As expected, the State Senate passed by for the day final consideration of SB 323, Senator Bill Carrico's bill to repeal Virginia's handgun rationing bill.  It is expected that the bill will be debated and a final vote on passage will be held on Monday, February 6.

An air of inevitability seems to be setting in among those who oppose repealing Virginia's handgun rationing law.  Evidence this article in today's Washington Post.
This time around, with more conservative Republicans in the Senate, the bill made it out of committee. The full Senate passed it in a preliminary vote Thursday, one day after the House passed its own version of the measure. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) has indicated that he will sign the legislation.This is not to say that opponents of repealing the law are going away quietly.  They continue to dredge up the fear mongering we heard almost 20 years ago when the law was passed and signed into law.
Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), who opposed the legislation, predicted that illegal gun-running will once again thrive in the commonwealth.

“We’re going to become the gun distribution center of the East Coast, just like we were before,” he said.The gun ban lobby tells us it is thriving now, which is why they say we need to close the so-called "gun show loophole."

Some 40 bills related to firearms have been introduced this year, the vast majority advancing the rights of law abiding gun owners.  Most of these will pass and be signed into law.  It will be a good year for gun owners in the Commonwealth.

The State Senate will convene at 11:00 AM today.  SB 323, repeal of handgun rationing is on Third Reading Regular Calendar (bills that were not reported unanimously from committee).  It is likely all of the bills on Third Reading Regular Calendar will be passed by for the day so legislators can get home for the weekend, but it is no guaranteed.  VSSA will monitor the proceedings and will post as soon as action is taken.

SB 323, Senator Carrico's bill to repeal Virginia's handgun rationing bill, was moved to Third Reading (final vote) today in the Virginia Senate.  This sets up a likely final passage for Monday as the legislature tends to avoid controversial issues on Friday so they can get out of town for the weekend.  It is possible however that they may decide to debate and vote on the bill tomorrow.  What this blog and our Twitter feed tomorrow morning for updates. 

After a small amount of debate, SB4, Senator Stuart's bill codifying Castle Doctrine, passed the Senate 23-17.  Immediately after that vote, SB67, Senator Stanley's bill repealing the local option to fingerprint first-time concealed handgun permit holders, passed the Senate 26-14.  With the passage of Castle Doctrine, one of VSSA's two top priorities has passed the Senate and will likely pass the House.  Without counting our chickens before they hatch, this is the farthest the bill has ever gotten.

Yesterday saw a number of pro-rights bills pass the House of Delegates, not least of which was the repeal of Virginia's handgun rationing law (HB 940).  In addition to HB 940, the other bills that passed were HB 20, a bill that clarifies Virginia's emergency powers statute to make it clear that not only may a citizen keep a firearm during a declared emergency, but they may also carry and transport the firearm(s) during such emergency.  Also passing was Delegate Coles HB 22, a bill that states before a locality may engage in compensated confiscation schemes ("gun buybacks") it must pass an ordinance allowing it to do so.

At the same time, the State Senate moved SB 4 (Castle Doctrine) and SB 67, a bill repealing fingerprinting of first time concealed handgun permit applicants, to Third Reading and a final vote which should take place today. SB 323, the Senate bill to repeal handgun rationing was passed by for the day in a stall tactic by anti-rights Senator Don McEachin (D-Richmond).

Also in the Senate yesterday, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee defeated SB 379 on a vote of 6-8, Senator McEachin's bill to outlaw all private sales.  Another bill patoned by Senator McEachin, SB 648, a bill that would add additional penalties for gun owners being in possession of a firearm while intoxicated, failed to report on a 7-7 vote.

This morning, House Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee # 2 met and took up HB 237, which would allow long gun background checks to go through the federal NICS system rather than the state background system.  It was recommended reporting by a vote of 4-1 by the subcommittee.

This evening in Subcommittee #1 at 5:00 PM, the following bills will be heard:

HB 25: a bill that prohibits circuit courts from disseminating information related to concealed handgun permits.

HB 592: a bill that exempts CHP holders from state background checks when purchasing a firearm.  This bill is similar to HB 859.

HB 754: the House companion to SB 67 which removes the option for localities to require the fingerprinting of first-time CHP applicants.

Senate Bill 4 (Castle Doctrine) and Senate Bill 67 a bill to repeal the local option to fingerprint first time concealed handgun permit applicants, advanced to final passage in the State Senate today. A final vote is expected on Thursday, February 2nd.

As expected, the House of Delegates passed HB940, a bill to repeal Virginia's handgun rationing law. The Final vote was 66 - 32.

In the Senate, SB 323 was engrossed and moved to Third Reading (final vote) but as the Senate was moving to bills on First Reading, anti-gun Senator Don McEachin (D-R) moved that the Senate reconsider the vote to engross and move the bill to Third Reading. That is generally a courtesy that is agreed to, and so it was today. Then McEachin moved the bill be passed by for the day. That motion was not objected to. This will likely delay the final vote. The gun ban lobby has been working furiously to muster the votes to defeat HB323. They are focusing on six senators, one of which voted for the bill in Senate Courts of Justice. Gun owners need to counter this with calls to the six targeted senators listed below.

Sen. Harry Blevins (R-14th) - (804) 698-7514 district14@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. John Watkins (R-10th) - (804) 698-7510 district10@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Walter Stosch (R-12th) - (804) 698-7512 district12@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Phillip Puckett (D- 38th) - (804) 698-7538 district38@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-25th) - (804) 698-7525 district25@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. John Edwards (D-21st) - (804) 698-7521 district21@senate.virginia.gov

Senator Edwards voted for SB 323 in committee and Senator Deeds has expressed support for repealing the law in the past. Senator Watkins expressed his support for repealing the law recently but the anti-gun lobby is focusing on him and the other senators listed above. Please take a moment and contact the senators listed above and let them know that the one gun-a-month law only affects and penalizes law-abiding citizens and to please vote for SB 323.

House Bill 369, a bill to allow Sunday Hunting on private property by, or with permission of, the land owner, will be heard tonight in House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Subcommitte #3 (Natural Resources). The bill faces a more hostile welcome than it received in the State Senate. It is hoped that the fact that the bill acknowledges the concerns of land owners by restricting hunting on private property with the permission of the land owner, and restricts the use of dogs to hunt deer on Sundays, that it will have a better chance of making it to the full committee than it has in the past.

An identical bill passed the State Senate last week.

If all goes as scheduled, today, the House of Delegates will pass HB 940, a bill that would repeal Virginia's almost 20 year-old handgun rationing bill, and the State Senate will have the opportunity to follow on Thursday to pass SB 323, The Senate vote is expected to be close. The House vote is almost a foregone conclusion. But, if the Senate does pass SB323, Virginians are assured of the repeal of this worthless law as Governor McDonnell has stated numerous times that he would sign a repeal of the law.

In other action taking place in the General Assembly today, the in addition to SB 323, the State Senate will have on second reading today SB 4 (Castle Doctrine), and SB 67 (repealing fingerprinting of first-time CHP applicants).

In the House, in addition to HB 940, HB 22 (a bill that would restrict compensated confiscation-gun buyback- schemes) is scheduled for final passage.

Sebastian over on Shall Not Be Questioned (formerly Snowflakes in Hell) has a post on some new polling that shows strong support for Second Amendment rights and gun ownership among Americans.

New Polling

As the State Senate began today's session, Senate Majority Leader and Senate Courts of Justice Committee Chairman Tommy Norment had SB4 (Castle Doctrine), SB323 (repeal of handgun rationing), and SB67 (removal of the option for localities to fingerprint CHP applicants) recommitted to the committee.  After discussions with Senator Norment, he said it was a procedual move due to proxy votes being cast for members who were not on the Capitol grounds at the time the votes were cast.  The state senate allows members to vote in committee by proxy because they may have meetings that overlap, but you must be on Capitol grounds for the votes to be allowed.  Apparently, two members who had proxy votes cast were not at the Capitol.  The bills will have new votes but there will be no rehearing (meaning the public will not get a second shot at speaking for or against the bills), likely on Monday.

SB 464, a bill that allows Sunday Hunting on private property, by the owner or with the permission of the owner, and without dogs to hunt deer, just passed the State Senate by a vote of 29-11.  The bill now moves to the House.

Yesterday saw a marathon meeting in Senate Courts of Justice as noted in last night's legislative update with both of VSSA's top priorities, repeal of handgun rationing and Castle Doctrine reported out of committee.  Another busy day is set as there are a number of bills scheduled to be heard this evening at 5:00 PM in House Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee #1. Bills to be considered in the subcommittee tonight are:

Anti-Gun Legislation:
House Bill 364 would prohibit the private sales of firearms at gun shows by requiring that all sales conducted at a gun show go through a federally licensed dealer.  We have already seen in the State Senate that the real target of such legislation is to ban all private sales.

House Bill 458 seeks to weaken Virginia's preemption law by allowing localities to adopt an ordinance that prohibits firearms, ammunition, or components, or a combination thereof, in libraries owned or operated by the locality.

Pro-Gun Legislation:
House Bill 20 would update Virginia's Emergency Powers doctrine by adding lawful carrying and transportation to the list of actions that cannot be prohibited during a declaration of emergency.

House Bill 22 would establish that no locality or entity may participate in compensated consfiscation schemes (gun "buyback") where individuals are given anything of value or money in exchange for surrendering a firearm to the locality unless the governing body first passes an ordinance authorizing the gun "buyback." This legislation also requires that any locality holding gun "buybacks" sell the firearms to a federally licensed dealer "or be disposed of in any appropriate manner" if they could not be sold.

House Bill 26 would allow a court to waive a $25 dollar fine upon presentation of the permit to the court, if a person fails to display his concealed handgun permit when requested by a law enforcement officer.

House Bill 375 would prohibit localities from adopting any workplace rule that prevents an employee from storing a lawfully possessed firearm and ammunition in his locked motor vehicle. The firearm must be in a secured container or compartment in the vehicle.

House Bill 940 repeals Virginia's handgun rationing which prohibits the purchase of more than one handgun in a thirty-day period.

It appears that Sunday Hunting (SB464) is set to pass the State Senate today.  The bill was amended to add that no hunting shall be within 250 of a place of worship on Sunday, then the bill was Engrossed by a vote of 25-14.  The bill is on Third Reading for final passage today.

On Wednesday, January 25th, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee is scheduled to hear a number of firearm related bills. The meeting will begin 1/2 hour after the adjournent of the Senate Session.

Among the pro-rights bills on the agenda is SB 323, Senator Carrico's bill to repeal handgun rationing ("one gun-a-month"), two bills to repeal the option for localities to require fingerprinting for concealed handgun permit applications (SB 67 and SB 670), and two bills to enact Castle Doctrine (SB 4, SB 64).

Also on the agenda is anti-rights Senator Don McEachin's bill to prohibit the private sale of firearms (SB 379). If McEachin's bill passes, it would make the private sale of firearms a Class 2 misdemeanor. Senator McEachin also has SB 648, a bill that would make it a misdemeanor for a person who is under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs to carry a loaded firearm in public. Both bills are a solution in search of a problem and should be defeated.

Please contact members of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and urge them to support the pro-Second Amendment bills and oppose the anti-rights bills.

This Wednesday, January 25, the state Senate is expected to consider Senate Bill 464, legislation that would remove the prohibition on Sunday hunting in the Commonwealth of Virginia by alllowing hunting on private land and public waters.  It prohibits the use of dogs for deer hunting on Sunday. SB464 was reported out of Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee by an 11 to 4 vote last week. While it is all that many would have hoped for, it is a giant step forward.

At a time when the number of hunting licenses purchased in Virginia are 1/2 what they were 20 years ago, and many Virginians are not able to get into the woods on Saturdays due to work or family obligations, Sunday is the only day available for some hunters.  Additionally, allowing hunting on Sunday will be a boast for the Commonwealth's economy. NRA-ILA notes that comprehensive research from the National Shooting Sports Foundation shows that allowing hunting on Sundays would generate a total annual economic impact estimated at $296 million and create 3,927 jobs. All of this would be spurred by simply eliminating words from state statute books (the current prohibition), not spending taxpayer dollars on some pie-in-the-sky scheme.

Please contact your state Senator today, and respectfully urge him or her to support this critical pro-hunting legislation and extend Virginians the same privileges and opportunities that hunters in the vast majority of states already enjoy. To locate your state Senator and their contact information, please click here.

The substitute to SB464 that was approved by the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday has been printed.  Below is the key language of the bill.
To hunt or kill any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, with a gun, firearm or other weapon on Sunday, which is hereby declared a rest day for all species of wild bird and wild animal life, except raccoons, which may be hunted until 2:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings, except as provided in this subdivision. The provision of this subdivision that prohibits the hunting or killing on Sunday of any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, shall not apply to (i) any person who hunts or kills raccoons prior to 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning or (ii) any person who hunts or kills any wild bird or wild animal, including nuisance species, with a gun, firearm or other weapon on Sunday (a) on private property, either as a landowner, the landowner's spouse or the children of the landowner, or with the written permission of the landowner, or (b) on the waters of the Commonwealth, only to the extent not prohibited by formal action of the Board. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, it shall be unlawful to hunt or kill any deer on Sunday with the aid or assistance of dogs. However, a person lawfully carrying a gun, firearm or other weapon on Sunday in an area that could be used for hunting shall not be presumed to be hunting on Sunday, absent evidence to the contrary.The bill is on first reading in the Senate today.

Fox News is reporting that Patrick J. Cunningham, the second highest ranking U.S. Attorney in Arizona, informed the House Oversight Committee late Thursday through his attorney that he will plead the Fifth to avoid testifying before Representative Darrell Issa's House Oversight Committee.  He had been subpoenaed by the committee regarding his role in the ATF scheme known as Fast and Furious, that sent more than 2,000 guns to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. Guns from the fatal operation were found at the murder scene of Border Agent Brian Terry.  Cunningham believes he is being set up as a fall guy by the Department of Justice.
Things should be very interesting when Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on February 2nd.
This schism is the first big break in what has been a unified front in the government’s defense of itself in the gun-running scandal. Cunningham claims he is a victim of a conflict between two branches of government and will not be compelled to be a witnesses against himself, and make a statement that could be later used by a grand jury or special prosecutor to indict him on criminal charges.

The NRA showcased a  new look for the NRABlog as the SHOT Show opened this week. 

It is a lot cleaner and much easier to navigate than version 1.0.  Check it out.