Virginia State House Passes Assault Weapons Prohibition
Jose Nino
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On February 2, 2024, the Virginia House of Delegates passed legislation to prohibit semi-automatic rifles and pistols, which is now in the Virginia State Senate.
There’s strong speculation that if the Senate passes this bill, Governor Glenn Youngkin will likely veto it. He believes such gun control measures are a distraction, calling attention to how Virginia already has strong gun control measures.
In the case of Youngkin actually exercising his veto powers, Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly don’t have enough votes to override a veto. For example, Democrats enjoy slim majorities in the House of Delegates (51-49) and the State Senate (21-19), respectively, thus making the prospect of a veto override rather fleeting. A veto override can only occur with a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the General Assembly.
The assault weapons ban bill was sponsored by House Delegate Dan Helmer. Just 10 states and Washington, D.C., currently prohibit so-called “assault weapons.”
Under Helmer’s bill, the possession of “assault weapons” is defined as any semi-automatic rifle or pistol with a magazine capable of holding over 20 rounds of ammunition, would be banned for any individual below the age of 21. Any individual who is caught buying and selling said weapons, transporting them or handing them off to another individual could face up to a year of jail time.
For those with political amnesia, a federal assault weapons prohibition was first established in 1994, which ended up expiring in 2004. The US House passed an assault weapons ban in 2022, but the gun controllers could not muster sufficient support in the Senate — 60 votes— to stop a filibuster against this legislation.
Such legislation would do nothing to stop crime, as criminals will just turn to the black market to obtain firearms.
The real game being played here is about getting a foot in the door to passing larger gun control schemes. Gun controllers are gradualist in their approach to passing gun control, so pro-gun advocates must be ready to oppose all of these schemes — big and small.
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