The right to bear arms, codified in the 2nd Amendment, is one of the foremost tenets of the U.S. Bill of Rights and imperative to over 44 percent of Virginians who own firearms. Before assuming office, all members of Virginia’s General Assembly solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States. This oath includes safeguarding the 2nd Amendment both as constitutional obligation and as a duty to properly represent their constituents.
Unfortunately, time and again, Suhas Subramanyam has voted to undermine the 2nd Amendment, thereby infringing upon the rights of law-abiding Virginians. Below are just a few examples:
Senate Bill 273 sought to implement a five-day waiting period to purchase a gun. According to statistics, Virginia is one of the ten states in the United States with the highest rate of females murdered by males. Consider the tragic death of Regina Redman Lollobrigido whose estranged husband, despite a restraining order against him, was released on an unsecured bond with an unrestrained GPS ankle bracelet after having been charged with domestic assault, strangulation, and abduction of his wife. A short time later, his wife was found brutally murdered. Nearly 1 in 3 women in Virginia experience physical violence, rape, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetimes. Tell them to wait five days to purchase a gun and see how that’s received.
Senate Bill 99 would have prohibited carrying certain rifles and shotguns on public streets, public parks, and other public areas. This was not legislation aimed at convicted criminals but would have applied to all Virginians regardless of whether or not a gun was even loaded. Imagine the single mom who works the night shift and travels through a crime-ridden neighborhood to get home. Would she not be safer with a weapon at her side? As Governor Youngkin noted in his veto, the proposed legislation was of dubious constitutionality in its effort “to restrict widely-embraced firearms used for lawful purposes like self-defense.”
House Bill 466 attempted to strike down existing concealed carry reciprocity (CCR) agreements. Currently, Virginia has CCRs with several states such as Alaska, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It simply means that a concealed carry in one state is valid in a partner state. This is important for gun owners who travel with firearms. A hunter traveling from their home in North Carolina, through Virginia, to Pennsylvania for deer season can legally carry their weapons from state to state thanks to CCRs. But a hunter traveling from Virginia to Maryland, where no CCR exists, might face criminal prosecution for weapons’ possession in Maryland. There is no legitimate reason to repeal existing, legal agreements between states other than to subvert the 2nd Amendment.
Subramanyam’s most egregious effort to take away Virginians’ 2nd Amendment rights is undoubtedly Senate Bill 2 which would have made it a misdemeanor to import, sell, manufacture, purchase, or transfer an assault firearm in Virginia. The definition of “assault firearms” was absurdly broad, including semi-automatic center-fire rifles and pistols with a 20-round capacity. By way of example, in the 1800’s John Browning designed, or improved the accuracy of, several semi-automatic center-fire rifles and pistols. Would those be outlawed by Senate Bill 2? This legislation even included certain firearms equipped with a “folding stock,” a feature that simply makes the weapon easier to carry.
Governor Youngkin rightly vetoed this legislation, noting its obvious inconsistency with the US. Constitution in attempting to prohibit such a wide range of firearms from being used forlawful purposes. Moreover, he pointed to a sensible way forward for reasonable gun control measures: increasing penalties for crimes committed with firearms and strengthening the state’s behavioral health system.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly protected the rights of lawful gun owners under the terms of the 2nd Amendment. In the 2022 case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, the Court implemented a high standard that the government must meet to justify a firearm regulation. In the 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court upheld the right to keep and bear arms for lawful purposes such as self-defense within the home.
Despite the Constitution and consistent jurisprudence on the part of the Supreme Court, Subramanyam has repeatedly pursued gross restrictions on Virginians’ 2nd Amendment rights. Gun owners and those who respect the Constitution, must ensure that Subramanyam does not graduate from the Virginia State Senate to the U.S. House of Representatives this November where he will undoubtedly further erode the rights of Americans.