemeanor prohibitors from getting a permit. The bill also removes the exemption from One Handgun a Month by CHP holders.
SB 495, Senator Deeds, adds a family or household member, a mental health service provider, or an appointed evaluator from a community services board to the list of people who can petition for a Red Flag order. While this bill adds additional people who can petition for a Red Flag order, which invites abuse by those with a grudge and it will discourage people from getting help from a mental health service provider or a community services board, it keeps the important protection requiring police to do an independent investigation to determine if grounds for the petition exist before a petition can be filed.
None have passed yet but the vile dems ain't stopping for shit this go-round.