RICHMOND, VA — Today, the Virginia chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements after Crossover Day, the midway point of the Virginia legislative session, saw a slate of life-saving gun safety measures successfully head to their second chamber of passage. Polling shows that a majority of Virginia voters support stronger gun safety laws.
Following years of the General Assembly prioritizing gun safety only to be blocked by a Governor’s veto, these bills now have a clear path to becoming law. For the first time in years, Virginia has a legislative majority and a Governor in Abigail Spanberger who are united in the mission to end gun violence in the Commonwealth.
“For years, we’ve done the hard work of getting life-saving bills through the General Assembly, only to watch them hit a brick wall at the Governor’s mansion. But this Crossover Day feels different,” said Gretchen Browne, a volunteer with the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “With gun safety champions like Governor Spanberger in office, we see a path forward for a world where assault weapons no longer flood our streets and gun safety is prioritized. We’ve fought through the vetoes of the past, and today, we are closer than ever to finally signing these protections into law and keeping Virginia families safe.”
“For the first time in years, we have a real chance of passing meaningful gun safety legislation that will help keep my generation safe from gun violence,” said Vaishnavi Mahimaluru, a volunteer with the George Mason University Students Demand Action group. “This is what happens when we elect leaders who prioritize our lives over the gun lobby. Our voices are being heard across the Commonwealth, and this time, the pen in the Governor’s office is ready to sign our safety into law.”
Some of the Gun Safety Measures That Have Passed Their Chamber of Origin Include:
- Measures to hold the gun industry accountable and limit the spread of dangerous firearms and accessories, including bills to ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines (HB 217 / SB 749), regulate and prohibit untraceable “ghost guns” (HB 40 / SB 323), and allow the Attorney General or victims of gun violence to hold bad actors in the gun industry accountable for misconduct that harms Virginians (HB 21 / SB 27).
- Measures to increase or promote gun safety and secure firearm storage, including bills to require firearms to be stored securely in residences where minors or persons prohibited from possessing a firearm are present (HB 871 / SB 348), and legislation to establish a coordinated statewide strategy to prevent firearm violence (HB 969 / SB 364).
- Measures to strengthen laws that keep guns out of dangerous hands, including bills to establish a process for the removal of firearms from individuals subject to protective orders or convicted of domestic violence offenses (HB 93 / SB 38), legislation to close the “dating partner loophole” by strengthening prohibitions on gun possession for abusers convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes (HB 19 / SB 160), and a bill to prohibit persons younger than 21 from purchasing, possessing, or transporting handguns or assault firearms anywhere in the Commonwealth (HB 1525 / SB 643).
Despite the General Assembly passing a robust suite of gun safety measures in both 2024 and 2025, former Governor Glenn Youngkin stood in the way of public safety, issuing a record-breaking series of vetoes that blocked everything from an assault weapons ban to basic secure storage requirements. Rather than backing down, advocates took their fight to the ballot box.
Today, Moms Demand Action volunteers represent 20% of the House Democratic Majority, and Virginia is proud to be led by Governor Abigail Spanberger, also a former Moms Demand Action volunteer. This historic level of representation has cemented gun safety as a top-tier legislative priority, ensuring that the voices of survivors and advocates are at the center of the lawmaking process.
In an average year in Virginia, 1,226 people die by guns and 1,624 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Virginia $14.2 billion each year, of which $288.3 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Virginia is available here.