The following bills passed in the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Bob McDonnell went into effect on Sunday, July 1:
-Senate Bill 563 allows for the submission of an initial concealed handgun permit application via U.S. mail and also restricts the clerk and the circuit court from requesting or requiring any information from an applicant other than that which is allowed on the concealed handgun permit application.
-House Bill 22 establishes that no locality or entity may participate in a gun “buyback” program where individuals are given anything of value or money in exchange for surrendering a firearm to the locality, unless the governing body adheres to a strict procedure. Such procedure requires the governing body to first pass an ordinance authorizing the gun “buyback” and also requires that any locality holding gun “buybacks” must sell the firearms to a federally licensed firearms dealer “or be disposed of” in an appropriate manner if they cannot be sold.
-House Bill 940 and Senate Bill 323 repeal the prohibition on purchasing more than one handgun per month (gun rationing).
-House Bill 20 and Senate Bill 245 update the Emergency Powers statute by adding lawful carrying and transportation to the list of actions that cannot be prohibited during a declaration of emergency.
-House Bill 26 allows a court to waive a $25 dollar fine upon presentation of the permit to the court, if a person fails to display his concealed handgun permit when requested by a law enforcement officer.
-House Bill 375 strengthens the state firearms preemption law by prohibiting local governments from enacting or enforcing workplace rules that prevent an employee of that locality from storing a lawfully possessed firearm or ammunition in their locked personal motor vehicle.
-House Bill 754 and Senate Bill 67 removes the option for a locality to require an applicant for a concealed handgun permit to submit fingerprints with the initial application.
This is amazing. This sounds like a big step in the direction of 2nd Amendment freedoms and hopefully carries more momentum for the continual move towards de-vilifying the object and personal responsibility. I live in California so while this is heartening, there’s still a long way to go.
Color me impressed!
I agree with everything except the exception for the fingerprints. I am active LEO and an avid gun owner, and believe that a fingerprint based criminal history check should be run to verify that the person is fully vetted.
Please point out to me where, in either Article I, Section 13 of the Constitution of Virginia or the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, it specifies a fingerprint requirement to keep and/or bear arms.
Our God-given rights are not subject to LEO approval. Think about it.
The only ‘vetting’ citizens of this country require is to be breathing. The right to self defense by any means necessary is natural and inherent. If they harm someone, then you get to shoot them/lock them up.
Rights do not require permission.
Remember to arm your children before they go to school. Especially kindergardeners.
I assume by this childishness that you do not understand Natural Rights theory is based on consenting adults.
May your chains rest lightly upon you as you ask to seek permission to be free and seek privileges to do what comes to you as part of your humanity.
Gotta love it though, ‘right wingers’ who supposedly oppose gun control, using gun control arguments. Its obvious gun control only harms the law abiding, but for the ‘law and order’ crowd they think they can institute gun control and make it work.
Rights do not require permission
If we could only get Illinois to act like that.
I walked into Target yesterday behind a guy who was open carrying. Virginia is, overall, very pro-gun.
Amen that Adam!
A second to that amen.