When lawmakers introduce bills under the banner of “safety,” it’s worth asking: safety for whom, and at what cost? As part of my personal mission to help in debunking the Gun Control bills coming to the Commonwealth, let's now talk about Virginia’s SB38.

Currently in committee, is framed as a measure to regulate firearm transfers from individuals under protective orders or with certain misdemeanor convictions. But peel back the layers, and you’ll find a bill that adds bureaucracy, erodes due process, and burdens law-abiding citizens without addressing actual criminal misuse.

Arbitrary Restrictions That Miss the Mark

• Age discrimination: SB38 prohibits transfers to anyone under 21, even though 18–20-year-olds are legal adults who can vote, serve in the military, and lawfully own firearms. Why strip them of rights here?

• Household bans: The bill forbids transfers to someone living in the same household. That means a spouse, sibling, or roommate with no criminal record is automatically disqualified. This blanket rule ignores context and punishes families.

  
  

Paperwork and Registry Creep

SB38 requires the prohibited person to file paperwork with the court clerk, including the transferee’s name, address, and signature. This isn’t about safety—it’s about creating a paper trail that looks suspiciously like a registry. Private transfers become government-documented transactions, chilling lawful exercise of rights.

Expanded Search Powers

The bill advises that law enforcement may seek a search warrant if they “believe” firearms remain. That’s a dangerously low threshold. Instead of presuming innocence, SB38 encourages fishing expeditions, turning suspicion into justification for intrusion.

Redundant and Unnecessary

Federal law already prohibits firearm possession by those convicted of domestic violence or subject to certain protective orders. SB38 doesn’t close a gap—it piles on redundant restrictions that complicate compliance without improving safety.

The Bigger Picture

Criminals intent on harm won’t be stopped by age limits, residency rules, or court forms. SB38 burdens only those trying to follow the law. Worse, it sets a precedent: once the state dictates who you can transfer to, how old they must be, and where they live, what’s next? Each new restriction chips away at private ownership and due process.

Conclusion

SB38 is a solution in search of a problem. It layers arbitrary restrictions on top of existing law, erodes constitutional protections, and expands government surveillance—all while giving a false sense of security. Lawmakers should focus on enforcing existing laws against actual criminals, not inventing new hoops for the law-abiding.

Now, let's talk about who's pushing SB38

Ol' Barb

Barbara A. Favola is a career politician from Arlington who’s spent decades in the world of health policy committees, budget staff work, and social services panels. She’s chaired the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee, sat on Finance and Appropriations, and built her résumé around healthcare and education—not firearms. In fact, her professional background is as a health policy advisor and development consultant, not someone with any expertise in constitutional rights or the mechanics of gun ownership.

So, when Senator Favola decides to draft gun laws, it’s a bit like asking your dentist to rewire your house: wrong skill set, wrong toolbox, and a guaranteed mess. She’s great at talking about “vulnerable populations” and “community responses,” but firearms policy? That’s not her lane. Virginians deserve legislators who understand both the Constitution and the practical realities of gun ownership—not someone whose career has been spent in bureaucratic health offices and budget meetings.

Barbara Favola writing gun laws is like putting a fish in charge of bicycle safety. She may mean well, but she’s out of her depth—and the rest of us are left paying the price for her experiments.

I'm also really getting fed up with the folks originally from Commie Northern States coming to Virginia to "Change" things. Barb is originally from Connecticut... like where NEWTOWN happened.

As I always do, I highly suggest contacting Barb's office and telling her she's out of her league. You can do that by clicking the link: https://apps.senate.virginia.gov/Senator/memberpage.php?id=S86