Below is a summary of the status of various 2nd amendment/guns bills that were moving through committee during Lobby Day 2018. Overall, your rights were protected from those who wish to disarm you and make your family less safe.
From Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) President Philip Van Cleave:
Overall it was an excellent day for gun owners! A large number of gun bills were heard in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and the antis didn’t fare very well. They got one bill through and it is going to Senate Finance, which is not a good place to be:
* 2 pro-gun bills moved forward
* 1 pro-gun bill was carried over to next year
* 2 pro-gun bills were withdrawn by the patron
* 0 pro-gun bills were defeated by the committee
* 17 anti-gun bills were defeated by the committee
* 1 anti-gun bill moved forward (with 2 other identical bills rolled into it)
The two pro-gun bills that moved forward were: 1) Senator Black’s SB 48, Constitutional Carry, and 2) Senator Chase’s SB 715, which allows firefighters and EMS to carry concealed while on duty with a CHP. Both bills were sent to the Senate Finance Committee, where we will have to fight for them again.
All but one of the gun-control bills, including Universal Background Checks which was being pushed hard, went down in flames. A couple of those votes were uncomfortably close as Republican Senator Stuart unexpectedly voted with the Democrats on those two bills.
Except for the Fire/EMS concealed-carry bill, the Democrats, sadly, voted wrong on everything: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen.
The one anti-gun bill that passed out of committee, a bump-stock ban bill, was greatly narrowed and is headed to the Senate Finance Committee, where there will be another chance to kill it. We will be watching that bill closely.
The remaining Senate gun bills will be heard Wednesday, shortly after the Senate adjourns for the day. (Bob Sadtler and I will be there around 1 pm, but how long we might have to wait for the committee to meet is unknown.) If you wish to attend the hearing to show support, let me know.
The details of the bills heard today are below. Senator names in UPPER CASE crossed party-lines with their vote. For Republicans that means they voted incorrectly and for Democrats that means that they voted correctly.
If your Senator is on the committee and voted wrong on one or more bills, a *polite* telephone call or email to them is in order! You should also thank those that voted correctly.
PRO-GUN BILLS THAT PASSED OUT OF COMMITTEE AND WERE SENT TO FINANCE
SB 48, Black, Constitutional Carry was sent to the Senate Finance Committee by a 9 to 6 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 715, Chase, Fire/EMT concealed carry was improved with amendments and was sent to the Senate Finance Committee by a 12 to 3 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake, EDWARDS, DEEDS, PETERSEN Voting – ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas
PRO-GUN BILLS THAT WERE CARRIED OVER UNTIL NEXT YEAR
SB 215, Cosgrove, Circuit Court Clerk to send out CHP renewal notices by mail was to be carried over until next year
PRO-GUN BILLS THAT WERE PULLED FOR THIS YEAR BY THE PATRON (DEAD)
SB 565, Vogel, protective order is a 45-day CHP was stricken by the patron
SB 566, Vogel, free firearms training for victims of domestic violence was stricken by the patron
ANTI-GUN BILLS THAT WERE DEFEATED AND ARE DEAD FOR THIS YEAR
SB 2, Ebbin, lowered the threshold for alcohol on carrying a gun to a ridiculous “under the influence” standard – DEFEATED by a 9 to 6 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 5, Ebbin, Universal background checks – DEFEATED by a 9 to 6 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake Voting – ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 145, Edwards, “licensed dealer” must do background checks was rolled into SB 5 and is now DEAD!
SB 412, Lucas, Universal background checks was rolled into SB 5 and is now DEAD!
SB 432, Wexton, “Gun Show Loophole” was rolled into SB 5 and is now DEAD!
SB 447, Surovell, Universal background checks was rolled into SB 5 and is now DEAD!
SB 119, Favola, punishes gun owners who don’t report a lost or stolen firearm fast enough was DEFEATED by a 9 to 6 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 288, McClellan, punishes gun owners who don’t report a lost or stolen firearm fast enough was rolled into SB 119 and is now DEAD!
SB 433, Wexton, punishes gun owners who don’t report a lost or stolen firearm fast enough was rolled into SB 119 and is now DEAD!
SB 276, Barker, allows gun confiscation, with due process, based solely on someone’s word that a person is a “substantial risk” to themselves or other was DEFEATED by a 9 to 6 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 360, McClellan, bans guns at a “permitted event,” such as a parade, rally, etc. was DEFEATED by a 9 to 6 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 63, Favola, bans guns at a “permitted event,” such as a parade, rally, etc. was rolled into SB 360 and is now DEAD!
SB 665, Deeds, adds Charlottesville and Albemarle to where loaded guns with magazines over 20 rounds in them are not allowed without a CHP (18.2-287.4) was DEFEATED by a 8 to 7 vote – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen, STUART
SB 668, Deeds, allows local government to ban guns in government buildings was DEFEATED by a 9 to 6 voter! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake Voting – ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 732, Favola, strips away gun rights for certain MISDEMEANORS was DEFEATED by a 8 to 7 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen, STUART
SB 794, Marsden, “kitchen sink” bill that bans certain magazines and “assault weapons,” and also bans loaded long guns being carried if they have a magazine that will hold more than 10 rounds was DEFEATED by a 9 to 6 vote! – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, Norment, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Sturtevant, Peake – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen
SB 742, Spruill, “kitchen sink” bill rolled into SB 974 and is now DEAD!
ANTI-GUN BILLS THAT PASSED OUT OF COMMITTEE AND WERE SENT TO FINANCESB 1, Ebbin, bump-stock ban was modified to narrow the ban and was sent to the Senate Finance Committee by a 4 to 11 vote. – Voting PRO-RIGHTS: Obenshain, McDougle, Reeves, Chafin – Voting ANTI-RIGHTS: Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Deeds, Petersen, NORMENT, STUART, STANLEY, STURTEVANT, PEAKE
SB 113, Favola, bump-stock ban rolled into SB 1 and is headed to Senate Finance.
SB 676, Deeds, bump-stock ban rolled into SB 1 and is headed to Senate Finance.
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(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]
