“For too many years this body has put the convenience of gun owners above all else,” Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) said in a floor speech. Democrats won a majority in both chambers in November. Republican Les Adam warned the measures are “strongly resented.”
The Washington Post: Gun Control Measures Pass Virginia House
Democrats in the House of Delegates on Thursday passed seven of the eight gun-control measures advocated by Gov. Ralph Northam, a significant step for an issue that Republicans had blocked for decades. In debate ahead of the votes, lawmakers showed flashes of the emotion that has supercharged the gun-control issue in Virginia in recent weeks. (Schneider, 1/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Gun-Control Bills Move Forward In Virginia
The gun-control debate has been a fiery one since Mr. Northam’s party won majorities in both Virginia legislative chambers this month. About 22,000 people, many armed, attended a pro-gun rally outside the state capitol last week to protest new restrictions. In addition, many counties and communities in the state pre-emptively declared themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries” that won’t follow laws they say violate the federal or state constitutions. (Kamp, 1/30)
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