Lines were long at the state capitol Monday as supporters of gun rights passed through security on their way to lobby lawmakers against additional restrictions. They wore stickers that read: Guns Save Lives. Later, supporters of gun control would arrive to press for new laws restricting purchase and possession of weapons.
Hundreds of people came to voice support or opposition to gun control laws. Activist and blogger David Codrea told about 200 people – some openly carrying long-guns – that Governor Terry McAuliffe should not be trusted.
“I once had a boss who taught me the correct way to pronounce that is McAwful. Who said, in his state of the Commonwealth address – this is what the guy says: ‘As a gun owner myself, I fully believe that law abiding citizens have a right and responsible to carry fire arms, but …’ Stop right there. There are sure are a lot of politicians with big butts waddling around, aren’t there?”
Codrea supposed there were a million gun owners in Virginia. He called on them to get involved in politics – to support a simple agenda:
“No new gun laws. Repeal existing intolerable acts. Deny success to mass murderers by abolishing phony gun-free zones now. Work with us or we will retire you, and I will not disarm. Thank you.”
A somewhat larger crowd was set to gather three hours later in support of gun control, but police surrounded the area with yellow crime scene tape and shut down roads when one officer spotted a suspicious package. The bomb squad arrived and determined the package was not a danger, while Attorney General Mark Herring addressed about 300 people nearby.
“Last year, there were 4,228 crimes committed with firearms, 209 of them murders, and that is unacceptable. Every Virginian has the right to grow up and achieve their full potential, free from the fear of gun violence.”
Herring called on lawmakers to close the gun show loophole that allows people to buy weapons without a background check. He also praised bills that would re-instate a one-handgun-per-month limit on purchases and bar people convicted of domestic violence from buying guns.
Then, Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran made his political pitch, saying elections matter.
“We have an attorney general on the steps here speaking about the values that are near and dear to our hearts. We have a lieutenant governor in support of these issues, and we have a governor who is in support of these issues and is giving voice to these issues.”
He did not mention that both houses of the General Assembly are now controlled by Republicans who are unlikely to pass any new restrictions on guns in Virginia. Republican bills would allow issuance of a lifetime concealed weapons permit – something that must now be renewed every five years and permit firearms on college campuses and in airports.
