The Virginia chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement in response to lawmakers in the Virginia House of Delegates passing HB 827, a bill that would strip localities of the authority to regulate firearms in sensitive places, despite the Senate Judiciary Committee rejecting similar legislation last week.
“Republican lawmakers in the House continue to endanger their communities in the middle of a gun violence public health crisis,” said Mike Fox, a volunteer with the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Cities and towns across the Commonwealth used this law to create safer communities, and this vote was yet another unfortunate attempt to callously strip away ordinances that protect millions of Virginians.”
Since July of 2020, when the gun-sense majority in the Virginia legislature empowered Virginia’s municipalities to pass ordinances to prohibit guns in certain sensitive places following advocacy by Moms Demand Action volunteers, over 2.8 million Virginians across 16 municipalities have been protected by local gun safety ordinances.
In an average year in Virginia, 1,065 people die by guns and 2,050 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Virginia $7.1 billion each year, of which $292.5 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Virginia is available here.