Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said a package of eight gun control bills will likely be passed in January when both state houses turn blue following the elections this week, adding that his administration is working on a plan to confiscate certain firearms from gun owners.
Northam, a Democrat, said in a statement after the election that voters indicated they wanted common-sense gun laws.
“They want us to finally pass commonsense gun safety legislation, so no one has to fear being hurt or killed while at school, at work, or at their place of worship,” he said.
Northam said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he plans to reintroduce eight bills he says will “save lives and improve public safety in our communities.”
The bills include legislation banning so-called assault weapons, silencers, and high-capacity magazines.
“The bill redefines ‘assault firearm’ by reducing the number of rounds of ammunition that a firearms magazine will hold in order to be defined as an ‘assault firearm’ from more than 20 to more than 10 and prohibits any person from knowingly and intentionally possessing or transporting any assault firearm or from knowingly and intentionally carrying about his person, hidden from common observation, an assault firearm.”
There are also bills requiring lost or stolen firearms to be reported to law enforcement within 24 hours, reinstating state law after a 2012 repeal that would allow no more than one handgun purchase per 30 days, and allowing authorities to ban certain people from carrying firearms, a law known as “red flag.”
“I’ll work with the gun violence activists, and we’ll work [on] that. I don’t have a definitive plan today,” he added.
The ban Northam tried to get passed this year would bar the sale and possession of so-called assault firearms. Officials have different thoughts on how to enforce such bans, with some calling for a more hands-on approach and others endorsing passive measures such as holding events called buybacks where gun owners surrender their firearms and are given money in exchange.
O'Rourke recently dropped out of the 2020 race.