Thursday, July 24, 2014

State Senator Bryce Reeves passes bill to protect gun dealers


FREDERICKSBURG, Va- July 22, 2014, Senator Reeves presented the signed copy of Senate Bill 377 to the owners of SSG Tactical, Doug Stockman and Curt Sebastian, in appreciation of their help spearheading this legislation.

 

Senate Bill 377, will allow gun dealers who wish to purchase, transfer, or trade a firearm from a non-dealer person to submit information on that firearm to law enforcement in order to find out if it has been lost or stolen.  For this to occur, there must be a consent form that includes all identification in writing from the individual selling, trading or transferring the firearm to the dealer, as well as information on the firearm itself.  As passed in the General Assembly, Senate Bill 377 specifies that if the firearm is determined to not have been stolen or lost, the dealer is then required to destroy the consent form within a two week period. 

 

"Doug and Curt have been essential in fixing this problem that has been affecting gun dealers across the Commonwealth. By bringing this issue to our attention, they have allowed stolen property to be returned to their rightful owners and dealers to protect their businesses from loss of profit and extreme fines," stated Senator Reeves in response to the bill taking effect.

 

This bill will now make it possible for individuals to buy and sell guns without the seller falling into trouble, provide the ability to check backgrounds of persons and their guns to ensure safety, reassure the returning of stolen property without penalizing the seller, and it will lead to the growth and protection of small businesses.  The passed and now enacted bill gives an optional process for gun dealers to determine if a firearm is stolen or lost through the Virginia State Police, and requires gun dealers to destroy all submitted consent forms for transfer of a firearm determined not to be stolen or lost within two weeks.  This legislation will officially take effect on January 1, 2015.