Virginia Gun Control: Lawmakers Reject Assault Weapons Ban
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam‘s gun control proposal, banning the sale of assault weapons, is no longer after his fellow Democrats rejected his top priority legislation.
It seems as though the Senate Judiciary Committee have paused the idea for 2020, instead, they encouraged the state crime commission to further look into the proposal banning some semiautomatic firearm and accessories sales and possession of magazines with more than 12 rounds.
RELATED: New York Gun Control: ‘Red Flag Law’ Now In Effect, Other States To Follow
Governor spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky stated, “While the Governor is disappointed in today’s vote, he fully expects the Crime Commission to give this measure the detailed review that Senators called for. We will be back next year.”
Supporters of the bill, like the Kris Brown, president of gun-control group the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, says, “This was not the outcome we wanted, but (the Senate Judiciary Committee) can rest assured that they will hear from us, from advocates and from everyday Virginians in the intervening months about why we need to ban assault weapons in Virginia.”
RELATED: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney Calls For Better Gun Control After 6 Police Officers Shot
While VA Democrats argued that the ban and other measures would make its citizens safer, Republicans pushed back even stronger, claiming the proposal was an affront to the Second Amendment.
Thousands of gun supporters are said to have rallied in Richmond for weeks, wielding assault style weapons; which caused Northam to declare a sate of emergency and ban weapons at the state capitol’s grounds.
However, the protests continued peacefully and without incidents.