Virginia house passes new gun control laws, included the hated red flag laws.

Virginia governor Ralph Northam. Wall Street Journal/AP.

The Virginia house has passed seven new gun control laws including the hated red flag laws. Wall Street Journal. In addition to the red flag laws, a ban on private sales, a one handgun per month limit, new penalties for firearm storage, forcing people to report firearm thefts within 24 hours, allowing localities to have their own gun laws and making it illegal for people under permanent protection order. Many of these bills have been passed in the senate as well and will await Governor Northam's signature. However, the most controversial bills that would ban so called "assault weapons" have not made it out of committee. The new laws have come after a massive revolt among Virginia citizens who have rejected new laws. Many counties and cities have launched 2nd amendment sanctuaries and will not enforce unconstitutional laws.  The laws were passed despite a massive peaceful protest against the laws during Virginia's lobby day.

My Comment:

A dark day for civil rights in Virginia. The vast majority of these laws would do nothing to prevent gun violence or mass shootings and they were specifically crafted to punish gun owners. Indeed, it seems like many of these laws run counter to the goal of preventing violence. 

For example, the requirement to report a gun theft within 24 hours obviously creates incentive to not report the theft. If someone steals your gun and you don't find out about it right away and you report it you could be criminally liable. Same thing if you are simply too busy to do so, you could be charged for doing the right thing and trying to get your property back. 

And the one handgun a month just seems like it's there to punish gun owners. Common advice for new shooters of handguns is to buy both a carry gun in 9mm or whatever and then a .22lr gun for practice. This laws seems crafted just to punish new owners. It's almost like the people that crafted the bill think that people commit crimes by dual wielding pistols like in video games. It's totally ridiculous. 

No law has more potential for abuse and even death than the stupid red flag law. Those laws remove due process and do not allow people to avoid retribution from people that want to sic law enforcement on them. These laws will end in death because the natural reaction for people getting woken up by armed men at night will be to open fire. Even if they were able to protect peoples due-process rights, the idea that people should have their guns taken away on the word of someone who is angry with them is an obvious oversight. 

The good news is that the AR ban seems less likely to pass. The gun confiscation one is dead and even the one with the fake "grandfather" clause seems less likely to pass at this point. Those laws were the ones that would most likely lead to even more violence if they were to pass, but it looks like they were dead due to massive outcry. I could be wrong about this though, and gun owners in Virginia shouldn't assume that they are gone for good. 

I know that these laws will be challenged in court but I don't know if they will be overturned. The red-flag laws in other states have not been gotten rid of so far even though they are obvious infringements of 2nd and 4th amendment rights. Same with universal background checks and storage laws. My hope is the Supreme Court will strike down some of these laws but who knows if that will happen? 

I do have to say that the people of Virginia should not give up the fight. In the next election it is critical that they vote out these Democrats. If that isn't possible I think they should take up the offer of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and secede from Virginia and join with West Virginia, which is a state that actually respects civil rights. One way or another the people of Virginia need to defend their gun rights.