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Similar bills had already been proposed, most of them before the last legislative session, but they died in Republican-controlled committees before being presented to the Legislative Assembly. Republicans hold a slim majority in both houses.
This time, said the governor, he asked that the measures be put to the vote of the whole of the General Assembly.
"I will ask for votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers," Northam said.
In a statement, the National Rifle Association stated that "none of the Governor's gun control proposals would have prevented the terrible tragedy of Virginia Beach" and that it should focus on mental health issues and prosecute violent criminals instead.
The likelihood that all of Northam's proposed measures will be passed, if not most, is unlikely, given that Republicans barely control both houses. But political observers have suggested that the evolution of gun control policy could work in favor of state democrats in the upcoming elections as they attempt to overcome a series of scandals.
A Quinnipiac poll conducted in 2017 showed that a slim majority of voters in Virginia were in favor of stricter gun control laws in general, while an overwhelming majority – 91% – supported universal background checks.
"That's how Virginia's politics changed dramatically in just a few years," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. "For decades, any Democrat who talked about tightening the rules on guns took a big political risk. The risk in 2019, following the tragedy of Virginia Beach, would be borne by the Republicans. "
In a statement, Republican Kirk Cox, chairman of the Virginia House of Delegates, said that at the special session, Republican lawmakers would address the problem of gun violence "by holding criminals responsible for punishments." more severe, including mandatory minimum sentences. on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. "
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