Democrats are threatening Virginia law enforcement officials with prosecution and even National Guard deployment if they refuse to carry out anticipated gun control measures.
Lawmakers representing Virginia on Capitol Hill are echoing Gov. Ralph Northam in calling for “consequences” for local police who may refuse to enforce future gun control laws if legislation proposed by some Democrats goes through.
(Video: 13NewsNow)
“I would hope they either resign in good conscience because they cannot uphold the law which they are sworn to uphold, or they’re prosecuted for failure to fulfill their oath,” Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly told the Washington Examiner.
“The law is the law. If that becomes the law, you don’t have a choice, not if you’re a sworn officer of the law,” the Democrat added.
At issue is sweeping gun control legislation being pushed by Virginia’s Democratically-controlled House of Delegates, which includes universal background checks, an “assault weapons” ban, and a red flag law. The office of the Democratic governor explained that the proposed “assault weapons” ban in Virginia would “include a grandfather clause for individuals who already own assault weapons, with the requirement they register their weapons before the end of a designated grace period.”
But more than 75 counties in Virginia have declared themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries” in the wake of the control being imposed by the Democratic Virginia General Assembly. Law enforcement officials and legal firearm owners in the state have banded together and vow to uphold the Second Amendment in the municipalities regardless of what comes down from the capital of Richmond.
The board of supervisors in Spotsylvania County recently joined dozens of other counties, voting unanimously on a resolution stating that any gun laws that violate Second Amendment rights will not be enforced by the local police. Democratic lawmakers in Washington are firing back, threatening to cut off state funding.
“They certainly risk funding, because if the sheriff’s department is not going to enforce the law, they’re going to lose money,” Democratic Virginia Rep. Donald McEachin warned. “The counties’ attorneys offices are not going to have the money to prosecute because their prosecutions are going to go down.”
“And ultimately, I’m not the governor, but the governor may have to nationalize the National Guard to enforce the law,” he added. “That’s his call, because I don’t know how serious these counties are and how severe the violations of law will be. But that’s obviously an option he has.”
And the first shots in the Second Civil War will be fired.
— Jack Furnari (@JackBPR) December 13, 2019
“If we have constitutional laws on the books and law enforcement officers are not enforcing those laws on the books, then there are going to be consequences, but I’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it,” Northam said Wednesday.
“They can continue to have their meetings. They can continue to make sanctuary counties, but we’re going to do what Virginians have asked us to do,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw introduced SB 16 in November, a proposal which would make it “unlawful for any person to import, sell, manufacture, purchase, possess or transport an assault firearm.” Credit card companies would be allowed to flag purchases that they deem could be connected to “homegrown violent extremism” in another bill proposed by Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Wexton.
Citizens in Appomattox, Bedford, and Lee, as well as Halifax counties, have joined dozens of others in the state recently to pass resolutions opposing any new gun control legislation coming from Virginia’s capital.
“Everybody has a job to protect the constitutional republic that was set up for us. The Second Amendment is the ultimate protection for all other rights in the Bill of Rights,” Ken Allen, a Louisa resident who gathered with an estimated 600 people earlier this month to pass a similar resolution, told the Washington Examiner.
“We, the people, are supposed to control the government, not the other way around,” he added.
“Democrats said ‘nobody wants to take your guns’ and then, literally, the moment the election was over, they drafted bills that amount to gun confiscation. People realize just how extreme the Left has gotten on gun control,” Virginia delegate and congressional candidate Nick Freitas said.
Twitter users called out the Democrats for their strong-arm threats.
So the left can have sanctuary cities for their causes but the right cannot? Got it.#Trump2020Landslide
— Matthew (stable genius) (@matthewblevins_) December 13, 2019
‘The law is the law’: Virginia Democrats float prosecution and National Guard for police who fail to enforce gun control legislation
In other words, VA Dems:
“Sanctuary for illegal aliens, great!!”
“Sanctuary for legal gun owners, criminal!!” https://t.co/iaixUVXS1z
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) December 12, 2019
Doesn’t sound to me like VA people asked for these gun laws. If they did, why is there such outcry against, negative reaction to them.
— Robert Philips (@robert_philips) December 13, 2019
Can anyone explain to me how this law is not a blatant violation of the US Constitution?
— Cole (@Cole94329338) December 13, 2019
As a member of the military, I took an oath to defend the “CONSTITUTION” not the government. The constitution provides a right to bear arms. Just sayin.
— ?? Real America ?? (@wd_40ontweet) December 13, 2019
This is not good. Imagine the National guard knocking on doors seizing guns. In America.
— Totally Not AOC (@Kurvballs5) December 12, 2019
The 2nd Amendment is the law.
— Rich Paul (@RichPaulFreeman) December 13, 2019
The law is the law, unless that law is the Constituion that supercedes their laws.
— Chris Rogerson (@chris_rogerson_) December 13, 2019
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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