Virginia—Another Cautionary Tale
In May of 2025 I wrote about the evolving firearm legal issues facing gun owners in Colorado. To counter the thinking “it can’t happen here in Arizona,” I entitled it, “A Cautionary Tale <https://azcdl.org/news-alerts/colorado-a-cautionary-tale/>,” because the reality is, if anti-rights lawmakers gain a majority in the Arizona legislature, it will absolutely happen here.
This time, the state of Virginia is in our sights.
AzCDL’s colleagues in the Old Dominion, the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) <https://www.vcdl.org/>, reports that firearm owners are under fierce attack.
Virginia’s official state motto is “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” which translates to “Thus Always to Tyrants.” Perhaps today it should be changed to “Thus We Have Become Tyrants.” While the state’s tourism office uses the slogan, “Virginia is for lovers,” it certainly isn’t for lovers of the right to keep and bear arms.
The Virginia General Assembly (the state’s legislature) is made up of two chambers, just like the Arizona Legislature. The lower house is called the House of Delegates while the upper is called the State Senate. In the House of Delegates, Democrats hold 64 seats while Republicans have 35. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the Senate 21 to 19. The governor is also a Democrat.
With anti-rights officials holding a majority in both chambers and one in the governor’s office, the situation has become dire. Those legislators are flexing their muscles with a large batch of anti-RKBA bills that the governor is sure to sign into law.
Examples include a ban on so-called assault firearms, which recently passed out of the Senate. A House subcommittee is expected to approve two more bills, one that would replace the state’s universal concealed carry reciprocity wholesale (impacting agreements with dozens of other states), and another which prohibits the sale of handguns and “assault firearms” to adults under the age of 21.
VCDL sent an alert to members that two other gun control bills have been passed by the legislature and are sitting on the governor’s desk. One requires all firearms in a home that are not being carried on a person to be unloaded and placed in a locked container if there is a minor or a prohibited person in the home. Loaded guns can only be stored in a locked safe. Gun dealers must post the storage requirements for purchasers to see.
The other expands the state’s “Red Flag” law by allowing more categories of people to petition for someone to be flagged, including household members, intimate partners, various kinds of counselors and medical professionals.
VCDL warns, “The recent lawful acquisition of a firearm or ammunition is considered possible evidence that someone might need to be Red Flagged!”
It should be obvious that such a law discourages someone from getting medical or counseling help, since they cannot trust that any information shared won’t be used to remove their guns. It should also be obvious that it opens the door to abuse by those who might hold a grudge against a gun owner.
One small bright spot in all of this is that a growing number of sheriffs across the state are vowing not to enforce any unconstitutional gun laws and that they may decide not to arrest anyone with a valid carry permit from other states, even if those permits are no longer recognized in Virginia. Hopefully, local law enforcement will also use their discretion regarding the storage requirements.
The new laws will not enjoy the support of most Virginians, though. Recent polling indicates a large majority oppose some or all of these measures.
It CAN happen here.
With only slim pro-rights majorities in the state House and Senate and a vehemently anti-gun governor on the 9th floor, it wouldn’t take much for the same disastrous legislation to become a reality here in Arizona.
One way to prevent that from happening is to support the AzCDL Political Action Committee (AzCDL PAC). The PAC works to ensure that pro-rights candidates are elected to maintain their majorities in the legislature. You can help by making a generous donation to the AzCDL PAC.
Donate to the AzCDL PAC <https://azcdlpac.org/>
You can also help by making a donation to AzCDL to support our full-time lobbying activities at the state Capitol.
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Michael Gibbs
President, Arizona Citizens Defense League