Virginia passes bill banning firearms at State Capitol

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly passed a bill Monday banning individuals from bringing firearms on the grounds of the state Capitol and buildings owned by the Commonwealth.

The bill would make it a class one misdemeanor. There are exemptions for law enforcement and security. Valley gun store owner Dubby Carr thinks the law is another way to take away the rights of gun owners and allows a space for criminals to not have anybody go up against them.

“They were talking about it even before January the sixth, cause that’s what everybody’s trying to blame it on, but if you look they tried to do it last year and they tried to do it in years past, so it’s just another attempt to take away law-abiding citizens’ ability to protect themselves,” he said.

“It’s just another gun-free zone to allow criminals that generally are the ones doing the shooting to come in and not have anybody, you know, go up against them when they do attack,” Carr continued. “So, most attacks happen in gun-free zones anyway.”

After the bill was passed, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence released a statement, saying in part “such purposeful acts of intimidation cannot be allowed to affect our legislative processes.” They urge Governor Northam to sign the bill quickly.

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