The Virginia House of Delegates approved House Bill 2 to ban assault weapons on Friday, February 2, 2024. The vote across party lines was 51-49.
The bill was submitted by Fairfax County Democratic Delegate Dan Helmer. If it is approved in the Senate and signed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, it will end the sale and transfer of assault firearms manufactured after July 1, 2024. It will also prohibit the sale of certain large-capacity magazines.
The bill will prohibit younger Virginians under age 21 from owning, selling, or transferring assault weapons regardless of the manufactured date.
Helmer said:
“This bill would stop the sale of weapons similar to those I and many of the other veterans carried in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
He reminded lawmakers about tragedies across the country in which assault-style weapons were used.
“Our schools, our community centers, our college campuses, our nightclubs, and our shopping malls are not war zones. At least they shouldn’t be.”
Opposition to the bill
Culpeper-area Republican Delegate Nick Freitas, who was a special forces weapon sergeant in Iraq, said the focus of legislation should be on criminals, not guns.