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.
