Virginia’s Assault Weapon Ban fails to make it out of committee, thanks to the pivotal votes cast by four Democratic centrists.
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Last Monday, the Assault Weapon Ban championed by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) died in committee. The bill was defeated with pushback from within the Democratic Party, as four Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats chose to buck their party.
The Assault Weapon Ban is only one of eight measures constituting the Governor’s gun-control agenda. But the legislation failing to make it out of committee demonstrates an intense reality check on the aims of gun-control activists in the state of Virginia.
When Virginia “flipped blue” in its recent election, there was a flurry of excitement on the political Left. Many legislative approaches deemed previously unrealistic suddenly came within the realm of reality. Keen on wielding this new Democratic majority, Governor Northam promised immediate and sweeping reforms on firearm laws.
The Democrat’s gun-control vision sent shockwaves through the state and across the country. Many of Virginia’s rural states began enacting laws and resolutions announcing themselves as “Second Amendment Sanctuaries.” One Sheriff even promised to deputize all gun owners in his county in an effort to thwart any attempts to seize their weapons or infringe on their ownership and carry rights.
Things came to a head in late January as upwards of 22,000 pro-gun activists took to the streets of Richmond, Virginia, in protest of the Democrats’ intended laws. Some of the activists dressed in colonial uniforms while many dressed in full combat gear with rifles slung over their shoulders. It was not only a protest but a show of force. Despite concerns of violence, the demonstrations concluded in relative peace.
The militia-like appearance of the protestors terrified many lawmakers and gun-reform activists across the country. It presented a picture that seemingly confirmed their worst fears about gun culture. But for others, it brought into focus some of the stark realities of weapon ownership in Virginia.
In a demonstration that Democratic centrists are willing to buck the aims of their party, there was a recognition that Assault Weapon Bans would have a questionable impact and would be virtually impossible to enforce. Most concernedly, bills such as this create new classes of criminal out of law-abiding gun owners instead of focusing on those with clear criminal intent to perpetrate crimes such as mass shootings and other homicides.
State Sen. Chap Petersen, one of the Democrats who shot down the bill, said he was “really bothered” by the retroactive nature of the bill. He was concerned that ownership of a weapon or part “legally purchased” before the bill was enacted would become grounds for becoming a “class VI felon or class I misdemeanant.”
Virginia will likely address the Assault Weapon Ban once again in 2021. But it remains to be seen if Democratic centrists in Virginia are willing to similarly buck their party with the remaining gun control measures being put forward by their party.
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