By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – A proposal to restrict the future sale and transfer of certain assault-style firearms has advanced in the Virginia Senate after clearing the Senate Courts of Justice Committee on a party-line vote.
Senate Bill 749, sponsored by Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim, D-Fairfax, was reported from committee after lawmakers adopted a substitute version of the legislation. The bill was rereferred to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
As advanced, the legislation would block the future manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer and importation of assault-style firearms covered under state law.
The proposal would not require current owners to surrender firearms they already legally possess.
Firearms manufactured or owned before July 1 would remain legal. The same exemption would apply to antique firearms, permanently inoperable weapons and certain manually operated firearms.
However, an amendment adopted in committee removed language that would have allowed continued possession of certain semi-automatic firearms with fixed magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds if they were already legally owned. Under the revised language, possession of those magazines could become a Class 1 misdemeanor once the law takes effect.
Speaking at an event organized by the Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Caucus, Salim framed the bill as the fulfillment of a campaign promise.
“In 2023, I didn’t run on a lot of other issues,” Salim said. “I ran on the fact that we need to get an assault weapons ban, and that is exactly what we’ll be doing in 2026. We now have someone in the governor’s office who is willing to sign that bill.”
Opposition to the bill has focused on the amended magazine language. In a statement, John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, said “gun-grabbing politicians are doubling down on their efforts to disarm law-abiding citizens,” adding, “Our response remains simple: We will see you in court.”
Former Attorney General Jason Miyares also criticized the proposal in a social media post, calling the bill unconstitutional and warning that the changes could expose otherwise lawful conduct to criminal penalties.
The bill must clear the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee before advancing further in the legislative process. If approved by the General Assembly, it would be sent to first-term Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger for consideration.