Recently there was a public outcry about a gun law making its way through the Virginia legislature that contained the following provision:
“The provisions of this section shall not apply to any member of the General Assembly who leaves a handgun in an unattended motor vehicle pursuant to § 18.2-308.7:1 when such vehicle is parked in any parking structure reserved for members of the General Assembly under § 2.2-1172.”
Someone noticed and the information went viral. When the voters pay attention, occasionally the legislature listens.
On Monday, The Center Square reported:
As Virginia lawmakers wrapped up work on firearm legislation before adjournment, they considered and ultimately rejected substitute language in House Bill 110 that Republicans said would give General Assembly members different treatment in a bill dealing with handguns left in unattended vehicles.
House Bill 110 would prohibit a person from leaving visible a handgun in an unattended motor vehicle and impose a civil penalty of up to $500 if signed into law. A conference report substitute included language Republicans objected to, but that language was not included in the final version approved by both chambers.
The Bill still has some serious problems:
Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick, told The Center Square the package represents “the most sweeping restructuring of Virginia firearms law in the commonwealth’s history.”
Williams said the package includes measures on assault firearms and magazine bans, firearm industry civil liability, ghost gun serialization, a carry ban on public property, safe storage where minors or prohibited persons are present, and the domestic violence firearm removal process.
On Senate Bill 749, Williams said, “After July 1, you cannot buy, sell, or transfer a semiautomatic rifle or pistol with a detachable magazine and a single cosmetic feature, a pistol grip, a thumbhole stock, a threaded barrel. You cannot sell it to your neighbor. You cannot give it to your brother-in-law. Your son can inherit the rifle, but the magazines that feed it have no inheritance exception. They become contraband the moment they change hands. One generation from now, those magazines are gone.”
Williams also criticized Senate Bill 727, saying, “This bill strips the carry rights of concealed handgun permit holders in parks, on public sidewalks, and in public spaces, including streets and roads, across Virginia, for firearms that are already legally owned and legally carried. Your permit now means nothing.”
Let the lawsuits begin.