The Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday passed a repeal of the state's 18-year-old one-handgun-a-month law before advancing to its final reading a bill that would stop localities from preventing employees from storing lawfully possessed guns and ammunition in locked cars.
The one-gun-a-month repeal — House Bill 940, carried by Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William — cleared the chamber on 66-32 vote after substantial debate on the floor Tuesday.
The law, designed to cut off the flow of firearms from Virginia to cities in the Northeast, was approved in 1993, a signature achievement of then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder.
"If this bill is passed, an individual can go into any gun store and buy an unlimited number of guns," said Del. Joseph D, Morrissey, D-Henrico, moments before the vote.
"Let's be clear what's going to happen," he added. "Some crack addict is going to be given half a gram of coke, he is going to be given a Virginia driver's license … and he will go into a place and he will buy nine or 10 Glocks or 357s or whatever … and we will return to the days where we are the gun capital of the South."
Republicans contend that the law is outdated and superfluous, given federal laws and instant background checks.
The House is expected today to pass House Bill 375, which would prohibit localities from adopting workplace rules preventing employees from keeping firearms and ammunition in their cars while at work.
The bill, sponsored by Del. Brenda L. Pogge, R-James City, specifies that the gun and ammunition must be kept in a secured container or compartment within the locked vehicle. The bill does not pertain to public schools.
The measure advanced on a voice vote Wednesday after lengthy debate, with Democrats arguing that localities should have the right to set their own rules. But Republicans argued that such a law would tread on a person's Second Amendment rights.
"What we're doing here … is respecting the rights of the employees who may choose — on their way to work or on their way home from work when they stop at the store, when they go out to dinner, when they pick up their kids — to avail themselves of the right of self protection," said Del. C. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.
Del. Jennifer L. McClellan, D-Richmond, countered that localities enforce such rules for a reason.
"They are concerned about what happens … when a disgruntled employee or an employee who was just fired, or an employee who was on the verge of snapping, does snap," she said.
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