{"id":215465,"date":"2021-03-12T12:59:43","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T17:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=215465"},"modified":"2021-03-12T12:59:44","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T17:59:44","slug":"virginia-dems-balk-at-passing-major-gun-control-reforms-ahead-of-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-dems-balk-at-passing-major-gun-control-reforms-ahead-of-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Dems Balk at Passing Major Gun-Control Reforms Ahead of Election\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-dems-balk-at-passing-major-gun-control-reforms-ahead-of-election%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=215465&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-514.jpeg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Virginia Democrats&nbsp;abandoned their pledge to pass major gun confiscation laws as they enter a contentious 2021 campaign season.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The party, which enjoys total control over the state government, did not pass any major new restrictions on guns in 2021. Democrats failed to act on the most ambitious aspects of their gun-control agenda\u2014including proposed bans on the kinds of guns or ammunition magazines Virginians can own\u2014before the end of the session on March 1. Despite repeated promises from party leaders dating back to the 2019 campaign, Democrats passed only minor new restrictions, including new laws to regulate where Virginians can carry guns; residents will be prohibited from bringing firearms near polling places and in school administration buildings under the new regulations.&nbsp;Democrats did not even introduce the&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/va-governors-gun-confiscation-proposal-could-affect-millions-of-residents\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">hallmark gun legislation<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;to ban possession of AR-15s and magazines holding more than 10 rounds\u2014proposals that&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/virginia-house-dems-pass-assault-weapons-ban-magazine-confiscation\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">passed the state house<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;in 2020 but&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/thousands-peacefully-protest-for-gun-rights-in-richmond\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">sparked protests<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;across the state before failing in the state senate.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"posts-content__category-widget md:hidden -ml-4 -mr-4 my-8 px-4 py-6 bg-gray-100\">\n<h4 class=\"mt-0 text-red-600 font-medium font-sans uppercase\">Recent Stories in Guns<\/h4>\n<ul class=\"list-none p-0\">\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/guns\/virginia-dems-balk-at-passing-major-gun-control-reforms-ahead-of-election\/\"><strong>Virginia Dems Balk at Passing Major Gun-Control Reforms Ahead of Election&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/guns\/house-dems-pass-two-gun-control-bills\/\"><strong>House Dems Pass Gun-Control Bills That Would Dramatically Increase Wait Times<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/guns\/democrats-gun-bill-would-force-ags-office-to-team-up-with-gun-control-ally\/\"><strong>Democrats&#8217; Gun Bill Would Force AG&#8217;s Office To Team Up With Gun-Control Ally<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Delegate Mark Levine (D.), who introduced the confiscation bill in the 2020 session, said the bill would &#8220;save lives&#8221; and make &#8220;mass murder&#8221; harder to carry out during debate in 2020. In December, he said he would not reintroduce the bill and&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wric.com\/news\/politics\/virginia-democrats-are-backing-off-a-ban-on-the-new-sale-of-assault-weapons-at-least-for-now\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">told a Richmond ABC affiliate<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;Democrats would focus on &#8220;things that are less controversial.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Governor Ralph Northam (D.), whose initial confiscation proposal was even broader than the bill that passed the state house in 2020, also shied away from the issue in an interview with the station. After admitting&nbsp;the gun ban was a &#8220;campaign promise that a lot of us ran on,&#8221; Northam said he would let the legislature decide whether to pursue the legislation again. When asked if he would push them to do so, he said, &#8220;No, not this year.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Northam and Levine did not respond to requests for further comment about the decision not to pursue the ban in 2021.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Democrats&#8217; reluctance to press the issue and potentially further anger gun voters demonstrates a new political calculation from liberals at the national and state level. Even when Democrats have full control of the lawmaking process, passing strict new gun laws may prove too politically costly for their members, according to experts who spoke with the&nbsp;<\/span><em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Washington Free Beacon<\/span><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">They said the retreat on assault weapons confiscation is likely driven by concerns it could do more harm than good for Democratic members in swing districts, rather than a change of heart on the policy. Robert Leider, a George Mason University professor who studies gun politics, said there are more single-issue voters who favor gun rights than there are gun-control proponents. He said that principle extends beyond Virginia&#8217;s borders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;Democrats in moderate and conservative districts recognize this and avoid drastic gun-control measures that will rally gun advocates against them,&#8221; Leider said. &#8220;Gun-control advocates have a particularly difficult time taking away people\u2019s vested interests, such as confiscating guns already in circulation or canceling concealed carry permits.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>J. Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato&#8217;s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia, said&nbsp;Democrats are hoping the 2020 gun reform package\u2014which included a universal background check bill and limitations on gun carry\u2014will be enough to appease gun-control advocates leading into the election. He said Democrats may be trying to focus on other top issues including economic recovery and critiques of their school reopening plans.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;I can definitely see how the Democrats would be less likely to act on this type of legislation, given the election-year dynamic,&#8221; Coleman said. &#8220;Gun control is an issue that seems to galvanize conservative voters more than liberal voters\u2014in Virginia and other, more swingy states\u2014so I can see it taking something of a backseat to other issues in the Democrats&#8217; midterm messaging.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Coleman pointed to the highly publicized role white supremacists played in the Capitol riot and its effect on minority gun ownership as one of the new problems facing efforts to restrict guns.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;There&#8217;s probably just less of an appetite for more restrictive gun rules among minority votes,&#8221; Coleman said. &#8220;Democrats, who will need to turn out those voters, wouldn&#8217;t want to make gun control a huge issue.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, which helped organize protests against the confiscation bill, said the reversal came because Democrats were fearful of political backlash. As Democrats moved to pass the assault weapons confiscation bill in 2019, nine out of every 10 Virginia counties&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/virginia-second-amendment-sanctuary-movement-just-getting-started\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">declared themselves &#8220;Second Amendment Sanctuaries&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;and refused to help enforce any gun law they viewed as unconstitutional\u2014with supporters turning out in droves&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/overflow-crowd-turns-out-in-blue-county-to-support-second-amendment\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">even in blue parts of the state<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;I think they found out last year when they tried it really blew up in their face big time,&#8221; Van Cleave told the<\/span><em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;Free Beacon<\/span><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. &#8220;Then they had to tap dance to get out of it when they saw the Second Amendment sanctuary movement explode. They saw that and then they saw massive turnout on lobby day, 50,000 people. I think that was when their little balloon popped.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Experts, gun-rights activists, and the Democrats themselves agreed the decision to pull back on the confiscation effort in 2021 does not signal the effort&#8217;s end.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;That doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ve given up fighting for this cause,&#8221; Levine told the ABC affiliate. &#8220;The goal is to stop making it really easy to commit mass murder.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Delegate Kirk Cox, a Republican and former speaker of the state house who is running for governor, described the move as a &#8220;pause&#8221; and said&nbsp;&#8220;one-party Democratic control in Richmond&#8221; would eventually lead to stricter gun laws.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;Virginia Democrats only took a pause from instituting a ban on semi-automatic sporting rifles during this session because they want to hold on to the Governor&#8217;s Mansion, and know that Republicans like Kirk Cox pose a real threat to their unilateral power,&#8221; Elizabeth Gregory, Cox&#8217;s communications director, told the&nbsp;<\/span><em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Free Beacon<\/span><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Van Cleave said Democrats are trying to walk a fine line between paying back the&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/11\/06\/mike-bloombergs-gun-control-outspends-nra-helps-democrats-win-virginia.html\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">tens of millions of dollars invested into their campaigns<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;by gun-control activists like Michael Bloomberg while avoiding motivating enough gun voters to flip control of at least part of the legislature to Republicans.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;They know that if gun owners stay awake and angry and get to the polls, they&#8217;re going to lose seats,&#8221; Van Cleave said. &#8220;They&#8217;re tap dancing, having to pay back Bloomberg for his investment in all of their races. And yet, if gun owners turn out, Bloomberg money isn&#8217;t going to help.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"my-8 hide-print\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1526555381173-4\" class=\"mobile-250 desktop-90\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia Democrats\u00a0abandoned their pledge to pass major gun confiscation laws as they enter a contentious 2021 campaign season.\u00a0 The party, which enjoys total control over the state &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2310488,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-514.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Virginia Dems Balk at Passing Major Gun-Control Reforms Ahead of Election\u00a0","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-514.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Virginia Dems Balk at Passing Major Gun-Control Reforms Ahead of Election\u00a0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215465\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2310488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}