By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
As had been predicted virtually since last November saw the Virginia legislature and governor’s office captured by Democrats, the General Assembly in Richmond this week saw a bill to ban so-called “assault weapons” introduced, but this time with what WVIR News is calling a “much higher chance of becoming law” under Democrat Gov. Abagail Spanberger.
Press reports carry what the firearms community contends is a biased message with headlines describing anti-gunners as “gun reform advocates” and their plans as a “gun safety agenda.”
WUSA quoted Spanberger’s remarks during her speech before the General Assembly when she criticized former Gov. Glenn Youngkin for having vetoed “dozens of gun safety bills.”
In its coverage, WVIR acknowledged, “Gun reform bills now face a much higher chance of becoming Virginia law once Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former volunteer for gun reform group Moms Demand Action, becomes governor, advocates say.”
Back in November following the election, which saw Spanberger defeat Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the pro-gun-control Trace described Spanberger’s victory as “another chance to pass comprehensive gun reform, something the majority-Democrat General Assembly had tried to do for the past two years, but was stymied by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.”
Essentially, much of the coverage now in the early days of the session in Richmond, there is the scent of “payback” in the air and Democrats will be wasting no time in pushing gun control.
The Virginia Mercury summed it up in a reference to a gun owner rally earlier this week which saw “noticeably higher” attendance this year, “reflecting concerns among gun owners as Democrats once again control both chambers of the General Assembly and the governor’s office — a political alignment many supporters said felt familiar.”
“In early 2020,” the Mercury reported, “when Democrats gained unified control of state government for the first time in more than two decades, lawmakers enacted sweeping changes to Virginia’s gun laws, including universal background checks, a one-handgun-a-month purchasing limit and a red-flag law allowing courts to temporarily remove firearms from people deemed a danger.”
Spanberger has so far not stated specifically her intention, but there is a concern she will sign any restrictive gun legislation which hits her desk. According to the National Rifle Association, which is headquartered in Fairfax, that could include House Bill 217m the “assault weapons” ban, House Bill 207, which would put a $500 tax on suppressors, and Senate Bill 27, “which would impose subjective “standards of responsible conduct” on firearm industry members, opening the door to civil-liability lawsuits against gun manufacturers, distributors and retailers for vague or undefined reasons.”
As the NRA’s magazine, America’s First Freedom, observed, “With Democrats in control of both legislative chambers and the governor’s office in Virginia, proposals to restrict gun ownership, to blame the firearms industry for crimes committed by third parties, and to take away Second Amendment-protected freedom are moving forward.”
