I’d had a piece ready to go today about the legislative mess in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The dedicated anti-Constitution types were determined to use failed gun ban legislation as ‘solutions’ to the problems of ‘gun violence.’ (sic)
The Virginia gun ban bill would have made it a felony to possess the rifle pictured -- a version of the most popular centerfire rifle in America -- and a high-class misdemeanor to possess the pictured magazine . . . nothing more than a box with a spring.
As always, they’re just busybodies on a hunt to rule the population – or perhaps just panderers for a group of citizens who believe we should all be subjects. I’m leaving out those deluded into believing that violent offenders won’t be violent if someone passes a law. That’s worked well with driving under the influence, for example.
The proposed law which “barely” passed in the Virginia House was in front of a Senate committee -- Judiciary. According to reports four Democrats voted with the Republicans on the committee to table the bill, sending it to the Virginia Crime Commission for further study. It’s said that this effectively kills the bill this session – but I wouldn’t bet on that.
The thing on the end of that prohibited "assault firearm" (sic) would likewise have been banned -- a suppressor. They wanted their citizens to stop shooting or to go deaf if they continued . . .
This latest attempt at prohibition broadened the definition of "assault firearm" (sic), prohibited any person from importing, selling, transferring, manufacturing, purchasing, or transporting a prohibited firearm and made it a felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess, or transport silencers, and “trigger activators.” Further, it became a felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, or transport a “large-capacity firearm magazine” and a Class 1 misdemeanor to possess such a scary box with a spring inside. That information came from the legislature website.
According to news sources, the bill had been ‘watered down’ by the governor who’d gotten other infringements passed. He had to get some Democrats who were elected by pro-civil rights constituencies to vote along with the ban. This was the ‘important’ bill – banning the most popular centerfire rifle in America under the foolish impression that such nonsense would “prevent mass murders.” Not getting it passed was a major victory for the citizens and an unexpected defeat for the majority (left) party.
The old "weapons of war" silliness was invoked on the way to the ban, now (temporarily) defeated. Here, the 'weapon of war' is engaged in a hunt for small rodents that destroy pasture land; more environmentally sound than poisoning.
While the urban and DC elites took possession of the executive and legislative branches of the Commonwealth in the previous election, governing bodies of many communities in the state had voted to become “Second Amendment sanctuaries.” This started a war of words between officials in those cities and counties and the state’s attorney general.
A pair of protests against the gun laws took place in Richmond early this year as anti-rights legislation was being introduced. They were well-attended, and 2A activists also appeared in legislative committee hearings and were present yesterday in the Senate Judiciary committee when the ban was voted down.
Other infringements that will soon be passed will, according to the Associated Press, “include limiting handgun purchases to once a month, universal background checks on gun purchases, allowing localities to ban guns in public buildings, parks and other areas, and a red flag bill that would allow authorities to temporarily take guns away from anyone deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others.”
That’ll make y’all safer.
