So far this year, various state legislatures are pushing bills that would severely jeopardize the Second Amendment rights of their respective citizens.
Virginia, where anti-gun presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg helped Democrats take control of the General Assembly, has become the focal point of several anti-gun measures.
Prior to a gun rights rally in Richmond last month, the General Assembly passed a gun ban on the State Capitol Grounds for the duration of the 2020 Legislative Session. Thus, no one would be allowed to carry firearms in that vicinity, even if he or she had a concealed handgun permit.
Other bills that are being pushed through the Virginia General Assembly consist of a one-gun-a-month bill (which limits citizens to the purchase of just one handgun each month), the creation of gun-free zones (in which local governments would be allowed to ban guns in and around public buildings and parks), the prohibition of the sale or transfer of guns between private citizens without first paying a fee and obtaining a permit, the reversal of Virginia’s reciprocity laws (in which Virginia would no longer recognize the right-to-carry permits issued by other states), a ban on semi-automatic firearms, suppressors, and standard capacity magazines, penalizing gun owners who don’t report lost or stolen firearms within 24 hours of discovering them missing, the restriction of parental decisions regarding firearms in the home, and the establishment of “Red Flag” gun confiscation orders (which would allow the authorities to seize a citizen’s firearms if they felt that individual posed a threat to themselves or to other individuals ex parte, i.e. law enforcement seeking to confiscate firearms via a court hearing without the individual in question not being present).
Of all these bills, the “Red Flag” legislation is most disturbing, since it is a violation of due process. And how is it determined if an individual poses a threat to themselves or others just because he or she owns a firearm? Suppose someone who happens to own a firearm is involved in a verbal or physical altercation with someone else (but doesn’t use the firearm by any means). Would that individual be subject to having their guns taken away?
Meanwhile, other states are contemplating “Red Flag” legislation (among other gun control measures). They are as follows: New Hampshire, Missouri, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, and Pennsylvania.
Needless to say, such bills must not become law. And if they do become law, then they should be challenged in the courts.
