Virginia Dems Backtrack On Gun Bill Exemption After Backlash
Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly reversed course Saturday after initially exempting themselves from provisions of a gun law they sent to Virginia Democratic Gov. Abby Spanberger.
Democrats have passed several gun bills, including a ban on “assault weapons” and legislation creating new forms of civil liability for gun manufacturers. One bill, HB110, initially exempted members of the General Assembly from the ban on leaving a firearm in an unattended vehicle. (RELATED: Excuse Texas voters if they’re wrong about Democratic Senate candidate’s record on guns for a blue-state liberal)
“The provisions of this section do not apply to any member of the General Assembly who leaves a handgun in a motor vehicle unattended pursuant to § 18.2-308.7:1 when such vehicle is parked in a parking structure reserved for members of the General Assembly pursuant to § 2.2-1172,” reads the text of the legislation originally sent by a conference committee.
“We are a citizens’ legislature…we are no better than anyone else. And we should never vote for a bill that gives us a special privilege.”
Senator Richard Stuart blasts Democrats for inserting a “rules for me, not for you” clause into their insane gun storage bill.… pic.twitter.com/hyeOU2RXCc
– VA Senate GOP (@VASenateGOP) March 14, 2026
“We are no better than anyone else, and we should never vote for a bill that gives us a special privilege,” Republican Sen. Richard Stuart said during debate on the measure. When the conference committee sent the bill for passage, the exemption for the General Assembly was removed, The Center Square reported.
The revised legislation passed on party-line votes in the Virginia General Assembly. The Assembly swung sharply to the left after Spanberger won the governorship in a landslide over then-Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears.
“None of these bills would have stopped what happened at Old Dominion University,” Republican Del. said. Wren Williams at Center Square. “All the laws needed to stop it already existed. Every single one of them has failed. These seven bills make criminals out of law-abiding Virginians – the hunter, the collector, the mother who keeps a gun in her home for protection. That’s not public safety. That’s political virtue that comes at the expense of the law-abiding.”
In an alert Sunday, the National Rifle Association called the legislative assault on gun control bills “egregious.”
“Rules for you, but not for me – that’s the mantra by which radicals in Richmond and anti-gun politicians across the country live,” NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford said in a statement. “From exempting themselves from extreme gun control measures to spending exorbitant amounts of money on armed security while their constituents are unarmed and powerless, these political figures are once again showing that they care more about their own interests than the safety of the people they were elected to represent.”
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