Virginia Set for Showdown
at Gun Rights Rally

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is determined to enact strict new gun control laws, and pro-Second Amendment Virginians are more than a little fired up. Does the governor's budget allow for the forced confiscation of common semi-automatic firearms legally owned by Virginians since the commonwealth's inception in 1776? Just the thought of it has those who value their right to own guns ready to go on the offensive.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) is organizing a lobbying effort for Monday, Jan. 20. As the issue of gun rights has become a political hot potato in the commonwealth, expectations are that a sizable, vocal group will converge on the capital city of Richmond. Liberty Nation legal affairs editor and member of the VCDL, Scott Cosenza, has been covering this potential firestorm from the moment Northam declared his intentions to go after the guns of law-abiding Virginians. Cosenza's extensive, original reporting on the subject has kept Liberty Nation readers ahead of the curve on the situation. He observes:

"It's the gun control bills that have produced the biggest response - an avalanche of opposition by Virginia gun owners. Senate Bill 16, which was filed 11 days after the election, bans many common firearms, including the AR-15, and does not grandfather them in. A more aggressive mission to destroy the guns - and the right to own them - of Virginians could hardly be devised. If the legislation were to pass, gun owners in Virginia would have to sell or surrender their firearms or become felons. Hence the backlash."

As a result, 90% of Virginia's counties and many of its independent cities have declared themselves "Second Amendment sanctuaries." Following such a vehement rebuke, Northam recently backed away from promising outright confiscation of currently owned semi-auto weapons. .....