The Virginia House of Delegates approved a series of gun control laws Thursday, just over a week after Second Amendment activists staged massive protests at the state capital of Richmond.
The legislation included universal background checks, red flag laws and a law limiting citizens of the Commonwealth to one firearm purchase a month, according to ABC News. Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has made gun control a top priority since Democrats took control of the state legislature last November. (RELATED: The Virginia Legislature Is Pondering Confiscation-These Sanctuary Counties Are Ready To Fight Back)
“Make no mistake—these measures will save lives,” Northam tweeted after the measures were passed.
The Virginia House of Delegates just passed 7 of our commonsense gun safety bills, including universal background checks and a ‘red flag’ law.
Make no mistake—these measures will save lives.
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) January 30, 2020
The measures were passed despite widespread opposition to gun control in the state. 91 of 95 counties in the Commonwealth have designated themselves sanctuary counties for the 2nd Amendment, and some sheriffs in the state have pledged to not enforce laws they believe violate their citizen’s constitutional rights. Democratic Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring declared last month that the decrees issued by these counties have “no force of law,” because localities do not have the right to declare state laws unconstitutional.
The law’s passage will likely spark more protests like the one we saw last Monday in Richmond, where 22,000 people protested proposed gun control laws.