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Amended Assault Firearm Bill Squeaks Out of House

VCU CNS | February 14, 2020

Topics: assault rifles, gun control, gun reform, Mark Levine, suppressors, Virginia Citizens Defense League

Gun rights groups don’t like it, but regardless, there’s an increasing possibility that the General Assembly will pass an assault weapons ban this year.

A controversial bill banning assault firearms passed the House this week along party lines, and after several amendments whittled away at certain requirements that had caused the loudest opposition. 

The House of Delegates passed HB 961 this week 51-48, which bans the sale of assault firearms and other firearm accessories. Sponsored by Del. Mark H. Levine, D-Alexandria, HB 961 is one of the many gun control efforts being introduced this session and backed by Gov. Ralph Northam.

The bill has been amended several times, and because of this Levine believes that lawmakers have reached the best compromise. Levine also said he wants to counter misinformation being used by pro-gun groups.

“There have been a lot of scare tactics being used,” Levine said. “No one is going to send the police to kick down your door to take away your firearms.”

Amendments to the bill include striking the requirement that current owners of firearms categorized as assault weapons register them with the state police. Also removed was a section that banned suppressors, also known as “silencers.” Originally the bill required that the suppressors be destroyed, moved out of state, or surrendered to law enforcement by January 2021. Now the bill only restricts future sales of assault firearms and suppressors.

Protesters at the Virginia Citizens Defense League rally on Lobby Day at the Capitol. Photo by Chip Lauterbach/Capital News Service.

The bill in its current form would ban the sale and transfer of new assault rifles, as well as restrict the size of a magazine’s capacity to 12 rounds. An earlier version of the bill would have made possessing any large-capacity firearm magazine a class 6 felony violation, but that penalty was amended and reduced to a class 1 misdemeanor. 

“I have been talking to and listening to the concerns from law abiding citizens,” Levine said. “I have also worked with my colleagues across the aisle; Sen. Amanda Chase was instrumental in helping with these amendments.”

Former Arizona congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords on Monday urged Virginia lawmakers to “act with courage,” in a statement released the day before the vote.

Statewide opposition has swelled in response to proposed gun control legislation that the Democrats promised after gaining control of the General Assembly and the governor’s mansion for the first time since 1993.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, is a leading voice against the gun control bills that have been introduced.

“We will be working to kill the bills that crossed over,” Van Cleave said. “Expect VCDL to have a presence in all the subcommittee and committee rooms on gun bills, we will fight hard to stop it in the Senate.”

Capitol Police estimated that approximately 22,000 people attended the Virginia Citizens Defense League rally on Lobby Day at the Capitol; 7,000 were inside the gates and 15,000 outside. Photo by Chip Lauterbach/Capital News Service.

Van Cleave and the VCDL held a massive pro-Second Amendment rally on Jan. 20 that drew over 22,000 people to Capitol Square and the surrounding areas. Northam declared a state of emergency before the event, citing concerns over safety and threats of violence.

Van Cleave said his group hasn’t planned another rally, but that is something that could change on short notice.

“We are watching the gun bills,” Van Cleave said. “What happens with those bills will have bearing on our next move.” 

With Levine’s bill inching closer to becoming law, many gun store owners statewide have reported an uptick in sales from state residents buying anything that would be banned under the bill. 

Eric Tompkins, owner of Paladin Strategic in Mechanicsville, said that the legislative gun control push has helped sales at his gun store, but predicted that his business probably won’t last if HB 961 were signed into law.

“It’s been a double-edged sword, because the past few months since the election have been great,” Tompkins said. “I have had a ton of customers each day, but I know that’ll drop off, and I don’t know whether my business will continue.”

A woman holds a sign in support for Second Amendment rights outside of the Capitol on Lobby Day. The frigid weather, with morning temperatures in the mid-20s, didn’t stop the throng of supporters from showing up early. Photo by Jeffrey Knight

The bill now heads to the Senate. Firearm bills passed earlier by the Senate include SB 70, which requires a universal background check when people sell firearms. SB 69 limits handgun purchases to one a month, while SB 35 allows localities to ban firearms in a public space during a permitted event. SB 240 allows authorities to take away the firearms of someone deemed to be a threat to themselves or others, a measure known as a red flag law. SB 543 makes background checks mandatory at gun shows.

Written by Chip Lauterbach, Capital News Service. Top Photo: At Showmasters Gun Show, a vendor looks on as a customer handles a scoped assault rifle. A majority of vendors, including the one pictured, owned retail stores around Virginia and traveled to the Richmond show with a smaller selection to sell. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)

Second National School Walkout Planned for Friday, Students and Legislators to Rally in Richmond

Samantha Rinchetti | April 16, 2018

Topics: Brown's Island, gun reform, gun violence, guns, National School Walkout movement, Never Again movement, student walkout, Virginia State Capitol

The students behind the Never Again movement and the National School Walkout movement are continuing their efforts to end gun violence in schools and demand action from legislators with a second national walkout and rally this Friday, April 20. Students in Richmond and around the country will walk out of school, and students, legislators, school shooting survivors and other allies from across the state plan to rally after the walkout in Richmond with a protest starting at Brown’s Island and ending at the Virginia State Capitol.

The protest is not only to advocate for gun reform, but to also honor victims of past shootings most notably Columbine High School. This Friday will be 19 years since the Littleton, Colorado shooting claimed the lives of 12 students and one teacher.  

Douglas S. Freeman High School students Maxwell Nardi and Kennedy Mackey sent out a press release Monday morning highlighting the next steps the school’s student leaders have organized in order to keep the conversation on gun control going.

“We’re not protesting against the second amendment or the right to bear arms, rather we’re fighting for the common-sense measures which can save the thousands of lives taken every year by gun violence,” Nardi and Mackey said in the release.  

At 10:00 am, students around the country and in Richmond will begin the walkout followed by the pre-rally at Brown’s Island, which will include a voter registration drive, a meet and greet with legislators, and speakers. At 1:00 pm, students, citizens, and others from across Virginia will march from Brown’s Island to the Virginia State Capitol and at 2:00 pm, the group will host their official rally on the steps of the State Capitol, featuring students, legislators, and leaders from across the state which according to the press release, will include Gov. Northam, Del. Chris Hurst, and student survivors and allies.

Nardi and Mackey hope to use this day as a day of remembrance, but also to keep the attention of a society that is constantly being thrown new information at a continuous rate. “It’s time for change. It’s time for action,” they stated in the release. “We’re fighting for fixes to gun violence in Richmond, Virginia, and our country. We’re fighting for a new era of consistent progress towards a better and safer future for every Virginian and every American.”

 

Photos: March for Our Lives in Richmond and Washington DC

RVA Staff | March 25, 2018

Topics: gun control, gun reform, March For Our Lives, Parkland, richmond, RVA, Student Survivors, Washington DC

This past Saturday, youth led marches to demand an end to gun violence in all 50 states. RVA Mag had teams in Washington D.C. for the national event, and another at home in the River City, where students from local high schools led more than 1,500 from Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School over the Leigh Street Bridge to the steps of the Virginia State Capitol. Youth from the Armstrong Leadership Program kicked off the Richmond event and shared the stage with invited speakers like Superintendent Jason Kamras, Mayor Levar Stoney, and Sen. Tim Kaine.

Up in Washington D.C., over 500,000 gathered for a rally on Pennsylvania Avenue, blocks from the Capitol, to represent the national movement and urge lawmakers to pass legislation banning both the sales of weapons used in mass shootings along with high-capacity magazines, and to close loopholes in America’s background check system.

Some of the best photos of the day can be found below:

Signs in D.C. Photo by Shroder

“How Many Tears,” asks a sign on Leigh St. Photo by Streever

Marching down Broad St. Photo by Streever

Tim Kaine and Anne Holton with Levar Stoney at MLK Middle School. Photo by Streever

Future leaders in Virginia. Photo by Streever

More signs in Richmond. Photo by Streever

Sign in D.C. Photo by Shroder

Peace, not guns in D.C. Photo by Shroder

Fuck the NRA in D.C. Photo by Shroder

D.C. rally. Photo by Shroder

The crowd in D.C. Photo by Shroder

Photos By: Landon Shroder and David Streever

 

Rocket Pop Media Encourages Community to Voice Opinions on Gun Reform With NeverAgainRVA

John Donegan | March 13, 2018

Topics: 2nd amendment, gun control, gun forum, gun legislation, gun reform, gun violence, high school shootings, Never Again RVA, NRA, Parkland Florida shooting, Rocket Pop Media

It’s been four weeks since Nikolas Cruz, an 18-year-old senior opened fire with a self-purchased AR-15 on unsuspecting classmates at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Details including texts messages and personal testimonies have been released to the public, the last testament to the memories of the deceased; the last chance for ill-fated to express their final thoughts. The public response-complicated.

While many desperately seek reform, most of the public is left stranded among the muddled shambles of gun debate. According to a 2018 Gallup poll, over half of the American public is dissatisfied with the current gun regulations while still split on the potential ban on assault weapons like the one used in Parkland. Many look to their local politicians for answers, including the survivors of the Parkland shooting, initiating protests across the state of Florida, and national school walk-outs scheduled for Wednesday, March 14.

Here in Richmond, a public relations firm saw this momentum as a call to action to create a platform for those in Virginia still struggling to have their voices heard. “It is ingrained in the kids who are being affected by this, not the politicians behind this; this is the kids’ movement, not a politicians movement,” said Scott Dickens, founder and president of Rocket Pop Media, the company raising its banner for Richmond to rally behind.

Dickens recently formed Never Again RVA, a grassroots effort which through a website and Facebook group, providing a variety of resources on gun control for those wanting to make their voices heard with ideas for attainable steps to reduce gun violence.

“This isn’t something I’ve been planning eight weeks in advance, I woke up in the middle of the night and realized this needed to happen,” Dickens said of his campaign. 

When I went to visit the firm last week, I had several reservations about what to expect. Ergonomic cubicles, Wes Anderson-themed decor, maybe a bean bag by the floating break room. Expectations were shot upon arrival, the reflective windows nothing but pure irony to the transparent nature of those inside. Dickens was not the pseudo-Jeff Goldblum I envisioned, but instead, about as average as a man could be.

The Never Again RVA website provides a comprehensive spread on the subject of gun reform, with links to bills in relation to gun reform in committee circulation and a mission statement-turned list of grievances for common sense reform. “There’s a cross-section of things that could happen- whether you’re banning bump stocks, or raising the age limit from 18 to 21, or universal background checks- that most Republicans and Democrats agree on,” Dickens said.

Image may contain: 1 person, outdoor and text

Dickens, the father of a 12-year-old and ex-school teacher, has followed gun reform closely, but became especially perturbed by the horrors that transpired on Feb. 14.

“We used to live by there in Florida, about a mile from the school, and, it occurred to me, I have a 12-year-old son- if we were still living in Florida, he probably would’ve gone there,” he said. “The idea that this could happen anywhere or to anyone kind of really struck home for me.”

The assailant, a high schooler that had purchased what Dickens and the group repeatedly referred to as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’. “They weren’t made for self-defense, they weren’t made to hunt, the AR-15 was made for one thing, and that’s to kill people- as quickly as possible,” he said.

While the site provides many resources to inform the public on gun reform, the main project behind the organization proposes a much bigger endeavor. Last week, Dickens invited anyone to come in and share their thoughts on camera, aiming to compile a collection of video testimonies to be used as “ammunition” in the fight for gun reform.

(In the clip above, Richmond students address what its like going to school in a time where mass shootings are a regular occurrence.)

Friends and relatives of the group participated,  along with fellow parents and PTA members, and local students. Some with no reason to come except the frame of their child in hand. One woman, who came in did not hesitate in voicing her opinion, “Isn’t the human brain not even fully developed until 25? Why would we allow guns to underdeveloped kids still in the heat of puberty?” she said.

Guest interviewees covered a variety of topics in relation to gun reform during their interviews, including arming teachers. “They say well-trained police officers only hit 30-40 percent at about 25-35 feet, you’d think a teacher who has only fired a gun a handful of times in their life is going to all of the sudden, turn Rambo in a classroom?” one person said.

Image may contain: 1 person, sitting
Dickens interviewing a local high student

According to a 2015 study by Minnesota University, researchers found that NYPD officers had around an 18-20 percent shooting accuracy. And these are officers who practice shooting daily and have extensive experience in combat situations. It would be past the point of negligence to afford these same expectations for a public school teacher.

Self-defense from the government was another hot topic of controversy. “What if the government were to rise up, turning on the public, how would we defend ourselves?” an interviewee asked. The MQ-1B Predator, an average militarized drone in usage by the U.S. military, comes equipped with laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, wide-range sensors, and numerous assorted tools and capabilities that make it perfect for both surveillance, and time-sensitive missions; meaning it’s one of the weaker ones.

“If the government wants to get you… they will. There’s virtually nothing your rifle will do to stop them,’ Dickens said when asked about that topic.

A number of proposed solutions were addressed between the interviews, from providing universal background checks on those looking to purchase, to raising the age limit from 18 to 21. Dickens assures the best solution now is to implement small changes towards gun reform, ensuring the changes will help without much constraints on the average gun owner. And he didn’t hold back when it came to pointing the finger at who’s to blame for preventing legislation from moving forward.

“The NRA, I think the NRA propagates its power anyway it can, if you took them out of the picture, how many laws would easily pass…” Dickens said.

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On several occasions, Dickens alluded to the National Rifle Association, the controversial lobbyist group interlaced in the gun reform, to be at the heart of the opposition. And with the NRA headquarters located in Fairfax, the organization is a hot topic on the doorstep of Virginia politics.

Last Friday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the High School Public Safety Act into law. That same day, within hours of its passing, NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer filed a lawsuit, stating the new provision banning 18 to 21-year-olds infringed upon their constitutional rights; citing the 2nd Amendment.

“When the 2nd Amendment was written, no one was thinking of an AR-15. You had muskets, you had handguns. I think they were counting on a certain level of common sense,” Dickens said.

After some brief research and reading through an extensive article published by The Guardian, the billowing haze once filling behind closed doors began to clear. Written before the formation of the national guard and in an age where one shot per three minutes was beyond lethal, the right to bearing arms was under much different circumstances when written.

By technicality, there is no guarantee in the 2nd Amendment to individual gun rights on the basis of self-defense, with the Supreme Court disallowing individual gun rights to citizens outside the context of the militia on numerous occasions from 1876 and 1939. 

Though obvious on his stance towards the controversial lobbyist group, Dickens did extend an olive branch to the group. “If someone wanted to come in and speak on behalf of the NRA, they could; they’re a part of the community.”

Around 70 bills centering around gun reform were filed in the 2018 Virginia General Assembly session. As session wrapped up Saturday, the GA had passed only one bill, which restricts the firearm rights of people who had mental health problems as teenagers. A bill to ban bump stocks, a device that allows a semiautomatic rifle to rapidly fire failed. Most were left in subcommittee, killed almost immediately. Even still, Dickens remains hopeful for the community. “I mean Reagan was a proponent of {an} assault weapons ban, you know, even the staunchest low of Republicans can’t argue too much against it,” he said. 

Dickens hopes the program will encourage people in Richmond to have an open discussion about the issues at hand and to not let those that perished at the hands of negligent legislation go in vain. “This is a kickstart for hopefully a groundswell here in the Richmond community,” he said. “There’s definitely a break in reality between what is happening on the street and what is happening in the gun owners mind, we didn’t want to lose the momentum behind these kids, a month later it wouldn’t necessarily do any good.”

Visit neveragainrva.com to learn more about the group, or email [email protected] to get involved. Anyone across Virginia and outside of the state can submit blogs, photos, and their stories and other reosurces to the site.

Photos By: Never Again RVA

 

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