Politics

Dem’s Dream Of Stricter Gun Control In Virginia Killed By Republicans

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Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s promised push for stricter gun control laws ended abruptly Monday, when Republican legislators killed his gun control bills in a state Senate committee.

McAuliffe wanted the Republican-controlled legislature to act on eight gun control measures, including requiring background checks at gun shows, revoking concealed carry permits for parents behind on child-support payments, and renewing a law that limits handgun purchases to one per month.

None of the bills made it out of committee Monday, reported The Washington Post. A separate bill introduced by a Democratic senator that would ban children under four from using a gun also failed.

“I am disappointed to see these commonsense measures to keep Virginians safe fall to special interest politics,” McAuliffe said after the bills failed. “Too many families in Virginia and across the nation have lost loved ones to gun crimes that these proposals could help prevent.”

Republicans dismissed the plan as political posturing, and the Senate committee instead passed through a bill that would allow people to get a lifetime concealed carry permit, and a bill that would allow concealed carry on school properties in some cases.

“It was an awesome day,” Philip Van Cleave, pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League president told The Virginian-Pilot.

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