virginia citizens defense league

Defending Your Right to Defend Yourself

va-alert

Published 2/4/2026

1. Correction:  Mia Culpa!  Last week's tied vote in subcommittee was resolved correctly after all
2. ACTION ITEM:  Two gun-control and one pro-gun bills to be heard in the House Public Safety Firearms Subcommittee on Thursday, February 5!
3. ACTION ITEM:  Time to contact your legislators in opposition to excise taxes on guns, ammo, and suppressors!

1. Correction:  Mia Culpa!  Last week's tied vote in subcommittee was resolved correctly after all

I goofed.

Last week there was a tied vote in the House Public Safety Firearms subcommittee on HB 871, Delegate Downey, which is a bill that requires all firearms in a home, that are not being carried on or about a person, to be unloaded and placed in a locked container if there is a minor in the home or if there is a prohibited person in the home.

The vote was 3 to 3, making the prevailing side the one that voted against reporting the bill out of subcommittee. What I couldn’t see watching on my computer was that several Democrats and one Republican, Delegate Wilt, had stepped out of the subcommittee room before the vote. That left 4 Democrats and 2 Republicans, Delegates Oates and Zehr, in the room.

Democrats have been voting along party-lines on gun bills for the last 3 years. So, when I saw the 3 to 3 tie vote, I naturally assumed that reflected 3 Democrats voting Yes and 3 Republicans voting No. The problem was that my assumption was WRONG! It turned out that one Democrat, Delegate Pope Adams, voted with the 2 Republicans against reporting that bill. That made the vote 3 to 3. So, I was surprised when Delegate Pope Adams said that she had voted on the prevailing side and called for a reconsideration of that tie vote. I thought this must be some kind of hanky-panky, but it wasn’t. Pope Adams DID vote on the prevailing side and therefore she legitimately called for a reconsideration of that vote. Delegates Oates and Zehr were also on the prevailing side and had no reason to object to that reconsideration by Pope Adams.

The reconsideration vote was 4 to 3, with Delegate Pope Adams voting against the bill just as she had done earlier.

VCDL thanks Delegate Pope Adams and Delegates Oates and Zehr for voting in opposition to that bill and I apologize for the confusion created on my part! I hope that we see more Democrats voting to protect the rights of Virginia’s gun owners.

2. action item:  two gun-control and one pro-gun bills to be heard in the house public safety firearms subcommittee on thursday, february 5!

On Thursday afternoon, February 5, at 4pm, the House Public Safety Firearms subcommittee is meeting to vote on several gun bills.

ACTION ITEM #1

We need everyone to send a prewritten email to their delegate. Our system will figure out who your delegate is automatically, based on your address. This can be done in under a minute.

Click here to send the email.

ACTION ITEM #2

You can speak at the meeting online, so you don’t have to go to the Capitol to do so. Keep your comments short and they can be as simple as, “I oppose this bill.”  NOTE: There is one good bill in the mix: HB 1427 (Delegate Griffin). In which case you could say something as simple as, “I support this bill.”

You can register to speak now. Your computer must have a microphone and camera. You can register by clicking here.

DETAILS ON GUN BILLS IN SUBCOMMITTEE ON THURSDAY

HB 1015, Delegate Tran, prohibits a person convicted of a misdemeanor assault and battery hate crime from being able to possess firearms.  Misdemeanors should never take away a person’s civil rights. The bill is unconstitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court’s New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen decision.

HB 1427, Delegate Griffin, repeals the unconstitutional One Handgun a Month law.

HB 1525, Delegate McGuire, removes the right of young adults to have a handgun or an “assault firearm,” unless used for lawful self-defense or defense of another while in the home or property of parents, grandparents, or guardians.  For young adults, 18 to 20-years-old, this bill is unconstitutional.

3. action item:  time to contact your legislators in opposition to excise taxes on guns, ammo, and suppressors!

Click here to send a message to your senator and your delegate in opposition to taxes on guns, ammunition, and suppressors.