The 2016 elections were great for Second Amendment rights, even the Bloomberg-backed Trace publication noted that the NRA won all but one of their races they poured money into throughout the cycle. The areas where the gun control movement scored some ballot initiative victories were mostly in states that were already anti-gun to begin with. It’s not shocking if California, Washington, or even New York passes more measures to make it more difficult for Americans to exercise their constitutional rights.
In Virginia, a battle erupted in the NRA’s own backyard when Attorney General Mark Herring tried to unilaterally gut the states’ concealed carry reciprocity agreements with two dozen states before the Christmas holiday in 2014. Towards the end of January, Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe reversed course, saying he would restore those agreement set to expire in February. On February 26, the governor signed the deal struck between his office and the Republican legislature into law that restored the reciprocity agreements, granting State Police the authority to run background checks at gun shows (they’ll also be at all gun shows), and requiring those with protective orders issued to them to turn over their firearms within 24 hours or face felony charges. The latter makes federal law state law. So, we can declare victory, right? Nope.
Always be on guard because one Virginia Democratic State Senator wants to lay down the foundations for a gun registry. She wants a study on the possible impact it could have on the state, but we all know what the end game is with these types of maneuvers regarding gun rights (via WMAL):
Sen. Barbara Favola says she doesn’t want to take away your guns. She just wants to know what you’re packing.The Arlington Democrat is proposing to have the state study whether the registration of firearms in Virginia is feasible, because she believes arming police with a database of gun records would provide them with an additional tool to fight crime. But she knows even a study will draw opposition in Richmond
[…]
“My guess is that there will not be a single Republican who will vote for this bill,” says Sen Richard Black (R-Loudoun). “The whole purpose of [the study] is to pave the way for the confiscation of firearms from law abiding citizens,” he adds.
[…]
Black says he doesn’t see the point of a registry, because only law-abiding gun owners would comply.
“Killers do not line up to register their firearms,” Black points out.
Favola said she would become more aggressive on this front should this study show some public safety benefits.
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