Virginia House passes ‘assault weapon’ ban

Not unexpected, but VA Secretary Moran is a moron.

Virginia’s House of Delegates has passed one of the most controversial bills of the 2020 legislative session.

On Tuesday – known as ‘Crossover Day’ in the General Assembly, the final day for a bill to be passed out of its originating chamber – the House voted 51-48 to pass HB 961, a bill which would would redefine ‘assault firearms’ in Virginia and ban future sales and possession of the weapons in Virginia.

House Bill 961 makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess, or transport assault weapons or large-capacity firearm magazines, all defined in the bill.”

It specifically bans the possession of magazines that hold more than 12 rounds.

Under the proposed law, any person who already owns a weapon classified as an assault firearm under the new legal definition would be able to retain possession of the weapon, but future sales would be prohibited.

Three Democrat delegates joined their Republican colleagues in voting against the bill.

A similar bill died in committee before ever advancing to the full floor of the Senate, so it’s unclear whether HB 961 will have the votes to pass the Senate, which is more narrowly controlled by Democrats than the House of Delegates.

Moderate Democrats in the Senate have already indicated they are unlikely to support the measure……..

Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran said a ban on selling assault weapons and high-capacity magazines is needed to help prevent mass shootings, or at least limit the damage mass shooters can inflict. He cited the fact that the shooter in the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007 had a handgun with a high-capacity magazine.

“Assault weapons are not protected by the Second Amendment because they are weapons of war,” Moran said.