Bloomberg-Bought Dems in Virginia Try to Ban Most Guns

https://www.nraila.org/articles/20191125/bloomberg-bought-virginia-legislators-introduce-confiscator ^ | 12/2/2019 | Black_Rifle_Gunsmith

[Black_Rifle_Gunsmith]

Mike Bloomberg’s gun control group outspent the NRA in Virginia’s election by multitudes, hoping to clinch new seats and make unconstitutional inroads against the Second Amendment in the Old Dominion. Bloomberg’s plan unfortunately appears to have paid off: Senator Richard L. Saslaw, Bloomberg’s bought-and-paid-for Democrat, recently introduced legislation that would effectively outlaw most semiautomatic firearms in the state. Bill SB 16, introduced by Saslaw on November 18, states, “It is unlawful for any person to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, purchase, possess, or transport an assault firearm.” The bill greatly expands the state’s arbitrary definition of an “assault firearm” to include most modern firearms:

A semi-automatic centerfire rifle with a fixed magazine with a capacity greater than 10 rounds, or with a detachable magazine that has one of the following characteristics:

(i) a folding or telescoping stock; (ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the rifle; (iii) a thumbhole stock; (iv) a second handgrip or a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand; (v) a bayonet mount; (vi) a grenade launcher; (vii) a flare launcher; (viii) a silencer; (ix) a flash suppressor; (x) a muzzle brake; (xi) a muzzle compensator; (xii) a threaded barrel… or (xiii) any characteristic of like kind as enumerated in clauses (i) through (xii);

A semi-automatic centerfire pistol with a fixed magazine capacity greater than 10 rounds, or with a detachable magazine that has one of the following characteristics:

(i) a folding or telescoping stock; (ii) a thumbhole stock; (iii) a second handgrip or a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand; (iv) the capacity to accept a magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip; (v) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the pistol with the non-trigger hand without being burned; (vi) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; (vii) a threaded barrel… or (viii) any characteristic of like kind as enumerated in clauses (i) through (vii);

A shotgun with a revolving cylinder or one of the following characteristics:

(i) a folding or telescoping stock, (ii) a thumbhole stock, (iii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the shotgun, (iv) the ability to accept a detachable magazine, (v) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of seven rounds, or (vi) any characteristic of like kind as enumerated in clauses (i) through (v).

Reading through the dizzying amount of restrictions, it quickly becomes apparent Bloomberg’s proxy war on the Second Amendment is alive and well. If passed, SB 16 would effectively ban nearly all semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and handguns – and there are no provisions listed in the bill for grandfathering any currently-owned firearms. The bill also mandates that any violation of the new restrictions is punishable as a Class 6 felony, or up to five years in prison. That means the moment the bill goes into effect, tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of gun-owning Virginians would suddenly be classified as felons under threat of harsh imprisonment. But SB 16 isn’t particularly worrying for all its explicit restrictions. Rather, the bill is one of the worst gun control attempts in recent history because of what it doesn’t say. The legislation repeatedly calls for the need to restrict “any characteristics of like kind” – features of a gun not defined in the bill. The sole purpose of this language is to cast an unconstitutionally vague net over any other firearms or gun parts the state Democrats find to be illegal by their standards, without requiring them to obtain any knowledge or context.

In this writer’s opinion, the language is a damning admission of Democratic ignorance: “We want to ban other guns, but we’re too uninformed to say which ones. We’re using characteristics because we can’t be bothered to understand how these guns work, either.” The consequences of the bill are immediately apparent. For example, Ruger’s popular Precision Rimfire Rifle – a target-shooting rifle chambered in .22 LR – would be banned because it accepts a detachable box magazine. Any popular and commonly owned hunting shotguns with a pistol grip or thumbhole stock would be banned, too. But it gets worse still. The legislation casts an even wider net which truly illustrates the unconstitutional reach Democrats are trying to garner: “”Assault firearm" includes any part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert, modify, or otherwise alter a firearm into an assault firearm, or any combination of parts that may be readily assembled into an assault firearm.” This language bans any gun part which could be used to make a gun into an “assault weapon” by the bill’s definitions. That means owning nothing more than a pistol grip for an AR-15 would make you a felonious gun owner in Virginia. Imagine going to prison for up to five years because you own a piece of plastic shaped to fit your palm. The reason behind why Saslaw and state Dems included this blanket ban on accessories is readily apparent: They’re afraid of the AR-15, the most popular and easily modifiable rifle sold in America today.

In fact, the AR-15 could arguably be the “most banned” gun by SB 16’s language. After all, nearly every component on a typical AR-15 meets the features test for being defined as an “assault firearm”: Telescoping stocks, pistol grips, 30-round box magazines, muzzle devices, forward-facing grips, and threaded barrels mark the very construction of even a basic black rifle. This language also appears to ban the sale, ownership, and use of any type of gun-making kits and parts. The 80% lower receiver – one of many firearm blanks not regulated but affirmed to be legal by the ATF – can be used to build an AR-15 at home and was made popular in the past five years by amateur gunsmiths. Yet SB 16 says since the rifle’s individual parts (like the lower receiver) could be used to make an assault firearm, it could be argued that the receiver blank is, too, considered an assault firearm. The same would apply to any type of build kits and gunsmithing tool kits frequently purchased online, which include firearm parts identified in the bill. If you’re a pistol lover, you’ll find little solace in this bill. SB 16 also bans the import, sale, and ownership of magazines that can hold 10 or more rounds, punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Since nearly every semiautomatic pistol in existence has a magazine with such a capacity, most handgun owners in Virginia would be labeled criminals, too.

The bill currently resides at the Virginia House floor. If the bill passes, it would likely provide a worrying boon for Bloomberg’s anti-gun White House campaign. Residents are strongly urged to contact your state senators and local representatives and demand a vote against SB 16.

[Hustoon71]

No doubt that list will only be the start... Once the commies get a taste of running everyone’s life, they won’t be able to stop.

[GingisK]

The way I read it, everything is OK. I know of no rifle that has a fixed magazine over eight rounds. I do not know of any magazine that has any of the following characteristics: folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip...

[Lurkinanloomin]

FN-49 has a 10 round fixed magazine

[GingisK]

Thanks for the info. Lucky for it that it still meets the requirements. AH, the delight of stripper clips.

[Kickass Conservative]

Have they outlawed Duct Tape and a Kitchen Knives yet?

[Kickass Conservative]

I just moved to the Free State of MS from CA.

My CA Compliant AR-15 was outlawed after they decided that the Bullet Button got around their silly requirement that you had to use a Tool to release the Magazine.

My next task is to replace the Bullet Button with a standard Release Button.