Things could get really interesting in Virginia real soon
(TNS) Newly-empowered Democrats in Virginia got their assets handed to them in a hat recently after failing to advance a series of grossly restrictive (and probably grossly unconstitutional) gun control measures into law.
But they’re persistent, nonetheless, and are coming back for Round 2.
The seven bills are part of a package of eight total that Gov. Ralph “Blackface” Northam is pushing as “gun violence prevention legislation.” He announced them after a July 2019 special legislative session following a shooting at Virginia Beach that left 12 people dead in May.
Last week, lawmakers voted against one of the eight measures Northam advocated for—a bill that would have banned Virginians from selling so-called assault weapons and owning high-capacity magazines. At the time, four Democratic senators broke with their party and joined Republicans to reject the measure in a 10–5 vote.
The seven bills advanced by the senators on Monday include universal background checks (House Bill 2), a limit on handgun purchases to one per month (House Bill 812), a “red flag” law (House Bill 674), penalizing gun owners who don’t report lost or stolen guns within 24 hours (House Bill 9), and allowing localities to ban arms from government buildings (House Bill 421).
Last week, enough Democrats defected and joined Republicans in beating back legislation that would have banned Virginians from selling ‘assault weapons’ and turned many into instant criminals for owing ‘high-capacity’ magazines. Four Dem senators broke with their party to reject the measure in committee on a 10-5 vote.
“Other bills included one that would restrict gun ownership for those convicted of domestic abuse and another that would make it a class 1 misdemeanor to allow a child under 14 access to a loaded gun—the offense is currently a class 3 misdemeanor,” the Times reported.
Recall, however, that if these measures become law — Northam would sign them because he owes the Democratic Left for sparing him after the “KKK” med school photo incident — there are more than 100 jurisdictions around the state that have passed “gun sanctuary” measures, whereby local authorities have vowed they will not help the state enforce the new gun control laws.
It should be said, however, that just because those local jurisdictions have vowed not to assist state authorities in the enforcement of the new gun laws, that doesn’t those new laws won’t be enforced.
The same principle holds true in Virginia: State law supersedes local county declarations and ordinances, like gun sanctuaries. So unless county sheriffs are actually going to physically block state law enforcers from enforcing new gun control measures — which isn’t likely to happen — then anyone in violation of those laws remains at risk of being punished. Which many residents in the state will not like very much.
So, things could get really interesting in Virginia real soon.