Preventing gun violence is near the top of the agenda for many voters. And it's already becoming a hot topic in the campaign for governor.
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords understands the problem of gun violence in America. Back in 2011, she was shot in the head outside a grocery store in her congressional district in Arizona. Even today she's still struggling with recovery.
"I put one foot in front of the other. I found one word, and then I found another. My recovery is a daily fight. But fighting makes me stronger," Giffords told supporters. "Words once came easily. Today I struggle to speak, but I've not lost my voice."
Now she's voicing her support for Terry McAuliffe in the race for governor of Virginia, appearing Wednesday at a roundtable with advocates for preventing gun violence.
McAuliffe said if elected, he would create a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Snapping his fingers, he rattled off his list of agenda items. "Right off January, we're going to start passing all this stuff: Ban the sale of assault weapons, get rid of the high-capacity magazines, ban the ghost guns. We'll have it out in January," McAuliffe predicted.
So what would Republican Glenn Youngkin do if elected governor? Would he ban assault weapons or limit high capacity magazines or outlaw ghost guns? A spokesman for his campaign didn’t answer those questions, but said McAuliffe's moves as governor to restore the rights of formerly incarcerated people made it easier for felons to get guns. The spokesman added that if Youngkin is elected, he would “make it harder for criminals to get guns — not easier.”
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
