The mass shooting in Las Vegas has Virginia lawmakers and political candidates talking guns and potential restrictions.
Governor Terry McAuliffe says he’ll propose legislation to ban military-style assault rifles, high capacity magazines and bump stocks. Those are the devices used to make semi-automatic guns fire much faster.
"Let us lead so we do not have another situation like we had in Las Vegas," McAuliffe told reporters in Charlottesville Friday. "We’ve already had one horrific tragedy here in the Commonwealth of Virginia at Virginia Tech. Now you have Las Vegas. "
Click here to read Terry McAuliffe's full statement
McAuliffe will leave office as the next General Assembly session begins, though. Ed Gillespie, the Republican hoping to replace McAuliffe, indicated his willingness to support a ban on bump stocks. "It seems pretty evident to me that we rightly outlaw automatic weapons in this country and that bump stocks effectively serve to get around that law and that ban," Gillespie said in a phone conference call. "If there's a device that allows you to circumvent the law, I think it's perfectly legitimate to regulate and ban that device."
Gillespie said he’ll look at other potential restrictions. He also argued, though, that data shows a correlation of more gun ownership and less violent crime.
In a statement, the Democratic candidate for Governor Ralph Northam said he also would propose legislation to ban assault-style rifles, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines.