West Virginia Senate President Kills Machine Gun Bill

Summary

West Virginia Senate Bill 1071, known as the "Machine Gun Bill" which aimed to expand access to fully automatic machine guns for state defense, was blocked by Senate President Randy Smith (R-Preston). Smith cited significant legal and drafting issues, leading to the bill's demise before the March 4 crossover day deadline, despite passing the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 2. Gun rights groups like GOA expressed frustration, while the NRA stated it was not involved in killing the bill and looks to improve it for next year.