VA Governor Signs Gun Control Bills Into Law

RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed several gun control bills into law Friday that will increase background checks, limit handgun purchases and establish a so-called red flag law.

Missing from the group of bills was a ban on the sale of "assault" firearms and guns with high capacity magazines. Northam vowed to reintroduce the measure in the next legislative session.

“We lose too many Virginians to gun violence, and it is past time we took bold, meaningful action to make our communities safer,” Northam said Friday in a statement. “These commonsense laws will save lives.”

In response to Virginia Democrats making gun control a top priority, thousands of people converged on Richmond in January to warn state lawmakers against enacting new gun control measures. Also, after Democrats gained control of the state legislature last November, a movement to enact "Second Amendment sanctuaries" across the state gained momentum.

The lobbying by gun rights activists proved successful in many ways. The bill that would have banned the sales of some semiautomatic firearms and the possession of magazines with more than 12 rounds and some firearm accessories was held up in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Additionally, some of the bills that ultimately did pass contained less stringent requirements backed by Republicans and some Democrats.

The bills signed by Northam on Friday included:

• Senate Bill 70 and House Bill 2 require background checks on all firearm sales in Virginia.
• Senate Bill 240 and House Bill 674 establish an Extreme Risk Protective Order, which creates a legal mechanism for law enforcement to temporarily separate a person from their firearms when they represent a danger to themselves or others. This is more commonly referred to as a red flag law.
• Senate Bill 69 and House Bill 812 reinstate Virginia’s one-handgun-a-month rule.
• House Bill 9 requires gun owners to report their lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement within 48 hours or face a civil penalty.
• House Bill 1083 prevents children from accessing firearms by increasing the penalty for recklessly leaving firearms in their presence.

“This is a monumental day,” Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw said in a statement. “Virginia will be safer thanks to universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, and restoring a one-handgun-a-month policy. I am proud to have worked side by side with our governor to get this done.”

RELATED:

• Virginia Gun Rights Rally: Thousands Converge On Richmond
• Prince William Declares Itself A 'Constitutional County'
• Stafford County Board Adopts '2nd Amendment Sanctuary' Resolution