Virginia City Set to Vote on 2A Sanctuary Status as Dems Unveil More Gun Control Bills

At least a half-dozen anti-gun measures were introduced by Virginia Democrats on Wednesday as the 2026 legislative session got underway in Richmond, and more conservative parts of the state are finally starting to wake up and respond to the onslaught of attacks on our right to keep and bear arms.

The Lynchburg City Council could soon vote on a resolution declaring the community a Second Amendment Sanctuary, with councilman Chris Faraldi and Vice Mayor Curt Diemer urging their colleagues to get behind the measure. 

"I think the time is right to do it again, and I appreciate that Mr. Faraldi is bringing this issue forward," Diemer said. "The reason it's important is I've looked at the bills coming out of Richmond, and this is some significant dangers that are coming out. They're pushing more laws. I hope we are all wide awake and that we send a strong message again to Richmond that we will not be compromising on the Second Amendment; that it's a constitutional right given to us by God, and we're not gonna negotiate that away, and you're not gonna legislate it away."

The bills introduced on Wednesday include:

• HB 871, which "[r]equires any person who possesses a firearm in a residence where such person knows that a minor or a person who is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm is present to store such firearm and the ammunition for such firearm in a locked container, compartment, or cabinet that is inaccessible to such minor or prohibited person," or else face a misdemeanor charge. 
• HB 901, which expands the state's "red flag" law to allow a "licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed clinical psychiatrist, licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychiatric physician assistant, psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, certified evaluator, designee of the local community services board, immediate family or household member, intimate partner, or school administrator or a school administrator's designee of any school in which the person against whom the order is sought is currently enrolled or has been enrolled in the six months preceding the filing of such petition" to file an Extreme Risk Protection Order petition. 
• HB 916, which expands the requirements for a Virginia concealed carry permit to include "a handgun shooting class or course that teaches (i) efficient, effective, and responsible use of a concealed handgun for self-defense outside of the home; (ii) state laws pertaining to handguns; and (iii) proper handgun storage techniques".
• HB 919, which imposes an 11% tax on the sale of all firearms and ammunition "by a dealer in firearms, firearms manufacturer, or ammunition vendor," with the proceeds going to the "Virginia Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund."
• HB 969, which establishes the "Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center" with a mission of serving as "the primary resource for research, best practices, and strategies for the implementation of firearm violence intervention, community-based intervention, and group violence intervention programs designed to reduce violence in communities."
• HB 1094, which imposes another 11% tax on firearms and ammunition on "the gross receipts from the sale and distribution of any firearm or ammunition by a firearms or ammunition manufacturer."

These bills are bad enough, but there are more on the way. We're still waiting to see the Senate's version of a ban on so-called assault firearms, as well as a potential "permit-to-purchase" measure that's been discussed by Senate Democrats behind closed doors. 

Some of these measures, like the increased taxes on firearms and ammunition or new training mandates for concealed carry licenses, would be imposed and enforced at the state level, so even communities that establish themselves as Second Amendment sanctuaries would be hard-pressed to ignore or avoid them. 

Things like storage mandates and gun and magazine bans, on the other hand, would primarily be enforced by local police and sheriffs. Cities and counties that declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries could choose not to enforce those laws. In fact, county sheriffs and Commonwealth Attorneys could decide on their own that enforcement of these measures will not be a priority for their offices, and Virginia gun owners should be contacting their county supervisors, sheriffs, and Commonwealth Attorneys to urge them to take a public stance in opposition to these attacks on a fundamental civil right. 

Gun owners in Virginia should also make plans to attend the Virginia Citizens Defense League's Lobby Day at the state capitol on Monday, January 19. Details for the event can be found here, and I'd encourage you to attend if at all possible. I'll be making the drive from the Farmville area, and I hope to be just one of thousands of my fellow Virginians in downtown Richmond next Monday morning.  

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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