‘I do not believe this will end well…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) The Democratic-controlled Virginia House of Delegates passed an “assault weapons” ban on Tuesday, along with a bill that would allow local Virginia governments to remove Confederate monuments in public spaces.
The “assault weapons” ban, HB 961, would “make tens of thousands of gun owners in Virginia criminals overnight,” according to Republican state Del. Nick Freitas.
The bill would expand the definition of “assault firearm” and prohibit the sale or transfer of such weapons. It would also expand restrictions on magazine sizes.
“This bill creates an environment where you could receive up to 12 months in jail for every magazine you have over 12 rounds,” Frietas said. “At the same time that Democrats are voting for early release programs for people convicted of first-degree murder and rape, they are criminalizing law-abiding gun owners.”
HB 961 will not move to the state Senate, where it is expected to pass before being signed into law by Gov. Ralph Northam, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“And just like that, Virginia House Democrats vote to make millions of Virginians surrender their property or become criminals,” tweeted Republican state Rep. Dave LaRock.
And just like that, Virginia House Democrats vote to make millions of Virginians surrender their property or become criminals. If the Senate goes along with this nonsense, the Governor will sign it, and then AG Herring will spend YOUR $$$ to defend this unconstitutional overreach pic.twitter.com/GXSs7JaO9p
— Delegate Dave LaRock (@LaRock4Delegate) February 11, 2020
The Virginia House also passed a measure that would give cities and counties the autonomy to “remove, relocate, contextualize, cover or alter” Confederate-era monuments in public spaces.
Democratic state Del. Delores McQuinn said the bill is a step toward allow locating communities to decide for themselves “how they want to memorialize history.”
Under the measure, local leaders must first pass a resolution stating its intention to remove the monument, then request a report from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources with background about the person depicted and the circumstances under which the monument was established.
The locality would then have to make that report public and then hold a public hearing before it could vote. A decision to remove a monument would require a two-thirds vote or could be sent to voters for a referendum.
Under the bill, the locality would have to offer the monument to a “museum, historical society, government, or military battlefield” for a period of 30 days, though both measures say the local government has the “sole authority” to determine its final disposition.
Virginia Republicans successfully blocked both of these measures last year, but after losing both legislative chambers to the Democrats in November, they no longer have the votes to prevent the bills from becoming law.
“I do not believe this will end well,” said Republican state Del. Charles Poindexter.
In regards to the “assault weapons” ban, dozens of local sheriffs have vowed not to enforce the law.
More than 80 Virginia counties have declared themselves 2nd Amendment sanctuaries, and tens of thousands of Second Amendment supporters gathered last month to protest the gun control legislation.
The radical left-wing City Council in Charlottesville previously attempted to remove two Confederate monuments in the city, disregarding state law and the recommendations of a blue-ribbon panel, as well as the vocal protestations of local residents.
Those efforts ultimately failed but resulted in the fatal 2017 rally that brought extremists from the Left and Right into violent confrontation, many converging on the picturesque college town from out of state.
The clashes resulted in the deaths of a local activist who was hit in a vehicular assault and two state police officers who perished in a helicopter crash while monitoring the situation.
Liberty Headlines’ Ben Sellers and the Associated Press contributed to this report.