New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to enter the Virginia governor’s fray by making an outrageous claim against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell: that somehow current Virginia gun laws lead to the massacre at Virginia Tech.
Bloomberg has backed an ad that says Virginia gun laws are currently not strict enough…and that somehow was part of the tragedy.
Actually, that’s a huge fallacy.
What happened two years ago is that the killer legally purchased his two firearms (at Virginia gun shops, and passed official background checks). He was able to do so because of poor mental health reporting being conducted in Virginia’s background check system at the time. This loophole was closed in a bipartisan effort by Governor Tim Kaine and then Attorney General Bob McDonnell. According to “The Richmond Times-Dispatch” in May of 2007:
“Gov. Tim Kaine made precisely the right call yesterday when he issued an executive order closing a loophole in state gun laws. Attorney General Bob McDonnell provided legal advice for the governor. A Democrat and Republican cooperated to put Virginia first.”
With that loophole now closed, Virginia gun laws are tougher and Virginians are safer.
What Bloomberg is doing is trying to cloud the issue to score political points at the hands of a tragedy. Shameful.
