Fairfax, VA – -(Ammoland.com)- This week, Virginia Governor McAuliffe and Governor-Elect Ralph Northam (above) outlined their top priorities for the upcoming legislative session, and highlighted expanded background checks for all firearm sales and other transfers (so-called “universal” background checks) as a key measure the new governor will be pursuing upon taking office.
This is no surprise. Gov.-elect Northam has “proudly voted” to restrict Virginians’ gun rights for years.
As a state senator, he pushed for expanded background checks, and laws that would ban commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms and magazines. As lieutenant governor, he notably opposed permitless carry, casting a tie-breaking vote to block legislation that would have allowed residents, otherwise eligible to obtain a concealed carry permit, to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere in the state where a handgun may be carried openly.
In addition to his pledge to expand background check laws, the incoming governor campaigned on promises to further restrict gun show sales, reinstate a one-a-month limit on the number of handguns residents may lawfully purchase (a gun-rationing law that was repealed in 2012), and impose a ban on commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms and “large” capacity magazines.
All of this attracted the support of billionaire anti-gunner Michael Bloomberg and his Everytown group, which reportedly donated almost $1.5M towards Northam’s gubernatorial bid.
Indeed, Gov.-elect Northam describes his legislative priorities as “common sense,” echoing the terminology consistently used by Everytown and the like to justify expanded background checks, gun bans, purchase limits and other gun control measures touted as the key to ending gun crime in America. None of these proposals, though, have proven to be effective in stopping gun crimes.
The kind of expanded background check law likely to be proposed (here, here and here) would make it a crime for any person to participate in a sale, rental, trade, or other “transfer” of a firearm without first having the transaction brokered through a licensed gun dealer, unless the sale or transfer falls within a narrow exemption.
Because such laws are written to include temporary transfers, changes in the possession of a gun, regardless of whether ownership changes, come within the kind of transaction that must be processed through a licensed dealer.
The NRA has universally opposed such background check laws in Virginia and in other states because these measures accomplish little besides burdening law-abiding gun owners with new fees and extra government paperwork for ordinary “transactions” of guns while training, hunting, at the range, and in other legitimate pursuits.
A recent study of laws in three other states confirms the NRA’s apprehensions as to the utility of expanded background check requirements in crime control – “the state most compliant with its ‘universal’ background check law also had the highest homicide rate and the biggest increase in its homicide rate of the states studied.”
And earlier this month, we highlighted a federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which negates claims of private sellers knowingly breaking the law to make guns available to felons and other prohibited persons. In advocating for expanded background checks, gun control proponents have consistently relied on a narrative whereby criminals may easily acquire guns through “unregulated” private channels, including online sales.
Apart from the obvious retort – that criminals are as likely to comply with enhanced background check laws as with existing background check requirements or other laws – the GAO report failed to validate these assertions in any way.
Undercover ATF agents who tested the willingness of private individuals to sell guns to disqualified persons using the “relative anonymity of the Internet” were unable to complete a single transaction: every seller refused to complete a sale on learning of the agent-buyer’s “prohibited” status.
We can’t help but notice that the McAuliffe-Northam legislative package includes a proposal to significantly raise the threshold for felony larceny from $200 to $1,000, something Governor McAuliffe is “very, very passionate about.”
At a joint appearance with Gov.-elect Northam to present legislative priorities, the governor explains that an “18-year-old stealing an iPhone” is “branded as a felon in Virginia for the rest of [his] life,” and raising the felony threshold would mean fewer people are liable to be “ensnared in this lifelong punishment for making a small mistake.”
This anxiety over the potential impact of laws on convicted thieves and felons provides an interesting counterpoint to the ease with which these two officials push hard for new and additional restrictions that encroach on the fundamental rights and freedoms of Virginia’s law-abiding gun owners.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
Its great as your other articles :D, appreciate it for putting up.
I like a pen-style flashlight clipped inside my pants pocket at night, whether at home or out. My EDC was the 5.11 ATAC PL. Now it’s the Streamlight Stylus pro. Neither are eyeball-melting bright or good for 100 yards away, but they are good inexpensive lights for my everyday needs and will illuminate a target at SD distances if it came to that.
Virginia is being a legislative shit hole
The Dem/progs have the three top offices (Gov, LtGov and AttyGen), but the House of Delegates and the Senate are (barely) still Republican. Additionally, rural Dems are usually pro-gun, so I think that any anti-gun bills will probably die in committee, at least for the next couple of years. Then it depends on the legislative elections to determine who will prevail. VCDL is an effective organization at lobbying and getting the word out to its members and other gun owners. I think that once the gun-owning public sees what the Dem/progs are up to, things will change in our favor. But in 20-25 years, who knows?
The senate killed all but one of the anti gun proposals yesterday. The only one to move out to the Finance Committee was the bump stock ban bill. It’s expected to die there.
The House hears bills tomorrow, and the anti-bills will face the same fate.
This story is a little outdated.
I only have one arm, I evolved into this very technique with trying different approaches, necessity is the mother of invention as well as solutions converge on the logical, and I live in Wisconsin, spent 10 of the last 14 days with below 0 days.
Cold weather also tends to thin out bad guys.
Either, or both, just gotta be Smoov.
My 700 308 drills 5 holes that touch now. It may be nice, but I do not want to screw with perfection.
CNN anything, in my brain, evokes a big “F’em, feed ’em fish heads”.
I didn’t watch the vid. cause the OP referenced CNN. Ruined it.
“how does the Second Amendment supersede or surpass the Constitutional protection for anyone’s own life, liberty and pursuit of happiness?”
Hate this, “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” is in the declaration of independence, NOT the Constitution.
That suppressor looks ribbed for her pleasure.
The Kennedys have always been frauds, liars and cheats.
Genetics.
California is really pushing its luck with the feds.
I’d not be surprised at all if the feds come in and take over state government in its entirety.
moonbeam is so far over the line, its not even funny.
Lose the hideous logo on the slide and give me a frame mounted safety and i’m possibly interested.
Agree about the logo but the trigger pull is essentially that of a DA revolver. A safety would also add a snag point, thus defeating the point IMO
Looks like an SRM 1216 and a Tavor had a child. Now chamber it for 25mm grenades.