Governor Spanberger signs Virginia gun safety legislation

VIRGINIA – Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed a package of new gun safety laws aimed at making Virginia safer.

She was joined by law enforcement, healthcare workers, students, and families affected by gun violence.

The new legislation covers a range of measures, including closing loopholes, strengthening background checks, and promoting safe firearm storage. Spanberger called the bills “commonsense” steps.

“Thank you to the Virginia parents, students, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement officers who shared their stories today — they told a hard truth about what gun violence can look like up close. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in America,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “I come from a law enforcement family, and I myself was a federal law enforcement officer. Every day as a federal agent, I carried a firearm as part of my job. I know the tremendous responsibility that comes with gun ownership.”

The legislation signed includes:

• HB19 (Delegate Adele McClure) — Closing the Boyfriend Loophole to make sure convicted domestic abusers cannot exploit a legal technicality to keep their firearms.
• HB93 (Senator Elizabeth Bennett-Parker), SB38 (Senator Barbara Favola) — Prohibiting the transfer of firearms when a protective order is issued to protect women, families, and all Virginians from violence.
• HB21 (Delegate Dan Helmer) — Holding the firearm industry accountable when negligent business practices contribute to gun violence.
• HB40 (Delegate Marcus Simon) — Cracking down on ghost guns to take untraceable, unregistered firearms off Virginia streets and give law enforcement the ability to track weapons used in crimes.
• HB110 (Delegate Amy Laufer), SB496 (Senator Dave Marsden) — Reducing stolen firearms and keeping law enforcement safe by prohibiting unsecured handguns in unattended motor vehicles.
• HB217 (Delegate Dan Helmer), SB749 (Senator Saddam Salim) — Protecting Virginia families, law enforcement, and communities by prohibiting the future sale of assault-style weapons.
• HB1524 (Delegate Garrett McGuire) — Keeping dangerous firearms out of public spaces by prohibiting the public carry of assault-style weapons.
• HB1523 (Delegate Garrett McGuire) — Creating a certification for Violence Prevention Professionals to build a trained workforce to interrupt violence before it starts.
• HB969 (Delegate Marcia Price) — Establishing the Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center Workgroup to create the infrastructure to make Virginia a national leader in gun violence prevention.
• HB1015 (Delegate Kathy Tran) — Prohibiting firearm possession by individuals convicted of a hate crime.
• HB702 (Delegate Joshua Cole) — Encouraging firearm sell-back programs to give Virginians a safe, simple way to get unwanted guns out of homes and out of circulation.
• HB871 (Delegate Mark Downey), SB348 (Senator Jennifer Boysko) — Requiring safe storage of firearms to protect children and prevent theft.
• HB201 (Delegate Laura Jane Cohen), SB109 (Senator Stella Pekarsky) — Empowering parents and keeping families safe by requiring school boards to notify parents of safe storage requirements.
• HB1525 (Delegate Garrett McGuire) — Restoring universal background checks by closing the Lynchburg Loophole.
• HB901 (Delegate Rip Sullivan), SB495 (Senator Creigh Deeds) — Expanding the list of individuals eligible to petition for an emergency substantial risk order to make sure families and community members have the ability to intervene before a tragedy.