Opinion

We know the Virginia Democrats are holding back on some horrible gun-control bills until just a few days before the 2026 Virginia Citizens Defense League Lobby Day to minimize the number of gun owners that will show up. They absolutely do not want a repeat of what happened on January 20, 2020!

We know the gun controllers are planning to expand red flag laws, ban AR-15s, and require a permit just to be able to purchase firearms. VCDL firearm attorney, Gilbert Ambler, talks about the extremely serious implications of the purchase permit in the above video.

However, some gun-control bills have already been filed, as have some pro-gun bills. Here is what has been introduced, as of January 6:

Bills Virginia Citizens Defense League Strongly Opposes!

HB 24, Delegate Helmer, severely restricts concealed handgun permit recognition with other states. Currently, Virginia honors permits from all other states, which, in turn, allows Virginians to be able to carry in most of those states. Permit holders from other states have been peacefully carrying in Virginia for years. This bill is an unjust and demeaning slap in the face to law-abiding Virginia gun owners, as it will reduce the number of states where a Virginia permit holder can carry a handgun for self-defense. This bill makes Virginians who are traveling less safe! It will also discourage gun owners outside of Virginia from visiting the Commonwealth, affecting the state’s economy. This bill is a solution in search of a problem.

HB 21, Delegate Helmer, and SB27, Senator Carroll Foy, allow one of the most highly regulated industries, the firearms industry, to be sued civilly for a variety of already illegal actions. It also holds the manufacturers and sellers of even the most benign of firearm accessories, like a butt stock or a gun case, liable to a civil lawsuit if it doesn’t “properly” protect that item from theft or misuse by a criminal. How could a firearm accessory seller reasonably know if they were selling a gun sling to a prohibited person? Should a car parts store be sued if it sold a seat cover for a car used in a bank robbery? This bill is designed to have a chilling effect on all aspects of the firearms industry.

HB 40, Delegate Simon, makes unfinished firearm frames and receivers, and unserialized commercially made firearms, unlawful to possess, purchase, sell, or transfer unless they are serialized. Even a chunk of aluminum, if sold to the public to become a frame or receiver once completed, must be serialized under this bill. The bill doesn’t grandfather existing homemade firearms. This bill is unconstitutional, as there was no analog in the history or traditions of firearms with any such limitations at the time the Bill of Rights was adopted. Homemade guns have been legal since before the United States existed. And, of course, government, our servant, exempts itself from all this foolishness.

HB 110, Delegate Laufer, creates a $500 civil penalty and subjects a vehicle to towing if a person leaves a visible handgun in an unattended vehicle. The car owner should not be at fault even if a criminal opens an unlocked car door to steal a firearm. It is the criminal who is solely to blame. This bill would put a handgun in the possession of, and under the control of, a tow truck company! Punish criminals and stop harassing good people.

HB 19, Delegate McClure, makes battery in a “dating relationship” a misdemeanor and takes away the right to purchase, possess, or transport a firearm for three years. Misdemeanors should never take away a civil right.

SB 38, Senator Favola and HB 93, Delegate Bennett-Parker, requires a person with a protective order against them or a person with a domestic violence conviction to surrender, sell, or turn their guns over to someone 21-years-old or older and someone who does not live with them. It requires the person to be advised that if a police officer believes they have not turned over all their guns, that the officer can get a search warrant to look for any such guns. There are multiple problems with the bill as written. If a husband and wife co-own a shotgun for home defense, for example, and the husband gets a protective order issued against him, the wife would no longer have access to that co-owned shotgun. That punishes the wife and needlessly endangers her life. There is also the question of not allowing a person 18 to 20-years-old to retain the guns. A person in that age range can legally possess rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Why can’t young adults be used to hold the guns?

Bills Virginia Citizens Defense League Strongly Supports

SB 78, Senator Diggs, raises the mandatory minimum sentence for a repeat violent predator who uses a firearm in the commission of a violent crime from 5 years to 10 years. Locking repeat violent offenders away from the public for extended periods of time will lower violent crime rates.

SB 79, Senator Diggs, exempts highway rest areas from the state agency gun ban. Rest areas are not even remotely considered a “sensitive government building.” Rest areas are open to the public 24/7 and have no assigned security guards. Only three other states, Illinois, Maryland, and New York, have a ban in rest areas.

• Since this gun ban on rest areas has been in place, 4 people were shot in a rest area on I-81: https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-rest-stop-shooting-hospital-suspect-found-dead-police.
• People have been stabbed at rest stops: www.13newsnow.com/article/news/crime/sheriff-17-year-old-stabbed-at-virginia-rest-stop/291-504255229 and patch.com/virginia/manassas/suicide-linked-manassas-rest-area-stabbing-state-police.
• According to the website used by the Virginia State Police for criminal statistics, va.beyond2020.com/, there were 66 rest area crimes in 2020, 57 in 2021, 82 in 2022, and 69 in 2023.

Those crimes include aggravated assault, negligent manslaughter, kidnapping/abduction, forceable rape, forceable sodomy, and forceable fondling.

HB 101, Delegate Ballard, eliminates the requirement that a concealed handgun permit be requested in writing, allowing for other methods of applying for a permit. This moves the law into the 21st century, where all kinds of legal document can be submitted online.

HB 106, Delegate Ballard, lowers the maximum concealed handgun permit fee from $50 to $25, by lowering the maximum local law-enforcement can charge for the background check from $35 to $10. Originally, the maximum permit fee was set at $50, which included approximately $25 to go to the FBI for fingerprinting applicants. In 2012, the General Assembly repealed the fingerprinting requirement but never got around to reducing the maximum permit fee accordingly. Clearly, this change is long overdue. Background checks are now quick and easy for most applicants, causing many sheriffs in Virginia to do the background checks for free. $10 should more than cover the costs of the background check.

Virginia Citizens Defense League’s Legislative Tracking Tool

VCDL’s Legislative Tracking Tool (LTT) is up and running! The LTT allows you to quickly and easily track all gun bills during the 2026 General Assembly session: vcdl-lis.org/.

Check the LTT frequently as it is being updated almost daily as new bills are being introduced. The LTT will also update frequently during the General Assembly session, which starts on January 14, as bills are being processed.

About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):

Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

For more information, visit: www.vcdl.org.

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