Following Governor Ralph Northam’s (D) temporary ban against gun possession on Virginia Capitol grounds, the state’s Democrat lawmakers are ready to take up a permanent ban on guns in Capitol Square.
On January 15, 2020, Northam claimed there were reports of “violent rhetoric” associated with the then-upcoming Second Amendment rally. He used his state of emergency declaration to announce a temporary ban against possessing a gun on Capitol grounds.
The implication of his ban was that Second Amendment rally attendees could not be armed unless they stayed outside the area which the actual rally was being held.
A vendor sells t-shirts on the street outside a gun rights rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League on Capitol Square near the state capitol building January 20, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. During elections last year, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam promised to enact sweeping gun control laws in 2020, including limiting handgun purchase to one per month, banning military-style weapons and silencers, allowing localities to ban guns in public spaces and enacting a ‘red flag’ law so authorities can temporarily seize weapons from someone deemed a threat. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
As early as today the state’s Democrat lawmakers could take up Senate Bill 13, which puts in a place a permanent ban against guns on the Capitol Square. The ban actually extends beyond Capitol Square, so as to include “the state-owned buildings that border its boundary streets.”
SB 13 would ban possession of “a bowie knife, switchblade knife, ballistic knife, machete, razor, slingshot, spring stick, fighting chain, throwing star, and oriental dart,” on Capitol Square as well.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.