Virginia Gov. Northam Launches Attack On Gun Owners

“Any firearm equipped with a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition.”

Revised definition of “assault weapon” in Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s propsed ban.

Virginia’s new governor is kicking off the new year with an extensive package of anti-gun schemes that will mainly focus on law-abiding gun owners while ignoring criminals.

Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposals, which he calls “reasonable gun violence reforms,” constitute a veritable wish list for gun-ban advocates everywhere. They include so-called “universal” background checks, extreme risk protective orders, reinstatement of a one-handgun-a-month law, a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” a mandatory storage law and a law requiring law-abiding owners to report lost or stolen firearms.

In his announcement, Northam said the “assault weapon” ban “modifies the definition of assault firearm to any firearm that is equipped with a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition.” Of course, anyone familiar with firearms knows that this takes in a lot of guns not normally considered “assault weapons” even by gun haters, including many .22 rimfire rifles and many common pistols used by law-abiding Virginians for self-defense.

NRA opposes expanding firearm background check systems because background checks don’t stop criminals from getting firearms, because some proposals to do so would deprive individuals of due process of law and because the Association opposes firearm registration­—the near universal follow up when background checks fail to have an impact on criminals obtaining firearms. Federal studies have repeatedly found that persons imprisoned for firearm crimes get their firearms mostly through theft, the black market, family members or friends. Less than 1 percent obtain guns at gun shows.

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