Virginia to begin special session on gun control Tuesday; Gov. Northam believes measures can get GOP votes - Entrepreneur Generations

The Virginia General Assembly will begin a special session to address gun control laws on Tuesday. Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, called the session after a May 31 shooting in Virginia Beach that killed 12, Amy Friedenberger reports for The Roanoke Times.

Last week Northam released a final list of eight measures he wants legislators to address in the session. Many have been considered by the Republican-controlled General Assembly before, but haven't made it far. One new proposal is to bar those with final protective orders from possessing firearms. Current law only prohibits those with final protective orders for family abuse from owning firearms, Friedenberger reports.

Among Northam's proposals, which have not yet been filed as bills: institute universal background checks; ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, bump stocks and silencers; reinstate a state law limiting handgun purchases to one per month; require lost and stolen firearms be reported to police within 24 hours; allow local governments to pass gun laws stricter than the state's; raise the punishment for letting a child access loaded, unsecured firearms from a misdemeanor to a felony; and raise the age of the children that that law applies to from 14 to 18, Friedenberger reports.

"Northam is also interested in extreme risk protection orders, which allow a third party — in Virginia, officials said this would be a police officer or prosecutor — to petition a judge for a warrant to seize legally owned guns if someone is determined to be an immediate threat to themselves or others," Friedenberger reports.

House Republicans have not released a list of proposals, "but House Speaker Kirk Cox has said they plan to introduce legislation to impose tougher penalties — including mandatory minimums — against offenders. Northam has vowed not to sign any more mandatory minimum legislation for the remainder of his term," Friedenberger reports.

The Republicans have a one- or two-vote majority in both chambers. Northam said he believes some of his proposals can get enough Republican supporters to pass, Friedenberger reports.

Northam's optimism may be warranted, according to researchers at the nonpartisan Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy. Recent polling they conducted found that Republican voters "oppose gun control generally but strongly favor specific gun control proposals that will likely be on the agenda in the special session," Wason Center Director Quentin Kidd said in a statement.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2Jv5T5b Virginia to begin special session on gun control Tuesday; Gov. Northam believes measures can get GOP votes - Entrepreneur Generations

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