Virginia Dems Send Sweeping Gun Control Bill for Spanberger’s Signature
Fred Lucas /
The Virginia Legislature sent a bill banning the sale of certain guns and ammunition to Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who campaigned last year as a moderate.
The bill specifically bans the sale, manufacturing, and import of guns with magazines that hold more than 15 rounds, according to CBS 6 Richmond. It would take effect after July 1 if Spanberger signs it.
It prohibits guns that allow certain extra attachments, such as telescoping stocks or sound suppressors, and also prohibits grenade launchers.
“We are simply saying, if you had it, you can keep it, but going forward, you simply cannot purchase them,” said state Sen. Saddam Salim, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, after its final passage on Monday.
Salim said the guns could be sold to a licensed firearms dealer or someone outside of Virginia. The legislation also allows firearms to be inherited by an immediate family member, such as a spouse, children, parents, grandparents, and siblings.
The Virginia Senate voted for final passage of the bill just days after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a District of Columbia law that banned gun magazines containing more than 10 bullets.
The Democrat-controlled Senate voted 21-19 in favor of the ban. The Democrat-controlled House of Delegates passed the measure 59-35, AmmoLand Shooting Sports News reported.
A Spanberger spokesperson said only that the governor would review the bill.
“As the mother of three daughters in Virginia public schools and a former federal law enforcement officer who carried a gun every day, Governor Spanberger knows how important it is to make sure Virginia kids and families are safe,” a spokesperson for Spanberger told NBC News 4 Washington last week.
“The governor is grateful for the efforts of legislators to address gun violence in Virginia communities, and she looks forward to reviewing all legislation that comes to her desk.”
In a post on Tuesday, the Virginia Republican Party asserted, “Your tax dollars pay for Abigail Spanberger to be protected by individuals with firearms that her party is now attempting to BAN you from having. Protecting her family with ‘assault weapons’ is ok, but your family doesn’t deserve the same protection, according to Virginia Democrats.”
If signed, violating the law would be a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to three years’ prohibition from owning a gun.
In a post about the legislation, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action said, “Today, March 9th, The Senate concurred with House amendments to pass Senate Bill 749, banning certain semi-automatic firearms, including many semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns, and arbitrarily limits magazine capacities. This bill is an attempt to redefine and ban firearms that are in common use by law-abiding citizens.”