Richmond Times-Dispatch: VanValkenburg and Jones: Virginians Support Common Sense Gun Reform – Our Leaders Should Too

Consider the horror of a few simple statistics: between 2016 and 2022, an average of 3 Virginians died by firearm each day. In 2022 alone, Virginians spent 7,000 days hospitalized for nonfatal firearm injuries, with over $136 million in hospitalization costs. This data, provided by the Virginia Department of Health, are alarming, disappointing, and somehow unsurprising all at once.

Why unsurprising? Because we know that gun violence remains a scourge on Virginia communities, from Norfolk to Henrico to Lee County and everywhere in between. Recognizing that fact, in 2020, the General Assembly, led by Democrats in both houses, passed several long-stifled measures aimed at curbing gun violence throughout the Commonwealth. Governor Northam signed a red flag law, limited the number of handguns purchasable per month, and policies to ensure lost and stolen firearms were swiftly reported to law enforcement. Since the election of a divided government three years ago, though, progress on such far-sighted measures has stalled.

Nonetheless, common ground can be found to keep Virginians safe. This year Senator VanValkenburg carried and passed Lucia’s Law, a bill that holds irresponsible gun owners accountable when they let guns fall into the hands of minors who are known to be a risk to themselves or others. This common sensemeasure received bipartisan support in the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor.

Despite that one victory, and the ongoing pain gun violence inflicts on Virginians, Republicans in the House of Delegates attempted to repeal every single commonsense gun safety law in 2022 and 2023. They persisted in these efforts to roll back the progress made in 2020 despite wide support for firearm safety measures in Virginia. For example, 73% of Virginians support enhanced background checks and a requirement to securely store firearms. That’s a bipartisan group, too – 62% of Republicans agree on enhanced background checks and 56% of Republicans with safe storage requirements. When the legislature was able to pass bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation reflecting this public consensus, Governor Youngkin sided with extremists and vetoed the overwhelming majority of the bills.

But it’s not just about legislation. Lucia’s Law and other gun safety measures need vigorous implementation by law enforcement to be successful. Indeed, these laws all contain provisions giving law enforcement agencies an important role to play in figuring out how to effectively enforce the new policies. Collaboration between legislators and law enforcement experts is critical in our effort to build a safer Virginia rooted in common sense principles of safety, which is preferred by a majority of Virginians.

There is a third pillar to support effective gun safety efforts: the need for executive officials to act on their own. When the Governor stifles gun violence prevention and the agencies lack policies to implement, it becomes the responsibility of other executive officials to act.

As an example, legislation regulating “ghost guns,” firearms that are easily assembled and lack serial numbers, was vetoed last month. Ghost guns can be purchased without a background check, making it easier for these weapons to fall into the hands of bad actors. Former Delegate Jones was part of the team that successfully sued Polymer80, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of ghost guns, to ban the company from selling and marketing its products to consumers in violation of District of Columbia law. This is a clear example of how, even when legislatures fail and law enforcement has no clear policy to enforce, executive and judicial action can still help protect people from gun crime. This, too, is popular – 70% of Virginians and even 69% of Republicans support limits on the spread of ghost guns.

Virginia needs all three pillars to achieve gun safety: legislation, law enforcement expertise, and executive and judicial action. This will let us achieve the goals a bipartisan majority of Virginians support, including enhanced background checks and a ban on ghost guns. The costs of gun violence couldn’t be clearer. Virginians desperately want action to make Virginia safer. We need leadership to help make our communities safer and enact laws to encourage responsible gun ownership. Virginians overwhelmingly support these policies and expect their leaders to, as well.