Ebbin's assault weapons bill folded into broader legislation, inspired by 2019 Old Town Farmer's Market incident
Alexandria senator's proposal to expand statewide ban incorporated into Senate gun package
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, that would significantly expand Virginia’s restrictions on carrying assault-style firearms in public has been incorporated into a broader gun safety bill — a measure born from a 2019 incident that left vendors at Alexandria’s Old Town Farmer’s Market shaken.
SB 312 was folded into SB 727, sponsored by Sen. Jerrauld Jones, on a 13-0 vote in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee on Sunday, the Virginia Mercury reported.
The bill would make two major changes to existing law.
First, it would expand the prohibition statewide. Current law restricts carrying certain assault-style firearms only in Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, Virginia Beach and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun and Prince William.
Second, the bill would apply regardless of whether the firearm is loaded — closing what Ebbin has characterized as a loophole.
The legislation would also remove an exemption for concealed handgun permit holders and expand the technical definitions of covered firearms to include semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns with features such as folding stocks, pistol grips, threaded barrels and detachable magazines.
Ebbin told the committee his legislation was directly inspired by the farmer’s market confrontation in his district.
In September 2019, members of a group called Right to Bear Arms-Richmond conducted what they called a “freedom walk” through the Old Town Farmer’s Market, openly carrying assault-style rifles among vendors and shoppers, WUSA9 reported at the time. Because the city is preempted by state law from regulating firearms, police told concerned vendors there was nothing they could do.
“It was one individual with one long assault rifle,” vendor Mellenie Runyon told WUSA9. “You could see the clip capability ... It had that ability to shoot off multiple rounds.”
Runyon, who had sold products at the market for a decade, described feeling trapped.
“You can’t leave, you can’t just walk away like the customers,” she said. “You’re stuck there as a vendor.”
More than six years later, Ebbin’s provisions aim to give communities new tools to address such incidents. He also cited the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally and research showing higher casualty rates in mass shootings involving assault-style weapons.
Republicans argued the expanded definitions are unconstitutionally broad. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, claimed the bill would criminalize most modern pistols and “would not last five minutes under any constitutional scrutiny.”
Violations would be a Class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
The bill is among the final pieces of legislation Ebbin will shepherd through the General Assembly. The 22-year legislative veteran announced earlier this month that he will resign Feb. 18 to become a senior advisor at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority in Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Ebbin’s separate bill targeting ghost guns, SB 323, also advanced Monday on a party-line vote and now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.