Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee advances gun safety bills

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A batch of bills aimed at gun safety has passed a Virginia Senate panel.

The bills include proposals for tougher firearm storage measures and prohibiting ghost guns.

FOX 5's Maureen Umeh reports that the gun safety measures come on the heels of a violent start to the New Year in Virginia highlighted by the tragic school shooting of a teacher by a 6-year-old.

The majority Democrat Senate Judiciary Committee advanced several bills they hope will increase safety.

The bills include gun safety legislation that will require firearms to be securely stored in homes when a minor is present and to store all ammunition in a separate locked container, compartment, or cabinet.

Umeh says a second bill adds new safeguards to disarm domestic abusers.

A third prohibits the un-serialized, untraceable parts that are used to build ghost guns. That legislation was introduced by state Senator Adam Ebbin from Alexandria.

A fourth bill would expand the types of evidence the court can consider when evaluating whether an individual poses a risk of harming themselves or others to issue an extreme risk protection order.

The majority democrat Senate Judiciary Committee passed these bills without republican support, and it's widely known that the bills are unlikely to go anywhere in the republican controlled house of delegates.

In an average year, just over 1,000 people die by guns in Virginia, and nearly 2,000 more are wounded.