The last time Democrats were in control of the General Assembly they failed to pass a bill to ban assault-style weapons. Now, the House and Senate have both approved a ban.
During a debate on the Senate floor, Republican Senator John McGuire of Goochland County repeatedly implied people have a God-given right to have an assault-style weapon – prompting this exchange with Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell.
"Can the senator cite to me where in the Bible it talks about AR-15s, assault rifles or for that matter guns," asked Surovell.
“The senator from Goochland has the floor.”
"It is our God-given right to protect ourselves enshrined in the Constitution," McGuire replied. "And I gotta tell you, we have mental health issues we talk about in the General Assembly. But really there's a problem with an evil heart."
Senator Suhas Subramanyam is a Democrat from Loudoun County who says he worries about these weapons intimidating people in public places like a farmer's market.
"We're talking a lot about rights here right now, and I just have to say that we have a right to feel safe in public places and we have a right to feel safe in our communities," Subramanyam said. "And people brandishing assault weapons does not make us feel safer. People having assault weapons on them does not make us safer in any sort of way."
The House and Senate have now both passed an assault weapons ban, which means the governor is likely to make the final determination. During his State of the Commonwealth address last month, he said Virginia already has the toughest gun laws in the nation and he'd rather see legislation increasing penalties for people who commit crimes with guns.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
