Issue Position: Gun Violence Prevention

Issue Position

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
I share the concerns of the many constituents who write to me afraid for their families and angry that gun violence continues to take so many lives. We cannot let gun violence, active shooter drills in schools, and vigils for lost lives be our normal.

Polling shows that more than 90% of Virginians support universal background checks, including the majority of gun owners.
Passionate, educated, experienced advocates have been working to pass gun violence prevention legislation for years. In Richmond, the Educational Fund & Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Everytown Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and Giffords have worked tirelessly. The March for Our Lives Students have told their stories and those of allies so well that we all know that we need change now.
I am a member of the Joint Caucus to Prevent Gun Violence and have been active with the House Safe Virginia Initiative, listening to residents of our communities around the Commonwealth to hear their priorities.
So why haven't we solved this problem? In the 2018 legislative session, I introduced legislation to incentivize background checks. My bill, HB 273 allowed for liability to be imposed on a firearms seller or transfer if it was used to commit a crime and no background check was completed. I was also the co-patron of many other bills regarding gun safety.

HB 41 would have prohibited bump stocks
HB 43 would have required gun owners to report to police if their gun had been lost or stolen
HB 68 would have allowed localities to adopt ordinances to prohibit guns in libraries
HB 717 would have closed the "gun show loophole" and required background checks at gun shows
HB 720 would have prohibited anyone who was convicted of a hate crime from obtaining a firearm in the five years after their conviction. We have research to show that this legislation would save lives.
All of these bills and many others were killed on a 4-2 party-line vote despite passionate testimony from those affected by gun violence, including a survivor of the Las Vegas shooting. Four delegates decided the fate of these bills. So how can we make sure that these bills pass and we save lives in Virginia? The political party with the majority of legislators in the House and the Senate is the party that determines committee leadership and membership and determines whether bills are heard and voted on. Change is coming. Universal background checks and gun violence risk orders will be two of the first bills passed.

LEGISLATIVE RECORD ON GUN SENSE
HB 273, Chief patron, establishes civil liability for injury, death, and property damage inflicted by a gun sold or transferred without a background check.
HB 41, copatron, Ban Bumpstocks
HB 43, copatron, report lost or stolen firearms
HB 68, copatron, would allow localities to ban guns in libraries
HB 261, copatron, would allow localities to ban guns in government buildings
HB 281, copatron, minors are allowed to possess guns in their homes, this bill would have required parent grandparent, or guardian permission.
HB 720, copatron, simple assault hate crime conviction added to prohibition on gun purchase and transport for five years
HB 721, copatron, universal background checks
HB 1373, copatron, universal background checks

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