VA-ALERT: URGENT TURNOUT NEEDED MONDAY Jan 13! Gun bills to be heard at 8 AM!

VA Alert 1/10/2020
URGENT ACTION ALERT ITEMS!

Democrats delayed getting this information out until Friday afternoon intentionally!

There are a series of extremely bad gun-control bills to be heard on Monday at 8 AM in the Senate Judiciary Committee:

General Assembly Building
Senate Room A
9th and Main Streets in Richmond

ACTION ITEM #1:
We need a large turnout to flood the room with GSL stickers and we need to be there early to get seats! This is where the rubber meets the road!

NEW RULE: GUNS ARE NOT ALLOWED NOW INSIDE THE BUILDING, EVEN IF YOU HAVE A CHP.


ACTION ITEM #2:
We need to absolutely bombard the Judiciary Committee's email! Click on this link to send a prewritten email to the Judiciary Committee:

https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=7553


ACTION ITEM #3:
Spread this alert and that link far and wide!

(source: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-jan-13-gun-bills-to-be-heard-at-8-am.861765/)

VA-Alert 1/10/2020 (https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=b28f1d9ea359b104b09836c4c&id=7aad6bda18)
Here are the gun-control bills that are coming up on Monday, January 13, at 8 am in the Senate Judiciary:

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+doc+S0310113

S.B. 12 (Universal Background Checks)

Patron: Saslaw

Firearm transfers; criminal history record information checks; penalty. Requires a background check for any firearm transfer and requires the Department of State Police to establish a process for transferors of firearms to obtain such a check from licensed firearms dealers. A transferor who fails to obtain a required background check and sells the firearm to another person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts transfers (i) between immediate family members; (ii) that occur by operation of law; (iii) by the executor or administrator of an estate or by the trustee of a testamentary trust; (iv) at firearms shows in accordance with law; (v) that are part of a buyback or give-back program; (vi) of antique firearms; (vii) that occur at a shooting range, shooting gallery, or any other area designed for the purpose of target shooting or for use during target practice, a firearms safety or training course or class, a shooting competition, or any similar lawful activity; or (viii) that are temporary transfers that (a) occur within the continuous presence of the owner of the firearm or (b) are necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The bill removes the provision that makes background checks of prospective purchasers or transferees at firearms shows voluntary.

S.B. 22

Patron: Saslaw (One handgun a month)

Purchase of handguns; limitation on handgun purchases; penalty. Prohibits any person who is not a licensed firearms dealer from purchasing more than one handgun in a 30-day period and establishes such an offense as a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts from this provision (i) persons who have been issued a certificate by the Department of State Police under certain circumstances and with an enhanced background check, (ii) law-enforcement agencies and officers, (iii) state and local correctional facilities, (iv) licensed private security companies, (v) persons who hold a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit, (vi) persons whose handgun has been stolen or irretrievably lost or who are trading in a handgun, (vii) purchases of handguns in a private sale, and (viii) purchases of antique firearms.

S.B. 35

Patron: Surovell (bans guns for parades, marches, etc.)

Control of firearms by localities; permitted events. Authorizes any locality by ordinance to prohibit the possession or carrying of firearms, ammunition, or components or any combination thereof in a public space during a permitted event or an event that would otherwise require a permit. The bill contains technical amendments.

S.B. 69

Patron: Locke (One handgun a month)

Purchase of handguns; limitation on handgun purchases; penalty. Prohibits any person who is not a licensed firearms dealer from purchasing more than one handgun in a 30-day period and establishes such an offense as a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts from this provision (i) persons who have been issued a certificate by the Department of State Police under certain circumstances and with an enhanced background check, (ii) law-enforcement agencies and officers, (iii) state and local correctional facilities, (iv) licensed private security companies, (v) persons who hold a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit, (vi) persons whose handgun has been stolen or irretrievably lost or who are trading in a handgun, (vii) purchases of handguns in a private sale, and (viii) purchases of antique firearms.

S.B. 70

Patron: Lucas (Universal Background Checks)

Firearm transfers; criminal history record information checks; penalty. Requires a background check for any firearm transfer and directs the Department of State Police (the Department) to establish a process for transferors to obtain such a check from licensed firearms dealers. A transferor who sells a firearm to another person without obtaining the required background check is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that a transferee who receives a firearm from another person without obtaining the required background check is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts transfers (i) between immediate family members; (ii) that occur by operation of law; (iii) by the executor or administrator of an estate or by the trustee of a testamentary trust; (iv) at firearms shows in accordance with law; (v) that are part of a buy-back or give-back program; (vi) of antique firearms; (vii) that occur at a shooting range, shooting gallery, or any other area designed for the purpose of target shooting or for use during target practice, a firearms safety or training course or class, a shooting competition, or any similar lawful activity; or (viii) that are temporary transfers that (a) occur within the continuous presence of the owner of the firearm or (b) are necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The bill removes the provision that makes background checks of prospective purchasers or transferees at firearms shows voluntary. The bill also provides that the Department shall have three business days to complete a criminal history record information check before a firearm may be transferred.


S.B. 240 (Red Flag law)

Patron: Barker

Firearms; removal from persons posing substantial risk; penalties. Creates a procedure by which any attorney for the Commonwealth or any law-enforcement officer may apply to a general district court, circuit court, or juvenile and domestic relations district court judge or magistrate for an emergency substantial risk order to prohibit a person who poses a substantial risk of injury to himself or others from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm. If an emergency substantial risk order is issued, a judge or magistrate may issue a search warrant to remove firearms from such person. An emergency substantial risk order shall expire on the fourteenth day following issuance of the order. The bill requires a court hearing in the circuit court for the jurisdiction where the order was issued within 14 days from issuance of an emergency substantial risk order to determine whether a substantial risk order should be issued. Seized firearms shall be retained by a law-enforcement agency for the duration of an emergency substantial risk order or a substantial risk order or, for a substantial risk order and with court approval, may be transferred to a third party 21 years of age or older chosen by the person from whom they were seized. The bill allows the complainant of the original warrant to file a motion for a hearing to extend the substantial risk order prior to its expiration. The court may extend the substantial risk order for a period not longer than 180 days. The bill provides that persons who are subject to a substantial risk order, until such order has been dissolved by a court, are guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor for purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm; are disqualified from having a concealed handgun permit; and may not be employed by a licensed firearms dealer. The bill also provides that a person who transfers a firearm to a person he knows has been served with a warrant or who is the subject of a substantial risk order is guilty of a Class 4 felony. The bill creates a computerized substantial risk order registry for the entry of orders issued pursuant to provisions in the bill.

S.B. 450

Patron: Edwards (bans guns at Board of Supervisor meetings or City Council meetings)

Control of firearms; chambers of local governing bodies. Allows a locality to adopt an ordinance that prohibits firearms, ammunition, or components or a combination thereof at any regular or special meeting of its local governing body, provided that notice of such prohibition is publicly posted and the meeting room is owned, operated or used by the locality.

S.B. 505

Patron: Edwards (Bans guns in local government buildings)

Control of firearms by localities; local government buildings. Authorizes a locality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof in any building owned or used by such locality for governmental purposes. The bill requires such ordinance to include a provision for security measures designed to reasonably prevent unauthorized access of such buildings by a person with a firearm, ammunition, or components or combination thereof. The bill requires a locality to post notice of any such prohibition at all entrances of buildings used for governmental purposes.

S.B. 543

Patron: Edwards (Closes non-existent "Gun show loophole")

Firearms shows; mandatory background check. Requires the Department of State Police to perform a criminal history record information check on the prospective purchaser or transferee prior to the completion of any firearms transaction at a firearms show held in the Commonwealth. Current law requires the Department of State Police to be available at every firearms show held in the Commonwealth to perform criminal history record information checks but does not require such checks to be performed unless requested by a party involved in the transaction.

S.B. 615

Patron: Deeds (bans guns in local government buildings and in parks)

Control of firearms by localities; local government buildings and parks. Authorizes a locality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof in any building owned or used by such locality for governmental purposes and in public parks owned by the locality. The bill requires such ordinance to include a provision for security measures designed to reasonably prevent unauthorized access of such buildings or parks by a person with a firearm, ammunition, or components or combination thereof. The bill requires a locality to post notice of any such prohibition at all entrances of buildings used for governmental purposes and at the main entrances to public parks owned by this locality.

Last night, NRA announced that they woudl be handing out 1,000 Magpul 30-round magazines to pro-2A attendees in Richmond today!
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/12/nra-30-round-mags-va-fight-against-northam-gun-ban/#

VCDL Report - Monday 1/13 Judiciary Committee
source: https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=b28f1d9ea359b104b09836c4c&id=8cffe5bbdf}
Several thousand gun owners turned out at the temporary General Assembly Building on Monday, January 13! The hearing room was divided into two areas - the larger area for gun-rights supporters and the other was a smaller area for gun-control supporters.

Gun owners filled up their side of the room quickly, while the gun controllers side was still pretty empty. To make it looked like they had more people and not look so pitiful, a search for gun-controllers in the waiting line outside the meeting room doors was conducted. Countless gun owners in the line were skipped over in the search for more gun-controllers. Whenever a gun controller was found, they were allowed to go into the meeting room, but no more gun owners were allowed in.

Sheriff Scott Jenkins of Culpeper County and Sheriff Richard Vaughn of Grayson County were in the room in support of gun owners. Sheriff Jenkins spoke twice during the hearings.

The meeting was chaired by Democrat Senator John Edwards. The Republicans on the committee pointed out multiple mistakes and even rules that were broken in the running of the committee, but the Democrat-controlled committee ignored the complaints and lurched forward anyhow, rules be damned.

Republican Senator Bill Stanley, who could not be at the hearing due to a trial he had to attend, had been promised by John Edwards that no gun bills would be heard on Monday, but Senator Edwards went back on his word and gun bills were heard anyhow. Senator Mark Obenshain brought up that broken promise, but to no avail.

Each side was only given 5 minutes total to speak on each bill.

The first gun-control bill to pass out of committee was SB 69, a one-handgun a month bill, which reinstated the last version of that law before it was repealed. Senator Saslaw's version of that same bill, SB 22, was rolled into SB 69 and SB 69 was passed out by a partisan vote of 9 to 5. Republican senators Mark Obenshain and Ryan McDougle put up strong resistance, as did speakers who pointed out that the law had been a failure, but to no avail.

Next up was SB 70, a Universal Background Check bill. Saslaw's version of the same bill, SB 12, was rolled into SB 70. A substitute bill was then offered for SB 70, which made the background checks only apply to sales of guns and not transfers, which fixes the problems with letting a friend or family member use one of your guns without you being constantly present. However, it still strips an 18, 19, or 20 year old from being able to own a handgun, since a dealer cannot process a handgun purchased by federal law for someone that age. Also, a background check would have to be run on all sales, even sales to immediate family members, friends, etc.! SB 70 passed by a partisan vote of 9 to 5.

Senator Barker's Red Flag Law bill, SB 240, was eviscerated, as all the flaws and dangers of that bill were brought up by Republicans Obenshain, McDougle, and Chafin on the committee, as well as by the pro-gun speakers. None of the concerns were addressed and the bill was passed by a partisan vote of 9 to 5.

Finally, SB 615, SB 450, and SB 505, all of which allow localities to pass various gun-control ordinances, were rolled into a substitute version of SB 35, making SB 35 an omnibus bill that destroys preemption by allowing Virginia localities to create a confusing set of local gun-control laws. Again, speaker after speaker spoke against SB 35, but it passed by a partisan 9 to 5 vote.

The gun-control bills that passed out of committee will now head to the Senate Floor to be voted on in a few days. VCDL will have an acton item shortly to bombard Senators with calls and emails encouraging them to opposed the four bills.

Elections have consequences and we are in a real fight to protect our rights.