Firearms defined as ‘assault weapons’ subject to registration, magazines over 10 rounds forbidden

Jamie White | Infowars.com - January 8, 2020

Virginia Democrats led by Gov. Ralph Northam have introduced strict new gun control measures requiring gun owners to register their firearms with the state, and also banning the possession of magazines that hold over ten rounds.

The bill, known as H.B. 961, also enacts a ban on suppressors and “trigger activators.”

The legislative summary of the bill is as follows:

The bill makes it a Class 6 felony to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess, or transport large-capacity firearm magazines, silencers, and trigger activators, all defined in the bill. Any person who legally owns an assault firearm, large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator on July 1, 2020, may retain possession until January 1, 2021. During that time, such person shall (i) render the assault firearm, large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator inoperable; (ii) remove the assault firearm, large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator from the Commonwealth; (iii) transfer the assault firearm, large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a person outside the Commonwealth who is not prohibited from possessing it; or (iv) surrender the assault firearm, large-capacity firearm magazine, silencer, or trigger activator to a state or local law-enforcement agency.

As the bill states, every ammunition magazine in Virginia that can accept over ten rounds would have to be destroyed, surrendered to the state, or permanently modified to only hold ten rounds. Suppressors would also have to be turned in or destroyed.

No compensation will be offered by the state.

The bill’s language broadly defining an “assault weapon” is also “designed to encompass 80% lowers and other gun parts, meaning even if you register your firearm… you may not be able to repair it if need be,” reports Bearing Arms.

It also requires every gun owner to register their firearms to the state, using language similar to New York’s highly unpopular SAFE Act from 2014, which virtually no citizen obeyed.

The gun confiscation bill will almost certainly be challenged in court, as it plainly violates Virginia citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

In December, Northam threatened “consequences” for law enforcement entities who’ve declared their respective Virginia counties as Second Amendment sanctuaries.

“If we have constitutional laws on the books and law enforcement officers are not enforcing those laws on the books, then there are going to be consequences, but I’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it,” he said.