Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) signed legislation on Monday banning the import, sale, manufacture, purchase, and transfer of “assault weapons” in Virginia, as well as prohibiting the sale of high-capacity magazines in the state.
Spanberger put pen to paper just shy of a midnight deadline to either approve or veto a series of bills, several of which focused on what she dubbed “commonsense gun safety laws.”
Virginia defines assault weapons as semiautomatic center-fire rifles or pistols that are equipped with a magazine that holds more than 20 rounds or are designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock.
The bill creates a class one misdemeanor for any individual who engages in any business related to assault weapons, and if convicted, they will be barred from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for three years.
Magazines with a capacity larger than 15 rounds were also banned under House Bill 217, and any individual who imports, sells, barters, transfers, or purchases such an ammunition feeding device could be charged with a class one misdemeanor.
Firearms and magazines purchased or brought into Virginia prior to July 1 are not subject to the new legislation.
Spanberger also approved three other gun control bills, which she said will “provide clarity for both responsible gun owners and law enforcement.”
The first of which closes the “Lynchburg loophole” and raises the minimum age to buy a handgun or assault firearm from 18 to 21 to restore universal background checks. An exception was carved out for Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and law enforcement officers in training.
Spanberger included an emergency clause to enact the legislation immediately after approval.
Additionally, the governor approved House Bill 871, which requires the safe storage of firearms in homes where minors are present. It requires guns to be in “a locked container, compartment, or cabinet that is inaccessible” to minors.
Weapons rendered inoperable by the use of a gun lock are also considered “safely stored.”
Last in the gun control arena, Spanberger approved legislation to develop a gun buyback program. Such programs are typically voluntary and allow gun owners to trade their firearms to government entities, usually law enforcement, for vouchers that can be redeemed for cash or other items of value.
Spanberger touted the buyback program as a win for gun safety, but evidence that such programs are effective in curbing gun violence does not exist. Studies have found that the benefits of buyback programs are not measurable.
Monday night’s bill signing also included two bills related to state law enforcement and cooperation with federal immigration officers.
Spanberger signed a measure to “promote transparency” in law enforcement by barring officers from wearing face coverings, with the exception of those needed for health and safety purposes.
SPANBERGER MAKES MANUFACTURERS LIABLE FOR GUN VIOLENCE IN GUN CONTROL BLITZ
Lastly, the governor took a step back from a previous executive order that terminated Virginia’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Instead, Spanberger set a framework that says Virginia law enforcement “can investigate crimes and operate as part of a joint state-federal law enforcement task force.”
The Department of Corrections, local sheriffs, and jails will honor federal immigration detainers from ICE and transfer custody of felons under the new framework.