Proposed Virginia Firearm Legislation HB961
Legislation Overview
Title: Assault firearms, certain firearm magazines, etc.; prohibiting sale, transport, etc., penalties.
Description: Prohibiting sale, transport, etc., of assault firearms, certain firearm magazines, silencers, and trigger activators; penalties. Expands the definition of "assault firearm" and prohibits any person from importing, selling, transferring, manufacturing, purchasing, or transporting an assault firearm. A violation is a Class 6 felony. The bill prohibits a dealer from selling, renting, trading, or transferring from his inventory an assault firearm to any person. The bill makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess, or transport silencers, and trigger activators, all defined in the bill. The bill makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, or transport a large-capacity firearm magazine, as defined in the bill, and a Class 1 misdemeanor to possess such large-capacity firearm magazine. Any person who legally owns a large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator on July 1, 2020, may retain possession until January 1, 2021. During that time, such person shall (i) render the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator inoperable; (ii) remove the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator from the Commonwealth; (iii) transfer the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a person outside the Commonwealth who is not prohibited from possessing it; or (iv) surrender the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a state or local law-enforcement agency. Prohibiting sale, transport, etc., of assault firearms, certain firearm magazines, silencers, and trigger activators; penalties. Expands the definition of "assault firearm" and prohibits any person from importing, selling, transferring, manufacturing, purchasing, or transporting an assault firearm. A violation is a Class 6 felony. The bill prohibits a dealer from selling, renting, trading, or transferring from his inventory an assault firearm to any person. The bill makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess, or transport silencers, and trigger activators, all defined in the bill. The bill makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, or transport a large-capacity firearm magazine, as defined in the bill, and a Class 1 misdemeanor to possess such large-capacity firearm magazine. Any person who legally owns a large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator on July 1, 2020, may retain possession until January 1, 2021. During that time, such person shall (i) render the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator inoperable; (ii) remove the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator from the Commonwealth; (iii) transfer the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a person outside the Commonwealth who is not prohibited from possessing it; or (iv) surrender the large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a state or local law-enforcement agency.
Session: 2021 Regular Session
Last Action: Left in Judiciary
Last Action Date: December 4, 2020
Sponsors
Note: the first sponsor listed is normally the primary sponsor. If a sponsor's name is a hyperlink you can click on it to 'follow the money'.
2 sponsors: Mark Levine (D); Dan Helmer (D);
Percentage of House Of Delegates sponsoring bill: 2% (2 of 100)
History
| Chamber | Date | Action |
| Senate | Dec 4, 2020 | Left in Judiciary |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2020 | Continued to 2021 in Judiciary (10-Y 5-N) |
| Senate | Feb 12, 2020 | Referred to Committee on the Judiciary |
| Senate | Feb 12, 2020 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
| House | Feb 11, 2020 | VOTE: Passage (51-Y 48-N) |
| House | Feb 11, 2020 | Read third time and passed House (51-Y 48-N) |
| House | Feb 10, 2020 | Pending question ordered |
| House | Feb 10, 2020 | Read second time |
| House | Feb 10, 2020 | Committee substitute agreed to 20107888D-H1 |
| House | Feb 10, 2020 | Amendments by Delegate Helmer agreed to |
| House | Feb 10, 2020 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute with amendments HB961EH1 |
| House | Feb 10, 2020 | Printed as engrossed 20107888D-EH1 |
| House | Feb 9, 2020 | Read first time |
| House | Feb 7, 2020 | Committee substitute printed 20107888D-H1 |
| House | Feb 7, 2020 | Reported from Public Safety with substitute (12-Y 9-N) |
| House | Jan 7, 2020 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20104855D |
| House | Jan 7, 2020 | Referred to Committee on Public Safety |
Texts
| Type | Date | State Link | Text |
| Engrossed | Feb 10, 2020 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 7, 2020 | state link | bill text |
| Prefiled | Jan 7, 2020 | state link | bill text |
Amendments
| Title | Description | Date | State Link | Text | Adopted |
| House amendments adopted | House amendments adopted | Jul 19, 2020 | State Link | amendment text | No |
Votes - Click on description to view vote roll call
| Description | Vote Date | Yea Votes | Nay Votes | No Votes | Absent | Passed |
| House: Reported from Public Safety with substitute (12-Y 9-N) | 02/7/2020 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| House: VOTE: Passage (51-Y 48-N) | 02/11/2020 | 51 | 48 | 0 | 1 | Yes |
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| Senate: Continued to 2021 in Judiciary (10-Y 5-N) | 02/17/2020 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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Link: link to state bill page
