VA Senate, House Pass Bills Banning Assault Weapons: Reports

RICHMOND, VA — The Virginia Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that, if approved by the House of Delegates, would ban the sale of assault weapons in the state, according to reports. The passage comes about a week after the House passed a similar bill, and the Senate must also approve that bill.

If passed, both bills would prohibit the sale, manufacture, purchase, or transfer of an assault weapon made on or after July 1 of this year, The Associated Press reported. Possession would be banned for anyone under 21 and the legislation would also prohibit the sale of certain ammunition-feeding devices that can hold over 10 rounds.

Both bills would also make possession of an assault weapon a Class 1 misdemeanor accompanied by a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail, according to a WRIC report.

The Senate bill passed on a party-line vote after a lengthy debate, the AP reported. Last week's House bill passed following a similar vote, reports said.

Fairfax County Democratic Del. Dan Helmer, who sponsored the House bill, told NBC Washington the legislation would stop the sale of weapons "carried by veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan."

"Our schools, our community centers, our college campuses, our nightclubs and our shopping malls are not war zones,” he said. “At least they shouldn’t be."

Other Democrat-backed gun-control proposals making their way through the General Assembly include measures that would ban assault weapons in public areas, ban plastic guns able to be missed by metal detectors and prohibit the concealed carry of a gun by most people onto the premises of a restaurant or club that sells alcohol, the AP reported.

What remains uncertain is whether Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will veto the ban on assault weapons if passed.

Youngkin generally toed the line on gun rhetoric during his campaign and was not endorsed by the National Rifle Association, according to the AP. While he's signaled in the past he would like to see the state tighten penalties for offenders who use guns rather than further restrict the purchase of firearms, he's remained quiet on whether he would veto such legislation, according to AP's report.