Democrats in Virginia’s General Assembly are on track to produce some of the most comprehensive gun control legislation that the state has seen in the last decade. The last month saw a major change in tenor from the Sisyphean pass-and-veto process that Democrats endured under Governor Youngkin, with Governor Spanberger much more likely to work towards enacting some of the more than two dozen bills vetoed in 2025.
Two bills, SB 348 introduced by Del. Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) and SB 496 introduced by Sen. David Marsden (D-Fairfax), deal with storage of firearms in homes and vehicles, respectively.
The advancing of Sen. Saddam Salim’s (D-Fall’s Church) SB 749 was another in a series of blows to former AG Miyares’ opinions he issued on the matter during his term. He issued one on January 16th, days before leaving office, that deemed it unconsitutional. However, this has done nothing to stall the advancement of this bill through the Senate and to the House committee on Public Safety, which it did on Thursday. The proposed bill would reportedly ban all assault weapons in the state and limit legal possession of firearms to weapons to magazines that hold under 15 rounds.
This is a companion to Del. Dan Helmer’s (D-Fairfax) HB 217, which would penalize the sale, manufacturing, or importation of an assault firearm and prohibits those convicted of doing so from possessing any firearm for a period of three years. Unlike Sen. Salim’s bill, this would limit the legal magazine size to ten rounds.
SB 727, introduced by Sen. Michael Jones (D-Richmond) would limit which and where firearms are legal to possess, and would make a Class 1 misdemeanor if violated.
Del. Nadarius Clark (D-Suffolk), chair of the House Public Safety Firearms Subcommittee spoke with Del. Dan Helmer in support of the bills advancing:
“(W)e’re concerned about keeping our community safe. And right now, that’s making sure that we can have responsible gun ownership and making sure that we are educating folks as well.”
The package of firearms legislation drew scrutiny from pro-gun activists and Republicans in both chambers. Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Chesterfield) said the following regarding Del. Salim’s SB 749 in a post on X:
“Senate Bill 749 bans commonly-owned firearms based on their features, instead of targeting those who are committing the crimes with guns. It does so in a way that turns everyday Virginians’ peaceful conduct into a crime.”
Other proposed gun control legislation, like Del. Ebbin’s SB 312 and Del. Deeds’ SB 272, are similar in form to bills that they introduced to the General Assembly in 2025. Both were vetoed by Youngkin.
