Several Democratic policymakers have high hopes for a bill to crack down on assault weapons once Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger takes office.
Legislation to outlaw any sales or transfers of new “assault firearms” passed both chambers in each of the last two legislative sessions, but was vetoed upon reaching the desk of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Now armed with a Democratic trifecta, however, Del. Dan Helmer (D-10) has once again authored a piece of legislation to make such sales a Class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail.
“For years, common-sense assault weapons bans have passed the General Assembly only to be met with a veto pen, but that era of obstruction is over,” Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) told ARLnow.
Helmer’s bill would also prohibit the sale of high-capacity magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition at a time.
“We are talking about weapons of war — firearms designed for maximum lethality, not for personal use or sport,” Hope said. “They are inherently dangerous and have no place on our streets.”
Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40), who backed the bill in each of the last two legislative sessions, echoed Hope, saying that Arlington’s heavily Democratic constituency has been particularly vocal on the issue.
“School shootings have taken away the peace of mind parents used to have when sending their children to school,” Favola said. “Shootings in grocery stores and outdoor concert venues have taken away the sense of freedom and security that we value as a society.”
Spanberger hasn’t publicly said whether she would sign Helmer’s bill into law. The governor-elect did not respond to a request for comment, but she has expressed support for similar gun control measures in the past.
At a campaign rally held last April, Spanberger told attendees that she would support efforts to address the sale of assault-style rifles and ban the manufacture of “ghost guns.”
“I will sign legislation into law to make progress on these issues to keep Virginia families safe,” she said at the time. “I will not veto common-sense proposals like our current governor has done.”
The bill to ban assault weapons must first be approved by the House Public Safety Committee before the full House of Delegates can take it up. The legislation must be passed and “cross over” to the Senate by Feb. 18.
If it passes the state Senate, Spanberger will have until April 13 to veto the bill, or until May 25 to sign it into law.
“I truly hope that an assault weapons ban passes in the next session and Gov. Spanberger comes to a different calculation on how to protect the public’s safety than Gov. Youngkin did,” Favola said.
This article has been updated to reflect that the bill would ban magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, not 20 rounds.
