Progress on gun violence is possible.
Here are some practical steps we can take to save lives.
The General Assembly is now in full swing, and the days are flying by. We’re ten days into this six-week session, and the halfway mark will be here before we know it. I know it can be tough to follow this warp-speed work from afar, so I wanted to update you on one of the top priority projects I hear from neighbors every day: gun violence.Like too many places, our community is reeling from daily devastation.
Since last September, Charlottesville and Albemarle have seen at least 15 people injured and eight lives lost to gunfire, and, across the country, firearms are now the leading cause of death among children. There are so many faces to gun violence, from suicide and domestic abuse to child accidents and mass shootings, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions.
That’s why Virginia Democrats have taken a targeted approach to gun policy, passing laws rooted in sound evidence on saving lives, like background checks and substantial risk orders.
(I outlined that progress for you in this letter last summer.) But I’m sad to say that progress has stalled. Now that Republicans control the House again, our gun safety bills rarely see debate, let alone the votes they deserve. My House colleagues and I have introduced 17 bills on gun safety, and not a one has been sent to committee for a hearing.
We know these bills can’t pass without bipartisan support, so we’ve tried to pitch solutions with broad appeal: like safe storage of firearms near children and empowering campus police with the tools they need to investigate and intervene with students.
We’ll keep doing all we can to build support with the two weeks we have left, but I won’t sugarcoat it: I don’t expect these bills to pass.
House Republicans have shown time and again they’re unwilling to work with us on gun safety. (Remember back in 2019 when we held a special session on gun violence after the Virginia Beach massacre? They packed up and went home in just 90 minutes.)
That’s why we have to flip the House this fall and elect Senators who will join us in leading this work. When we can’t change their minds, we have to change their seats if that’s what it takes to save lives.
I’ll keep you posted every step of the way.
