Anti-Gun VA State Senator Creates Hurdle for Gun Bills

[allingeneral]

Reported by NRA-ILA at nraila.org

Virginia: Anti-Gun State Senator Creates Unnecessary Hurdle for Gun Bills in Richmond!
Please Contact the members of the committee and request a fair hearing on Firearm bills!



With two weeks remaining in the 2010 session, the Chairman of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, State Senator Henry Marsh (D-16), announced this morning the creation of a new “Sub-Committee” which will hear all the firearm related bills passed by the House of Delegates.



Senator Marsh’s motion is unprecedented and a direct slap in the face to Virginia’s law-abiding firearm owners and to the House of Delegates, which has already vetted and voted to approve these bills with many garnering strong bi-partisan support.



State Senator Toddy Puller (D-36) will Chair this new special Sub-Committee and be joined by her fellow rabid anti-gun colleagues; State Senator Marsh (D-16), State Senator Louise Lucas (D-18), and State Senator Janet Howell (D-32). The sole Republican member of the Sub-Committee will be State Senator Frederick Quayle (R-13). Please contact the members of this sub-committee and urge them to request a fair hearing on firearm bills. Contact information can be found by clicking on their name.



As of this morning, no date or time has been set to for the special Sub-Committee to meet but NRA will notify you as soon as to the time and date.



Listed below are the bills which the special Senate Sub-Committee will likely hear:

House Bill 26, authored by Delegate Thomas Wright (R-61), would prohibit the Clerk of the Court from requiring an applicant for a concealed handgun permit to provide any documentation or information not authorized by the law or prescribed by Virginia State Police.

House Bill 52, sponsored by Delegate Mark Cole (R-88), would allow a court to waive a $25 dollar fine upon presentation of the permit to the court, if a person fails to display his concealed carry permit when requested by a law-enforcement officer.

House Bill 79, sponsored by Delegate R. Lee Ware (R-65), prohibits the Clerk of Court from publicly disclosing concealed handgun permit application information unless the permittee has provided written consent for the release of the application or information. The information would still be available to law-enforcement acting in the performance of their duties.

House Bill 108, also introduced by Delegate Cole (R-88), would prohibit agents of localities or localities themselves from participating in “gun buy-backs” unless the governing body of such a locality authorizes such a program. The locality would then have the option of selling the firearms by auction to a federally licensed dealer (FFL) or disposing of the firearm in any other appropriate manner.

House Bill 109, also sponsored by Delegate Mark Cole (R-88), would repeal the statute which allows the governing body of any county to require the sellers of pistols and revolvers to furnish the Clerk of the Circuit Court with the name and address of the purchaser, date of purchase and the number, make, and caliber of the gun.

House Bill 171, authored by Delegate Brenda Pogge (R-96), would prohibit property owners, employers, or a business entity from establishing or enforcing any policy prohibiting a person who may lawfully possess a firearm from storing a firearm in a locked motor vehicle in a publicly accessible parking lot.

House Bill 236, sponsored by Delegate Bill Janis (R-56), would remove the prohibition imposed by localities on hunting within a half-mile of subdivisions.

House Bill 854, sponsored by Delegate Will Morefield (R-3), would provide immunity from civil prosecution if someone uses force, including deadly force, to defend themselves and their loved ones if attacked in their home by someone who has entered unlawfully.

House Bill 870, sponsored by Delegate Benjamin Cline (R-24), would repeal the language that allows localities to fingerprint applicants for a concealed handgun permit.

House Bill 885, sponsored by Delegate Cliff Athey (R-18), would allow any person who may lawfully posses a firearm and is carrying a handgun while in a personal, private vehicle or vessel to keep the firearm secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle or vessel.

House Bill 1092, sponsored by Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark (R-6), would give retired law-enforcement the ability to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.

House Bill 1191, introduced by Delegate H. Morgan Griffith (R-8), would allow a circuit court judge to authorize the Clerk of Court to issue concealed handgun permits in instances where the application is complete, the background check does not indicate that the applicant is disqualified, and, after consulting with the local sheriff or police department, there are no other questions or issues surrounding the application.

House Bill 490, sponsored by Delegate Scott Lingamfelter (R-31), would direct the Department of State Police, in cooperation with the Secretary of Public Safety, to develop a plan to allow the State Police to issue lifetime concealed handgun permits to Virginia residents. The Department and the Secretary shall submit the plan, and any recommended legislative changes to implement the plan, to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Militia, Police, and Public Safety and the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice by October 15, 2010.

House Bill 1217, sponsored by Delegate Lynwood Lewis (D-100), would allow local school boards to offer firearm safety education programs in the elementary grades. To assist local school boards opting to provide such instruction, the Board of Education must establish a standardized program of firearm safety education for students in the elementary school grades to promote the protection and safety of children. The bill requires that the program objectives incorporate, among other principles of firearm safety, accident prevention and the rules of the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program. Local school boards offering the program must comply with Board curriculum guidelines and integrate the instruction in appropriate subject areas, if feasible, to ensure that every elementary school student receives instruction in firearm safety education.

House Bill 1070, sponsored by Delegate Clay Athey (R-18), would provide that a person who has a valid concealed handgun permit may not be barred from carrying a concealed handgun in any place or facility designated or used by the Governor, any political subdivision of the Commonwealth, or any other governmental entity as an emergency shelter or for the purpose of sheltering persons.

[BluemontGlock]

Rick,
I read this on the NRA feed...

How can one Anti Senator move it all to one committee and then hand pick a commitee full of anti's to hear the pro gun bills...?

is this just because many of these bills have been Ok'd by both sides and were about to become VA law ...? seems over the top ridiculas...

We will never get a Castle Doctrine in place if this is what we have to face everytime pro firearm legislation comes up

i have a headache and its early on monday...
more x2

[Nathan]

Absolutely outrageous. Leave it to the Dems to backdoor their way into killing pro-gun legislation. I've already emailed the sub-committee members expressing my desire that they consider these bills fairly. I'm not holding my breath.

[zephyp]

Wow. The only thing I can say is the harder the fight the sweeter the victory - sometimes!!

[VBshooter]

Its gonna be hard for sure.. That committee is as anti gun as it comes. I doubt we get a fair shake from them after seeing some of the bills they have either authored or voted on already.Quayle is the lone stand out as Pro gun and he alone can;t do it himself. I fear that we'll get another bunch of compromise crap like last year and the real gun laws needed will get killed in committee further screwing us.Time will tell and we definitly need to watch this closely.You have to wonder what emboldened Marsh to pull this crap so near to the session end. Will be nice to know for future reference.

[guitarpicva]

Its gonna be hard for sure.. That committee is as anti gun as it comes. I doubt we get a fair shake from them after seeing some of the bills they have either authored or voted on already.Quayle is the lone stand out as Pro gun and he alone can;t do it himself. I fear that we'll get another bunch of compromise crap like last year and the real gun laws needed will get killed in committee further screwing us.Time will tell and we definitly need to watch this closely.You have to wonder what emboldened Marsh to pull this crap so near to the session end. Will be nice to know for future reference.

There's only one solution for Marsh. Someone to run against him from Petersburg/Chesterfield/South-side Richmond. He's so blatantly arrogant that he won't even respond to constituents. An absolute disgrace to Virginia politics and certainly not representative of the people.

[zephyp]

He's so blatantly arrogant that he won't even respond to constituents. An absolute disgrace to Virginia politics and certainly not representative of the people.

Gee. Sounds like he has this politics thing down pretty good. He's ready for DC.

[OakRidgeStars]

He's so blatantly arrogant that he won't even respond to constituents. An absolute disgrace to Virginia politics and certainly not representative of the people.

Gee. Sounds like he has this politics thing down pretty good. He's ready for DC.

Either D.C or Chicago

[P99]

Can't the assembly amend their rules for chairpersons?

[GS78]

Maybe we could simply ask them for their price and see what can be done to meet it?

[zephyp]

Can't the assembly amend their rules for chairpersons?

Not sure what the rules are for committees but they should at least be required to be balanced - equal number of reps from both sides.

[albertshank]

Greetings Fellow Patriots and Virginia Gun Owners!

I am not exactly sure how Senator Marsh can coral a "specialized" committee of antis, totally composed of Dems who hate the Constitution. Only one somewhat supportive Repubican on the "team". Nor am I certain as to how this so-called "committee" has the authority to potentially "kill" every single pro-gun bill that was thoroughly vetted by the House and which received wide, bi-partisan support in that body. Someone needs to fill me in on how this can "legally" happen when the overwhelming majority of political sentiment in the House supported all of this legislaton?

I have sent both "e" mail and written letters to each member of this "committee", with detailed explanations as to why every one of these bills should be supported. Since the vote is Thursday, we only have one day to get those "e" mails in and we need to hit this HARD!

I don't need to tell you all how to vote in the next election. This chicanery and usurpation of the representative process is nothing new for Senator Marsh and I consider his underhanded, arbitrary and capricious actions as a direct affront to my rights as a lawful gun owner in Virginia and as an American citizen.

Let's get those "e" mails in now(!) and put a stop to this heavy-handed effrontery in its tracks!

Albert

[VBshooter]

I too have done the same thing. Emails to each member and a special one to my Senator stating that I think the comittee is as serious an abuse of office as we have seen, The blatant disregard for the people of Virgina by this man is outragous. His actions have denied each and every one of us the actions of our elected to pursue his own personal vendetta against gun owners. Mr Marsh IMO should be removed from that and any other comittees he is on due to his failure to carry out the legislative process fairly and according to law.