Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced Friday that he has signed landmark gun safety bills into law.

“We lose too many Virginians to gun violence, and it is past time we took bold, meaningful action to make our communities safer,” said Northam. “I was proud to work with legislators and advocates on these measures, and I am proud to sign them into law. These commonsense laws will save lives.”

Northam has been a fierce advocate for gun safety regulations in the Commonwealth and after the May 2019 shooting in Virginia Beach, he called a special session of the General Assembly to address gun violence in Virginia.

The bills signed by Northam include provisions that require background checks on all firearm sales, establish an Extreme Risk Protective Order that allows law enforcement to temporarily separate a person from their firearms if they represent a danger to themselves or others, reinstate Virginia’s one-handgun-a-month policy, and require gun owners to report missing or stolen firearms within 48 hours or face a civil penalty.

Northam also proposed amendments to several other bills.

“This is a historic moment in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran. “These commonsense measures will undoubtedly save lives.”