Virginia’s new gun control laws will cause firearms sales to plummet, stores say
Pro-Second Amendment groups have contested the new laws
Virginia's new gun control laws passed by the Democrat-controlled state legislature go into effect Wednesday.
The measures includes background checks on all gun sales in the state, a civil penalty for failing to report a lost or stolen gun within 48 hours and a limit on handgun purchases to one per month.
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That last measure may take away business from gun stores, Steve Garriss, who has worked as a sales clerk at Clark Brother Gun Shop in Warrenton, Virginia, since 2008, he told FOX Business. Virginia Democrats brought back a law limiting gun buyers to one handgun a month that was repealed in 2012.
"The one handgun a month thing, they had that when I first started working here. They discontinued it. ... You do lose sales from it," Garriss said. "Some people come in, they bought one two weeks ago. Two weeks later, they may not be interested."
A man stands in a gun store. (iStock)
A lawsuit against Virginia State Police Superintendent Gary Settle claiming the law took away residents' “constitutionally protected right to obtain firearms” was defeated in Goochland Circuit Court, WAMU reported.
"I don't believe they should infringe on any Second Amendment rights," Garriss said. "It won't stop any robberies."
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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, signed the gun control measures in April. The new laws include:
- A red flag law allowing law enforcement to take away residents' guns if they're determined to be dangerous to themselves.
- Raising the penalty for leaving an unsecured firearm in the presence of children to a Class 1 misdemeanor.
- Local governments can regulate guns in public buildings.
In January, pro-Second Amendment activists demonstrated in January to protest Democrats' gun control agenda.