In his career as a politician, Suhas Subramanyam, senator for Virginia’s 32nd District, has focused on taking away the rights of law abiding citizens and reducing their ability to protect themselves. Here are 4 ways he tried to do that in 2024.

Suhas introduced a bill that would mandate a 5-day waiting period to purchase any gun. Governor Youngkin vetoed this bill for many reasons:
– Waiting periods place a disproportionate impact on law-abiding citizens since criminals intent on committing a violent act will simply wait out the period or obtain a firearm through illegal means.

– Suhas’s bill would have harmed those feeling they are in immediate danger, such as victims of domestic abuse or those living in high crime areas, and prevented them from protecting themselves.

– The bill would have been an infringement upon the constitutional right to bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment, imposing unnecessary delays in exercising this right.

– It is redundant and unnecessary for current gun owners.

– There is insufficient empirical evidence that waiting periods significantly reduce gun violence or suicide rates.

Suhas voted to ban most contemporary semi-automatic firearms. The Constitution, however, precludes any state from prohibiting a broad category of firearms widely embraced for lawful purposes, such as self-defense. Virginia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Instead of enabling Virginias to protect themselves, Suhas voted to reduce penalties for criminals, contributing to violent crime in our communities. A much more effective way of reducing crime would be to enhance penalties for crimes committed with firearms and making substantial investments in behavioral health.

Suhas voted to restrict reciprocity with other states regarding concealed handgun permits. Virginia’s current system of concealed handgun permit reciprocity works. The Commonwealth recognizes valid concealed weapon permits issued by other states that meet certain conditions, and a sizable majority of other states recognize Virginia’s concealed handgun permits. The legislation Suhas supports, however, targets law-abiding Virginia gun owners by restricting the number of states in which permit holders can carry handguns for self-defense.

Suhas voted to increase the ability of the government to take away guns from legal owners. Virginia already has in place laws to legally remove guns from those who could be a risk to themselves or others. “Red flag” laws inherently come with the risk of government overreach and bias, false or malicious accusations, and inadequate due process protections. Governor Youngkin vetoed this bill as being excessively broad and overreaching and treating the Second Amendment as a secondary right compared to other constitutional guarantees.

Suhas Subramanyam is running to represent the voters of the US House of Representatives, Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. This District includes Loudoun County, plus parts of Fairfax, Prince William, Rappahannock, Fauquier, and Manassas City.

It’s estimated that 288K gun owners in Virginia are not registered to vote. Register to vote at elections.virginia.gov/registration/