See below for VAPLAN’s description of what happened this morning in VA Senate Courts of Justice Committee on Sen. Saddam Salim’s SB749 (“Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses, transports, or transfers an assault firearm, as that term is defined in the bill with some exceptions…”). Also, following the video clip on the “heated discussion between Sen. Peake and Sen. Creigh Deeds and Sen. Russet Perry “about the hypocrisy of Republicans and the Second Amendment as a way to protect against a tyrannical government and how helpful a legal gun was to #Pretti in MN as he was disarmed and killed by ICE,” you can watch video of the entire committee meeting, at which a bunch of bills were passed on party-line votes. As always, elections have consequences – in this case, GOOD ones, thanks to Democrats kicking butt in November!
“Senate Courts reports @AzlanSalimVA assault weapon bill: no purchase/sale of assault weapon/high-capacity magazine (defined similar to federal definition), ok to possess already-purch. one, or transfer to family member. Violation -> 3-year prohibition on possessing any firearm. This after heated discussion between Sen Peake and @CreighDeeds and @RussetPerry about the hypocrisy of Republicans and the Second Amendment as a way to protect against a tyrannical government and how helpful a legal gun was to #Pretti in MN as he was disarmed and killed by ICE.”
- VA Sen. Mark Peake (R) argues that the “purpose of the Second Amendment” and “why we have firearms” is “to fight against a tyrannical government” and “this bill is a direct infringement on the Second Amendment to fight against a tyrannical government.”
- VA Sen. Creigh Deeds (D): “Mr. Chair, point of order, a man was killed in Minnesota with a firearm when he was trying to fight ‘tyrannical government’, and I find it very ironic that Sen. Peake is raising the point that we gotta protect our firearm rights to fight ‘tyrannical government’.”
- VA Sen. Russet Perry (D): “As far as the Second Amendment goes, there have been several decisions that have clarified what the Second Amendment does or doesn’t mean. And a lot of them relate back to what they meant at the Founders, right? That’s that’s what Bruen does. That’s what Bruen says. And that’s why the courts have upheld that the weapons of war, which are what I believe Senator Salim is trying to take off of our streets – weapons that were meant to destroy people quickly without having to have good aim – that those don’t belong in the hands of a civilian. And I had a conversation with an individual who was a Republican the other day and I was talking about this bill and I was asking him, ‘What do you think? How does it make you feel? you know, you’re you’re a Republican. Tell me gun owning, carrying everyday firearm. What do you think about this bill?’ And he said to me, ‘Tell me why it is that a civilian ever needs to own a assault weapon? Answer that question for me. Why do we need weapons of war on our streets?’ That was his, Republican, his question to me about this bill.”
- Senate Courts of Justice Committee Chair Scott Surovell (D): “Come on guys. No talking at each other down the up and down the dais here. Come on guys.”
- Sen. Russet Perry (D): “To the point that was made, you know, this weekend we saw an individual who appeared to be lawfully carrying a concealed weapon on his person and that weapon was taken off his body and then a number of series of rounds were deposited into him by the government. It wasn’t an assault weapon he was carrying, but it was a weapon and it did him no good. And so I’m a supporter of the Second Amendment. I just think we have to balance what it is that we’re doing, and weapons of war don’t seem to have a place on our streets. But I think we’ve reached the point in time where whether any lawful – I think Kristi Noem came out and said that…you shouldn’t be carrying your weapon out in public because that might invite the government to descend upon you and and take your life. And so Mr. Chairman, with that I would move the bill report and be re-referred to finance.”
