Before the Richmond gun rights rally, a lot of internet tough guys/super-geniuses were predicting doom and gloom. The rally pretty much went off without a hitch so rather than admitting they were wrong, the doubled-down and mocked the dumb Fudds who showed up thinking anything was going to change. Admittedly it seemed like a lot of the legislation was moving forward anyway but then we received this news today:
Virginia lawmakers reject assault weapon ban
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s push to ban the sale of assault weapons failed on Monday after some of his fellow Democrats balked at the proposal.
Senators voted to shelve the bill for the year and ask the state crime commission to study the issue, an outcome that drew cheers from a committee room packed with gun advocates.
Four moderate Democrats joined Republicans in Monday’s committee vote, rejecting legislation that would have prohibited the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms, including popular AR-15 style rifles, and banned the possession of magazines that hold more than 12 rounds.
The bill was a top priority for Northam, who has campaigned heavily for a broad package of gun-control measures. The governor’s spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, said he’s disappointed with the result but determined to continue to press for the measure.
“We will be back next year,” she said.
So that is something. Does anyone really think that those four Democrats would have voted against the “assault weapon” ban if they hadn’t seen tens of thousands of voters protesting in Richmond? The people of the commonwealth of Virginia have pushed back and pushed back hard against these draconian measures, by declaring sanctuary cities and counties across the bulk of Virginia, showing up in force to legislative hearings and of course a massive demonstration in Richmond.
This is a small and temporary win but it still counts for something. It also should remind us that the only thing the would-be tyrants in our country fear are informed and armed citizens, which is precisely why they want to keep us ignorant and disarmed.
We will not comply.