It was the first time any of the Democrats’ gun bills were taken up by a House committee. The Senate has passed four gun-control bills that will make their way to the same House committee later in the session.
Del. Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington), the committee chairman, said the assault-weapons ban is still being worked on. “We hope to bring it up in short order,” he said.
The proposed ban is a top rallying cry for gun rights advocates, some of whom carried military-style weapons strapped across their chests during a huge rally Monday against gun control.
The bills that passed Friday include “universal” background checks for gun buyers, except for purchases between family members, at legal firearms shows or as part of a buyback or giveback program, or for temporary transfers that occur while the original owner is there, such as when a hunter lends a weapon to a hunting partner, as long as they remain together.
The one-handgun-per-month rule was in effect in Virginia until 2012. When it was removed, authorities reported a spike in the number of guns bought in Virginia being used for crimes in other states. Brian Moran, state secretary of public safety and homeland security, called that “a distinction we do not want.”
Also headed to the House floor is a “red flag” bill that would allow a judge, after a police investigation, to remove guns from individuals determined to be at risk to themselves or others. Gun rights supporters who flooded Richmond on Monday had protested that the measure would allow a vengeful neighbor or spouse to report someone without cause, but Del. Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan Jr. (D-Fairfax), sponsor of the bill, said the law “will not be used as a cudgel by an angry neighbor or angry brother-in-law. There are stiff penalties for false reports.”
Democrats, who wrested control of the majority from Republicans in November partly on the promise of enacting stiffer gun laws, also pushed through a measure that would allow cities, towns and counties to adopt their own gun laws, as long as none of them conflict with overarching state law.
The statute would not necessarily apply to “Second Amendment sanctuary” proclamations that have been approved in dozens of cities and towns across the state, with local officials pledging not to enforce laws they see as unconstitutional.
