The new Virginia state General Assembly is ramming a host of new gun control bills through committees despite the massive showing from pro-gun rights activists on Monday.
As the bills are making their way to a full vote on the floor, a police officer association voiced its opposition to the bills. Sean McGowan, executive director of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association (SSPBA), issued a statement stating they know law-abiding armed citizens are not a threat.
"Members of the law enforcement community throughout the South stand united with our fellow officers in Virginia in opposition to Governor Ralph Northam's gun confiscation scheme. We know that a well-armed, well-trained, law-abiding citizen is our best friend. And these are exactly the people New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg and Governor Ralph Northam want to disarm," McGowan said.
The National Rifle Association also slammed the bills that were passed out of the Virginia House Public Safety committee, such as a red flag bill. House Bill 812 and House Bill 1502 were also passed out of the committee and would only let people in Virginia to only lawfully purchase one handgun within 30 days at a time.
"Today, the House Public Safety committee shamefully rubber-stamped the Bloomberg-Northam gun control scheme. By blocking legislator's questions and preventing constituents from speaking, today's hearing was a disgrace to the democratic process. Virginians deserve lawmakers who will hear testimony and conduct serious vetting of each bill — as the Senate Judiciary Committee did — before voting on measures that will strip away the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and leave them defenseless," said NRA spokesperson Catherine Mortensen.
