More Gun Safety Bills Pass Through Both Chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly and Two Others Sent to Governor Youngkin’s Desk for Signature, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond

Governor Youngkin Has Until March 8 to Sign the First Two Gun Safety Bills on His Desk

RICHMOND, VA – Today, the Virginia chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements after the Virginia House and Senate passed a slate of gun safety bills and sent the first two of many to Governor Youngkin’s desk. The two on Governor Youngkin’s desk currently awaiting his signature by March 8 include legislation to require school boards to annually share information with parents informing them about the importance of secure firearm storage, state and local laws that require gun be stored securely, and information about the public health risks associated with firearms, including unintentional shootings and youth suicide (HB 498), and legislation to strengthen domestic violence prohibitions by requiring convicted domestic abusers to surrender their firearms once they become legally prohibited from possessing them (HB 46/SB 47).

“This week has been yet another example of the power that the gun safety movement demonstrated in the 2023 elections when we helped elect majorities who will prioritize our communities,” said Sarah Albamonte, a survivor and volunteer with the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “As a survivor of gun violence, I know firsthand how critical these measures are to preventing future tragedy in Virginia and I’m grateful for our lawmakers who have been championing these measures to make the Commonwealth safer. With these bills headed for Governor Youngkin’s desk, and two already there, we’re calling on him to join our fight to keep our communities safe and sign these common sense measures into law.” 

“Young voters put in the work to elect gun-sense candidates last year and now, they’re passing laws that will save lives,” said Ava Saunders, a volunteer with Hayfield Secondary School Students Demand Action chapter. “There’s nothing more urgent to my generation than reducing gun violence, so we can’t thank our lawmakers enough for putting our safety over the gun lobby’s agenda. Governor Youngkin now has a duty to protect our lives, uphold our demands and sign these bills into law.”

Measures that passed today and will soon head to the Governor’s include a prohibition on the future sales and purchases of assault weapons, a prohibition on the public carry of assault weapons, legislation to give judges more guidance on when to issue a Substantial Risk Order, and stronger protections to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, among others. Bills to expand a tax credit for secure firearm storage devices and prohibit  auto sears also passed through the Senate with bipartisan support. 

Since the start of the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers have been hard at work passing more than 30 bills to keep Virginians safe from gun violence. Today’s progress builds on that from last week, when several critical gun safety bills passed through their second chamber, sending them one step closer to being on the Governor’s desk. This past weekend, several gun sense lawmakers participated in a rally alongside hundreds of survivors, gun safety advocates, and volunteers from across the Commonwealth to urge Governor Youngkin to sign these bills into law once they hit his desk. 

In an average year in Virginia, 1,121 people die by guns and 1,911 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Virginia $14.2 billion each year, of which $288.3 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Virginia is available here.