Great news out of Virginia this morning:
WJLA – Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s push to ban the sale of assault weapons has failed after members of his own party balked at the proposal.
Senators voted to shelve the bill for the year and ask the state crime commission to study the issue, an outcome that drew cheers from a committee room packed with gun advocates.
Four moderate Democrats joined Republicans in Monday’s committee vote, rejecting legislation that would have prohibited the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms, including popular AR-15 style rifles, and banned the possession of magazines that hold more than 12 rounds.
The bill was a top priority for Northam, a Democrat who has campaigned heavily for a broad package of gun-control measures.
I’m honestly shocked this didn’t pass. After Democrats won the majority in Virginia and re-elected their favorite KKK mask wearing governor, I just assumed it was a done deal.
It goes to show that marching and protesting really does work, apparently, at least in the short-term.
I say ‘short-term’ because the Virginia Senate only pushed the bill off for another year, giving the state more time to ‘study’ the issue. I’m sure we all know how that’s going to turn out. But this is still a huge victory for Virginians, showing that there might still be hope yet for the state.