The Second Amendment states, and the Virginia Constitution repeats, that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Someone ought to tell the Virginia state Senate. This week, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee advanced seven bills that shall infringe on one of Americans' most sacred and important rights.
Senate Bill (S.B.) 749, introduced by state Sen. Saddam Salim (D–Merrifield), outlaws the importation, sale, and possession of "assault firearms," which the Virginia Code defines as "any semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol…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." Those who violate this prohibition will be barred from legally owning a firearm for three years and face a Class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $2,500 and up to one year in jail.
