U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- “Virginia Democrats Delivered on Gun Violence Prevention,” an ARL Now promo piece by Del. Patrick Hope, Democrat, naturally, claims. “Virginia Democrats made gun violence prevention a central campaign theme in the 2019 election. Legislators finally listened to the voices of voters and we delivered.”
The bills will not, of course, prevent any “gun violence.” What they will do is infringe on the supposedly unalienable rights of Virginians who are not part of the problem. It will also move everything several steps closer to the real goal of “law-abiding” citizen disarmament.
Cases in point, let’s examine what Hope, who enjoyed an essentially unopposed election “victory” in his overwhelmingly Democrat district, is crowing about.
- Background checks: Yeah, those will stop “out of control” MS-13 gangsters. Besides, no less an authority than the National Institute of Justice, in its “Summary of Select Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies” admits “Effectiveness depends on the ability to reduce straw purchasing, requiring gun registration…” (That’ll be on the way soon enough.)
- One handgun a month law: Again, anyone who thinks that will slow criminals down one bit had best check the “Yes” box for Form 4473 section 11.e.
- Requiring lost/stolen firearm reporting: Guess who cannot be required to do that, because being forced to admit to authorities that they had a gun would violate their Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination.
- Extreme Risk Protection Orders: You know, punishment without due process. Or as the Queen of Hearts declared in Lewis Carroll’s purposefully absurdist classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “Sentence first — verdict afterwards.”
- Protective orders: As if someone who is a genuine threat will be deterred by a piece of paper…
- Child access criminalization: God forbid that a minor family member (defined as under age 18, and keep in mind Democrats want to lower the voting age to 16) — one you have trained and know can be trusted — has access to guns like many of us did growing up. No, best give the advantage to pitchfork murderers.
- Eviscerating preemption to allow Democrats to set up a patchwork quilt of conflicting edicts that no one can be sure they’re in compliance with, and thus using the threat of prosecution to discourage the “law-abiding” (and only them) from being in possession of a gun.
Additional infringements this overbearing statist is trumpeting include requiring citizens to “demonstrate competence,” creating a “Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund,” banning “bump stocks,” prohibiting arming “untrained personnel” at schools, and requiring “family day homes” to lock up guns during hours of operation. In other words, set up discriminatory barriers akin to unconstitutional literacy tests used to disenfranchise minority voters, redistribute tax plunder, enact a redundant edict, ensure “gun-free zones” stay that way and expand that into private homes so that they, too, are defenseless by mandate.
Still to come— a ban on semiautos and standard capacity magazines. Cue The Terminator, threatening “I’ll be back.”
“The last election gave us a bad hand to play this year and next. We need to fix that,” Virginia Citizens Defense League observed in an email alert. “Elections are in 2021 and the entire House is up for grabs. This ship can be turned around if gun owners all do their part, beginning with voting in every election, voting for freedom, and actively supporting pro-liberty candidates.”
Perhaps. And the proliferation of Second Amendment Sanctuaries accentuates the divide and the renewed motivation. But unmentioned is how Virginia got to the point where the majority has managed to turn the state Democrat and anti-gun. Even The New York Times recognizes what too many in “gun rights leadership” fail to even acknowledge, which those who want your guns are exploiting to full advantage:
“How Voters Turned Virginia From Deep Red to Solid Blue…Unlike three decades ago, the residents are often from other places, like India and Korea. And when they vote, it is often for Democrats.”
No matter what others tell you, and always without addressing my challenge, the issues of guns and immigration are inextricably intertwined. “A” grades and endorsements for candidates who vote “right” on guns, but then undo those votes when immigration policies they support come to fruition mean ultimately if that does not change there will be no voting our way out of this.
At least at the polls…
And as an aside for those who call for outreach, that’s a good idea and long overdue. It cannot be overstated that the right to keep and bear arms is a human right, not just an American one, and the big national and state groups should have been doing that all this time. But we also have to face the reality that resource-limited efforts they put forth are unlikely to result in any significant and timely attitude changes when pitted against generational cultural predispositions, 2A-hostile educational, political and media interests, and stepped-up marginalization/ostracism of “pro-gun” influencers by social media and search engine giants.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.