Gov. Ralph Northam told Virginians Saturday that the latest shooting tragedy ‚will not define‘ the community after a gunman opened fire at a Virginia Beach city building, leaving 12 dead.
The Democratic governor has long made gun control legislation a priority, supporting measures to tighten access to firearms in the state. Yet, he and Democrats have been unable to pass legislation in a Republican-controlled state legislature.
When he ran for governor in 2017, Northam called for universal background checks, touted his „F“ rating from the National Rifle Association, and, according to the Washington Post, also joined a protest against the NRA at its headquarters in Virginia.
Back in January, with Democratic gains in the General Assembly in the 2018 election, Northam introduced a slate of gun control bills ahead of the start of the year’s legislative session.
The bills included imposing universal background checks, a ban on assault firearms and an „extreme risk protective order“ temporarily restricting an individual’s access to firearms if a court finds they pose a „substantial danger to themselves or others,“ among other proposals.
