Virginia – The fight for gun rights in Virginia is only just beginning, but gun owners in the state made it very clear to Virginia legislators that they will not stand for their radical agenda.
On Monday, thousands of NRA members showed up at the Virginia legislature to send a message loud and clear—hands off our guns.
The NRA sent a call out to its members to go to the Virginia capitol to show legislators that any attempt to either restrict or confiscate their guns was not going to go smoothly.
In a press release sent to Breitbart News, the NRA said, “[January 13 is] NRA Lobby Day in Richmond. NRA Grassroots is inviting members and supporters to come to the Capitol to meet with their lawmakers to share the facts about the Northam Gun Confiscation scheme and make their opposition known.”
The Washington Free Beacon reported that NRA spokeswoman Catherine Mortensen said that one of the main goals was to have NRA members “appear at the first meeting of the Virginia Senate’s Courts of Justice,” which was on Monday.
The NRA posted videos on its Twitter page showing NRA members standing in the hallway outside of meetings in the Courts of Justice. Of course, the Twitter post attracted the usual assortment of anti-gun wackos, whom we will not dignify by posting their ignorant, sometimes childish comments.
.@NRA members getting ready to Stand and Fight in Virginia! #valeg pic.twitter.com/XGs7glbtER
— NRA (@NRA) January 13, 2020
As a result of the strong show of gun supporters, Virginia Democrats “appeared” to have withdrawn an AR-15 confiscation bill. They also moderated other gun control proposals.
However, despite that, the Virginia state director for the NRA-ILA, Daniel Spiker, made clear that the changes made, although positive, were not good enough.
“While there were some improvements to some of these bills, overall, it’s still bad legislation. Putting in more regulations and making it more onerous on the law-abiding citizens of Virginia is not something we stand for,” said Spiker.
Among those showing at the capitol to oppose new gun controls was Richard Cosner of Chester, VA, a preacher.
“The Constitution is specific; it ‘shall not be infringed.’ If somebody wants to restrict those rights then they need to follow it by altering the Constitution, not be putting in place legislation that is in conflict with the Constitution,” he said.
Still, the gun grabbing state legislators in Virginia did accomplish step one—requiring owners to register AR-15s with the State Police.
House Bill 961 will allow the state to implement registration. Of course, once you know who has the guns, it makes it that much easier to confiscate them. People who lived in Cuba or Venezuela can attest to that.
More than a dozen gun-control bills have been pre-filed in Virginia’s newly Democrat controlled legislature, including an assault weapons ban (of which AR-15s are designated), a red flag law, and a limit on the number of legal gun purchases that can be made per person in a single month. What part of “shall not be infringed” to these zealots not understand?
With the exception of Senate Bill 16, the confiscation bill, all other gun control bills passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. While this was a small victory for the NRA and its members, it was likely deemed expendable by the legislature…for now.
Northam, in the ultimate show of hubris said, “The pieces of legislation that we’re offering is to keep guns out of prohibitive hands. It’s very simple. They’re constitutional and they support the Second Amendment.”
Hey Ralph, newsflash. Criminals and bad guys don’t follow the law. That is why they’re called criminals.
Last Friday, Democrats imposed a ban on guns in the Capitol. The ban was approved by a joint House-Senate committee with the power to set policy for the Capitol and the nearby Pocahontas Building without review from the legislature.
That move angered Republicans, who were accustomed to carrying firearms on the floor of the House and Senate. That also was an impetus for the turnout at the Capitol on Monday.
In response, Lindsay Trittipoe, 61, of Richmond said, “It’s a wholesale assault on constitutional rights.”
Due to concerns about a potentially violent response to the restrictions (because you know NRA members have been involved in a lot of deadly shootings), a large number of State Police troopers were sent to the Capitol to supplement Capitol Police, and pages, who are typically teenagers were given the day off as well.
It appears HB961 is the new assault weapons ban with grandfathering and registration that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) will pursue instead of SB16. If passed, it would require a special permit to possess "assault firearms" Virginians already own. https://t.co/r7MgtjPECd pic.twitter.com/E5uWZThhs0
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) January 8, 2020
Metal detectors were set up at the front doors of the building and even people who work there were forced to go through screening via another entrance at the back of the building. Both lines stretched for blocks.
The event drew people who do not normally participate in public protest. Arnold Farber, a retired computer specialist from Hanover said that the anti-gun legislation proposed by the Democrats prompted him to come out for the first time ever. Recently, Farber’s home county declared itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary, which prompted him to get involved.
“We never had an attack [on gun rights] like this before,” Farber said.
Democrats still plan on taking up bills at some point to outlaw the sale of assault weapons, but not possession of them. For now.
House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert pulled no punches in speaking to a crowd gathered for a news conference by the NRA and the Republican delegation.
Gilbert said that Democrats “are about to fracture this commonwealth, turning it into two Virginias…The notion that you can legislate away evil and bad things in this world is folly.” Unless of course, you’re a Democrat.
Lori Haas, Virginia director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence actually said something that should serve as a cautionary tale.
“Elections have consequences and they’re reacting to the mandate of the voters.”
Remember that…elections have consequences. Over the next year and beyond, we will be literally fighting for the ability to retain the God-given rights guaranteed to us in the United States Constitution. There are those currently in power, and those seeking power who want to restrict or remove those rights. The only way to prevent that is to make sure that we elect people who will hold those rights sacred.
