Virginia lawmakers send sweeping gun control bill to Democrat Governor Spanberger

Virginians are quickly learning the fruits of electing Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger and other Democrat legislators as the legislative session draws to an end in the commonwealth.

On Monday, Democrats in both chambers passed a sweeping gun control law that will soon land on Spanberger's desk.

'These are simply semiautomatic firearms that law abiding citizens own.'

The bill, HB217, places a ban on new sales of "assault firearms" and makes it illegal to possess high-capacity magazines exceeding 15 rounds of ammunition.

Virginia law defines an "assault firearm" as "any semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol which expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock."

RELATED: Virginians oppose Richmond's war on the Second Amendment: Poll

Delegate Dan Helmer (D)Photo by Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Sponsored by Del. Dan Helmer (D), the bill would make these offenses a Class 1 misdemeanor. Class 1 misdemeanors are punishable by "confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both," according to Virginia law.

Spanberger's office did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Chris Stone with the Virginia-based Gun Owners of America said, “Semiautomatic weapons, as they would like to call them, ‘assault weapons,’ have been owned by the public for years, and rifles of any kind are very rarely used in the commission of a crime. We don’t even like to use the term ‘assault weapon,’ because it’s just made up. These are simply semiautomatic firearms that law abiding citizens own.”

Another proposed bill would impose a civil penalty of up to a $500 fine for persons who store their firearms in their vehicle. The vehicle could also be towed for "safekeeping."

Stone pointed out the catch-22 that lawful gun owners would find themselves in if that bill ever became law.

"Because of the litany of ‘gun free zone’ laws that we have in this state, if you go to somewhere where you can’t legally bring your firearm in, law-abiding citizens who have a concealed handgun permit are going to leave that firearm in their car," Stone said.

Helmer has been busy sponsoring other bills as well, including a "first of its kind" bill that dictates that school instruction must "not describe, portray, or present as credible a description or portrayal of the actions precipitating or involved in the events of the January 6, 2021, insurrection as peaceful protest."

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