By Madison Hirneisen
(The Center Square) – Virginia will offer a tax credit for the purchase of a firearm safety device, including gun safes and lock boxes, under a bill signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week.
Under the tax credit, which takes effect in July and applies to taxable years 2023 through 2027, Virginians who purchase a gun safe, lock box or other device that can be used to store a firearm can be eligible for a tax credit of up to $300. The credits will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis in an aggregate amount of $5 million per taxable year.
While most firearm-related measures introduced in the General Assembly this session were defeated, this bill, HB 2387, passed with broad bipartisan support. It was also supported by both the National Rifle Association and Everytown for Gun Safety.
In a statement to The Center Square, the bill’s author Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, called the measure “a significant step in the right direction towards addressing safe storage of firearms.”
“I thank Governor Youngkin for signing into law this common sense and bipartisan bill,” Lopez said. “There is so much more we need to do to promote sensible gun violence prevention in Virginia. I hope this signals an openness to finding a path forward on common sense gun violence prevention measures that can save lives in our Commonwealth.”
The bill was introduced on the heels of a shooting at a Virginia elementary school, where a 6-year-old student shot and wounded his teacher with a 9mm handgun owned by his mother. A lawyer for the child’s mother previously said the gun was secured on the top shelf of the mother’s closet, as reported by the Associated Press.
According to statistics from Everytown for Gun Safety – a gun violence prevention organization – 1,121 people die by guns in Virginia on average each year. Between 2012 and 2021, the rate of gun deaths in Virginia increased 42% compared to a nationwide increase of 39%.
Research indicates safe firearm storage can help prevent gun deaths and injuries among children. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the United States, according to an analysis published in 2022 from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Democratic lawmakers in the General Assembly introduced several bills this year surrounding gun safety in the commonwealth, including bills to prohibit individuals from carrying assault weapons in certain public areas and prohibit the sale of unserialized weapon parts, better known as “ghost guns.” Some Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to repeal state gun laws.
Most measures introduced by both Republicans and Democrats surrounding firearms were killed in the politically-divided General Assembly this session.
Representatives from the NRA and Everytown for Gun Safety could not be reached for comment regarding the governor signing HB 2387.
On November 14, 2022, a judge dismissed charges for Robert Wilson Jr., 37,Ā a teacher accused of having weapons inside his apartment, located at Covington Harper Elementary School near Dumfries.
A postal employee dropped a package addressed to the school at the neighbor’s house. The neighbor opened the package to find ammunition and took the package to the school.
Police said they searched the suspect’s at-school apartment and found guns and accessories on Tuesday, August 9. Police confiscated the weapons, which the suspect never brandished on school property.
At the time of the incident, Wilson, Jr. was a teacher at Rippon Middle School in Woodbridge.
Today’s Take Me-Home-Tuesday pets post comes from the Prince William County Animal Shelter.
Ice – #5050, Male dog, 7 – 10 years old, house trained, loves walks “move-in” condition. Ice is the typical couch potato. He’s also calm with other dogs.
Ivy – #37124, Female cat, 9 years-old, Domestic Black and White short hair, Spayed.
If you want to apply or learn about either, go to the Prince William County Animal Shelter page at the top of this post. You can also call 703-792-6465, or email [email protected]
We accept write-ups and photos of animals for adoption across the region. Please send the em to [email protected].
Gas will be cheaper this week at Sheetz convenience stores in the region.
The fuel chain says it will slash the price of premium fuel to match its regular 87 fuel grade.
The price cut lasts through Friday, March 24, 2023, and is part of a St. Patrick’s Day promotion.
More in a press release:
Today Sheetz, a major Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience chain, is kicking off St. Patrick’s Day by reducing the price of its premium, mid-grade and ethanol free fuel grades (where available). The prices of these grades will now be dropped to match the regular 87 prices at all Sheetz locations that offer these fuel options.
Customers won’t need to wear green to enjoy this limited time promotion, which is effective immediately and lasts until March 24, 2023. Customers can check if their local Sheetz sells these fuel grades through the Sheetz mobile app or website.
If you plan on renewing your Virginia driver’s license at a DMV office tomorrow, Saturday, March 18, 2023, you could be out of luck.
Today, the DMV says a system outage could lead to no residents being able to review their licenses on that date.
A DMV spokeswoman says online services could be available during the outage. however, you won’t be able to apply for a new license, renew, or replace a lost or stolen license.
The outage will also affect commercial driver’s licenses, learner permits, and driver privilege cards.
More in a DMV press release:
Driver’s license services may be unavailable at Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) customer service centers statewide Saturday, March 18, as rescheduled Verizon network maintenance will impact access to an essential external licensing system, the National Driver Register (NDR).
By law, DMV is required to check the federal NDR database before issuing a driver’s license and without access to the system this Saturday, driver-related transactions are unavailable.
All DMV offices will be open for all other services, however, customers will be unable to apply for, renew or replace a driver’s license, learner’s permit, CDL, or driver privilege card. Transactions involving identification cards will not be affected.Online renewal services may be available during the NDR outage, however, replacements of lost or stolen driver’s licenses may not be available. Most Virginians are eligible to renew online every other time they are required to update their license. You can renew online in seconds at dmv.virginia.gov/SkipTheTrip.
James L. “Jim” Caddigan, the husband of former Prince William County Supervisor Maureen Caddigan, has died. He was 86.
A service will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 18825 Fuller Heights Road in Triangle, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 28. More information is here.
Maureen Caddigan retired from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, serving nearly 20 years. Before being elected to the Board of County Supervisors, she served on the county school board.
A rebuild of Hartwood Elementary School will take a backseat to constructing the 18th elementary school in Stafford County.
Stafford County’s Board of Supervisors voted to move the construction of Stafford County’s 18th elementary school to 2023 and delay rebuilding Hartwood Elementary School until 2027.
After voting to defer the unfinished business to the end of the closed session, the Board voted 6-1 to begin constructing the county’s newest elementary school in 2023.
Hartwood District Supervisor Darrell English was the dissenting vote. English supported a rebuild for the school in his district, one of the last in the county that uses a septic system.
The new school will sit in the southern section of the county, though the school division has not announced the site of the new school. The school division says a needed 19th elementary school would be built in the middle of the county, likely in the Embrey Mill area.
As supervisors work with the county school division to meet its need for $343 million in new funding for new schools, Anne E. Moncure Elementary School has sat vacant since the Summer of 2019.
After Moncure Elementary School was replaced by a newer building roughly a mile away, the property became mostly vacant except for occasional use by local law enforcement for training.
Today, the county is considering selling the land to a developer who would raze the school and build townhomes.
The Prince William County Government restored an online survey asking employees about their gender identity, sexual orientation, and whether or not they feel valued at work after Supervisor Yesli Vega shared the survey with her constituents.
Maria Burgos, head of the county's diversity, equity, and inclusion office, reopened the survey to government employees only and extended the survey time by about a week.
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We’ve welcomed our newest spring intern.Ā Please meet Paris Goodman, 18, who comes to us from the Spotsylvania County Public Schools Work-based Learning Program.
She is a senior at Riverbend High School.
Q: Why do you think community journalism is essential?
Goodman: I feel community journalism is important because everyone deservesĀ to be in the know. Whether it be about a missing dog or a police chase, staying informed helps people continue on throughout their daily lives.
Q: What’s your past professional experience? (work experience, school or civic clubs, education level, etc.)
Goodman: I have lots of general experience in various random jobs such as leadership, stage and technical theatre, graphic design, freelance design, and large-scale printing. I have been certified in a 10-hour OSHA course and Print-ED.
Jefferson: I am a Riverbend High School senior in Spotsylvania. I’ve had a few jobs since I was a junior, consistingĀ of one amusementĀ park and two retailĀ stores.
Q: What do you like best about the community in which you live?
Goodman: I like the people in my community. Everyone is pretty friendly, and we all like to keep each other informed about what’sĀ going on in our small area and around us as well. The residents are pretty welcoming and give good advice.
Q: What do you like to do for fun when not working?
Goodman: For fun, I love to hang out with family and friends. In a lot of my free time, I spend it practicing my viola, playing video games, and watching reality TV.
Q: When you leave PLN, what is one thing you hope to have accomplished?
Goodman:Ā When I depart from PLN, I hope to have inheritedĀ the well-needed writing skills to prepare me for my future in journalism. Of course, I hope to leave my mark on the area since I will be moving somewhere different. I want others to enjoy the pieces I write and to stay informed.
PLN accepts interns who want to learn more about local journalism, media, and marketing. Apply here.
