On Friday, April 10, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a handful of gun control measures into law, but notably has not yet signed the highly contested “assault weapons” ban.
The heavy push for gun control in Virginia has near-unanimous backing from the Governor and the state legislature, and has become a very obvious disarmament agenda. So much so, that it drew a response from the Justice Department stating it was prepared to sue if the governor signed the measure banning AR-15s.
According to a press statement from the governor’s office, the measures are supposed to “protect families, communities, and law enforcement officers from gun violence,” but in fact disarm law-abiding citizens and open the door for frivolous lawsuits on legitimate manufacturing businesses.
One of the most concerning bills is SB27/HB21, which burdens gun manufacturers with the responsibility to institute “reasonable controls” during the marketing of a firearm in order to prevent a prohibited person from possessing a firearm, effectively transferring the duties of FFLs and law enforcement onto manufacturers. The NRA calls this measure, “…a direct attack on the firearm industry and [are] designed to regulate the industry out of existence through litigation – despite longstanding federal protections.”
Equally as important is SB323/HB40, which ends the ability of individuals to participate in the historical American tradition of lawfully building firearms for personal use and keeping the government from being able to track said firearms. The measure prohibits the manufacture of firearms without serial numbers, along with their transfer and possession.
Other, more contested measures await her signature, although many will go into law automatically, even if she does not sign them. You can read about other gun control measures that the assembly passed here.
