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.
