Virginia Gun Rights Activists Receive State Senate Victory in Proposed Assault Weapons Ban

Va. Senate committee votes 10-5 to block the assault weapon bill and recommend it go to the crime commission for a study.

4 Dems vote with Republicans

Pro-gun people break into applause pic.twitter.com/C0Pb5Xs5Tf

— Graham Moomaw (@gmoomaw) February 17, 2020

In a bipartisan vote Monday, the Virginia State Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-5 to kill a bill that would have banned the sale of some assault weapons including AR-15s, as well as the possession of high-capacity magazines holding more than 12 rounds.

There haven’t been many wins for Republicans during this Democratically-controlled session but with the help of Senators Creigh Deeds from Bath, John Edwards from Roanoke, Scott Surovell of Fairfax, and Chap Petersen from Fairfax — all Democrats who voted with their Republican colleagues — the bill was stopped. Gun advocates rejoiced.

ABC News reported:

Virginia is the current epicenter of the country’s heated debate over guns, as a new Democratic majority seeks to enact strict new limits.

Democrats ran heavily on gun control during last year’s legislative elections when they flipped control of the General Assembly for the first time in more than two decades.

But gun owners, especially in rural communities, have pushed back hard.

Rural gun owners did indeed push back, first advocating 2A Sanctuary city and county locations in December 2019 after concerns were raised about proposed legislation to be presented during the 2020 General Assembly session. At present, over 100 localities have passed some form of sanctuary status.

Then there was Legislation Day in Richmond at the Capitol when gun owners marched for their rights.

As alarm spread about overreach of gun control, the so-called “Vexit” proposal was made by West Virginia legislators to annex pro-gun western Virginia localities into their state.

Currently those same locations have begun recruiting volunteers for local militias in their efforts to protect themselves against whatever bills are considered unconstitutional. The locations include Augusta County, Nelson County, Bedford County, Norton City, and Tazewell County, with others actively working on it.

Perhaps the best part of this legislation is that it was achieved through a bipartisan effort. We could use more of that in Richmond and Washington.

Background:

-Bearing Drift’s Kristina Nohe: Never Will I Ever

-Bearing Drift’s Matt Walton: Gun Rights Activists Go Wrong

-Bearing Drift’s Norm Leahy: Virginia Democrats Are Riding High, But the Laws of Political Gravity Will Always Apply

-ABC News: Virginia lawmakers reject assault weapon ban

-Washington Post: Assault weapons bill dies in Virginia, giving gun rights groups a rare victory

-Roanoke Times: Assault weapons ban halted in committee chaired by Roanoke’s Sen. John Edwards

-Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia Senate panel puts off assault weapons ban until next year