https://vcdl-lis.org/


The 2023 Virginia General Assembly session doesn’t start until January 11 (January 16 is Lobby Day), but bills have already begun appearing. So far there are six pro-gun bills and no anti-gun bills, but those numbers are going to change dramatically as we get closer to Lobby Day.

The tracker will be updated as new bills appear.

It's also on the main page of the VCDL.org website.

The VCDL website now has a page with more detailed information about Lobby Day 2023.

The link is below and is also on the main webpage and under the “VA Politics” menu.

https://vcdl.org/mpage/LobbyDay2023

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Defending Your Right to Defend Yourself

VCDL Legislative Update 1/27/23



ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!



Yesterday was an excellent day in the Republican-controlled Virginia House Public Safety Subcommittee #1. All of the gun-rights bills in committee passed and all of the gun-control bills were defeated!



With the exception of one bill (HB 2467), the votes were partisan, with Republicans voting for your basic human/civil right to protect yourself and your family and the Democrats voting against that right. So, one Party wants you to live free and in safety, the other wants you helpless and living subservient to government under the guise of “public safety” or “for your own good.”



Both Parties should be on the same side, working to protect all of our civil rights, but that’s simply not the case right now.



One of the highlights of the meeting was when the subcommittee chair, Delegate Nick Freitas, had enough of the elitism of the other side and dressed down Delegate Dan Helmer!



Let me say this, Nick Freitas is one hell of an orator, a few years ago one of his speeches in the General Assembly went viral. Delegate Dan Helmer got what he SO VERY MUCH deserved. When Nick Freitas finished, our side wanted to stand up and cheer but didn’t because of decorum. The other side, which has no idea what decorum is, applauded loudly when a Democrat went on a rant, requiring the Chair to bring the room to order. VCDL will have the exchange on social media soon and I will provide a link for you to watch it.



Another highlight was when Delegate Don Scott (D, Portsmouth) was speaking on his bill to strip the National Rifle Association out of the places it appears in Virginia code, including repealing the NRA license plates! Scott railed against the NRA in his comments, talking about exorbitant salaries (he should see what Michael Bloomberg’s salary is!) and other things that he held in disdain about the organization. But then he piously claimed that his bill was not an attack on the NRA, oh, heavens, no, but just about removing a private organization’s name from the code.



When I got up to speak against Scott’s bill, I pointed out that VCDL doesn’t have a horse in that race, but that the NRA is the gold standard in firearms training. I said the bill looked to be a personal vendetta. Again, because of decorum, I fought the temptation to turn around to D.J. Spiker, the NRA lobbyist, at that point and say, “D.J., what the heck is this all about? Did you run over Delegate Scott’s dog or something?” ;-)



Here is the outcome of the meeting:



Gun-rights bills reported out of subcommittee on Thursday and reported out of full committee on Friday. These gun-rights bills (11) are headed to the House Floor for a vote next week:



HB 1407, Brewer, exempts CHP holders from ban on carry in the Capitol, Capitol Square, General Assembly, and state government property
HB 1422, Coyner, adds USCCA to list of organizations that can teach CHP classes
HB 1427, LaRock, restores firearms preemption for local parks, permitted events, and community and recreation centers
HB 1462, Wiley, repeals the 30-day wait to be able to purchase a firearm using a new or renewed drivers license
HB 1570, Walker, exempts highway rest areas from the state agency gun ban.
HB 1871, P. Scott, make CHPs valid for 10 years, instead of 5 years
HB 2228, Wachsmann, clarification that renewing CHP holders do not have to show proof original training was in person
HB 2420, Cordoza, sets a maximum of 90 days for the Virginia State Police to process a non-resident CHP application
HB 2449, Ballard, protects CHP information from being turned over to anyone, except for a criminal investigation or prosecution
HB 2460, Fariss, allows state agency employees, with a few exceptions, to store their guns in their vehicles while on state property
HB 2467, Runion, allows purchase of firearms using identification without a photograph


These gun-control bills (12) were defeated in subcommittee and are done for the session:



HB 1515, D. Adams, ads auto-sears to machine gun category
HB 1579, Sullivan, five-year ban on purchase or transport of handguns for two or more motor vehicle or boat DUIs or two or more reckless operation of a boat
HB 1729, Bennett-Parker, requires person holding guns for another who is temporarily prohibited from owning guns be at least 21 and live at a different address
HB 1788, Filler-Corn, makes requirement that all new guns after 7/1/2025 have microstamping capabilities
HB 1936, Plum, creates a state-funded buy-up program for guns
HB 2164, D. Scott, removes NRA training from list of training options to get a CHP
HB 2240, Helmer, bans “assault firearms”, suppressors, magazines that hold more than 15 rounds
HB 2273, Hayes, mandatory 3-day waiting period for firearms purchase
HB 2288, Sickles, expands definition of “assault firearm” and restricts purchase to 21-year-olds and above
HB 2350, Simon, requires all firearms in a home with a person under 18 to be locked up, unless carried.
HB 2365, Hudson, prohibits firearms in state higher education buildings
HB 2407, Williams Graves, requires proof of training within five years to purchase a firearm






Senator Amanda Chase has two bills that are going to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee at 8am on Monday:



SB 805, repeals localities’ ability to prohibit firearms in parks, permitted events, and community and recreation centers
SB 1488, repeals Virginia’s Red Flag law






Two gun-control bills have passed out of the Senate and are now headed to the House. They will be heard in a House committee or subcommittee sometime after February 8:



SB 909, Favola, requires that a person must be at least 21 years of age and not reside in the same home in order to temporarily keep the firearms of someone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence or who is the subject of a restraining order.


SB 1167, Petersen, makes it easier to civilly sue firearms manufacturers




You can keep track of all the remaining bills using the VCDL Legislative Tracking System:

From Virginia Constitutional Conservatives,


Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-15), did nothing but let the anti-gunners set his agenda. Both House Bill 1393, Constitutional Carry, and the Repeal of Red Flag Gun Confiscation, House Bill 1394, have sat dormant on the Speaker's Desk since last November!

Since November 30th, if Gilbert supported either one of these pro-gun efforts, all he had to do was simply refer them to a committee and allow a vote on them.

But he didn't.

Content to sit back and waste the entire legislative year, Gilbert has now ceded all momentum to the anti-gun nuts.

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Defending Your Right to Defend Yourself


VCDL Legislative Update 2/9/23



Today was an excellent day in the General Assembly for gun owners and all those who cherish the Constitution!



Your emails and activism helped tank all but one of the Senate’s gun-control bills, which were all being heard in the House Public Safety subcommittee #1! And the one remaining gun-control bill has been assigned to the House Courts of Justice committee. We will be keeping a close eye on it.



Delegate Nick Freitas is the chairman of the subcommittee and runs a tight ship. I must say that it can be hard to sit quietly and not standup and cheer in that subcommittee sometimes.



Today was particularly interesting.



Early in the subcommittee meeting, Delegate Freitas pointed out something that happened to Republicans earlier today in the Senate Education and Health committee. Apparently, the chairwoman, Senator Louise Lucas, decided that if her committee had previously killed a bill similar to a bill being heard today, the committee would not give the courtesy of allowing the Republican patrons of such a bill to speak on it. Instead the committee simply voted to kill the bills, wasting the time of the Republican Delegates who came to that committee specifically to speak on their bill.



Ah, but Lucas apparently forgot that Senate bills won’t become law until those bills also pass the House. Payback is a **I'M AN IDIOT**.



Freitas said that his committee was going to play by the same rules that the Democrat Senator Lucas used in her committee. He then proceeded to list four gun-control bills that he said were either identical to, or similar to, bills the subcommittee had killed earlier this year or last year. The subcommittee proceeded to vote on those 4 bills and killed all of them without any input from the patrons of those bills. The Senators had to sit there quietly and watch their gun-control bills go up in flames.



What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, Senator Lucas.



All the remaining gun-control bills died on a party line vote, with Republican Delegate A.C. Cordoza leading the charge with the motion to table each bill.



Here is the status of the Senate gun-control bills in the House:



SB 901, Marsden, $500 fine and towing for leaving a gun in an unlocked vehicle – defeated 6 to 3



SB 909, Favola, requires someone to be 21 or older and live at a different location if holding guns for a temporarily prohibited person – defeated 5 to 3



SB 1139, Boysko, requires guns to be stored in locked containers if there is someone under the age of 18 in the house – defeated 5 to 3



SB 1167, Petersen, makes it easier to sue gun manufacturers – defeated 6 to 4



SB 1181, Ebbin, requires homemade guns to be serialized – defeated 6 to 3



SB 1192, Ebbin, prohibits the carry of most semi-automatic rifles, handguns, and shotguns in public areas – defeated 6 to 3



SB 1382, Deeds, “assault weapon” and magazine ban – defeated 5 to 3



SB 1484, Deeds, bans guns in public higher education buildings – defeated 6 to 3



The only Senate gun-control bill still left alive is SB 1067, Surovell, which expands the reach of the Red Flag law. It just got assigned to the House Courts of Justice committee. It will probably get heard next week.



------



The House gun-rights bills have all been assigned to the Senate Courts of Justice committee and will probably be heard either on Monday morning or Wednesday afternoon.



Here are the House gun-rights bills before the Senate:



HB 1407, Brewer, exempts CHP holders from the ban on carry in the General Assembly, Capitol, Capitol Square, and state government buildings



HB 1422, Coyner, makes U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) gun courses valid for CHP training.



HB 1427, LaRock, restores preemption for parks, permitted events, and community and recreation centers



HB 1462, Wiley, removes antiquated restriction on having to wait 30 days before being able to use a new driver’s license to purchase a firearm



HB 1570, Walker, exempts rest stops from the state-agency gun ban



HB 1871, Philip Scott, makes CHPs valid for 10 years instead of the current 5 years



HB 2228, Wachsmann, clarifies that a person renewing a CHP does not have to show proof of training other than providing an existing CHP



HB 2298, Ware, makes switchblades legal to carry in a pocket



HB 2387, Lopez, gives a tax write-off for the purchase of a gun safe, lock box, etc.



HB 2420, Cordoza, requires that the Virginia State Police issue a non-resident CHP within 90 days of receiving a complete application



HB 2449, Ballard, protects Virginia CHP holder information



HB 2460, Fariss, allows state employees, except for a few specific agencies, to store a firearm in their vehicle while at work, same as local government employees can do



HB 2467, Runion, allows state-issued ID that does not have a photo (for religious purposes) to be used to purchase firearms

VCDL Legislative Update 2/12/23



There are four House gun-rights bills coming up on Monday, February 13, in the Senate Judiciary committee at 8am:



Senate Room A (Ground Floor)

Pocahontas Building (General Assembly)



Bills:



HB 1422, Coyner, allows classes taught by USCCA instructors to fulfill training requirements to get a CHP.



HB 1427, LaRock, strengthens firearms preemption law by not allowing localities to ban guns in parks, permitted events, and community and recreation centers.



HB 2387, Lopez, establishes a refundable income tax credit for tax years 2023 through 2027 for individuals who purchase one or more “firearm safety devices” in a single transaction, once per year. A credit in the amount of up to $300 for the cost incurred will be allowed.



HB 2449, Ballard, protects CHP information from dissemination, except for police doing an investigation or a prosecution