VA Democrats Back Down From Gun Grab Threats, But Not 'Assault Rifle' Ban

Brittany M. Hughes | December 11, 2019
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After getting massive pushback from residents, gun rights activists, and even local law enforcement, Virginia Democrats have backed down from their threat to forcibly confiscate gun owners “assault rifles”...for now.

Under the recently re-upped leadership of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, Democrats, who are set to control of the state legislature come January for the first time in decades, quickly began vowing to ban all “assault-style weapons” across the state in the latest statewide effort by the left to curb the Second Amendment. The promised ban would cover rifles like the popular AR-15, which has become the bogeyman for anti-gun groups following its use in several mass shootings, and reportedly would have included the forced confiscation of all such rifles already owned by countless Virginians.

In other words, yes, they are coming for your guns. 

But news like that doesn't tend to sit well in Virginia, where millions of gun owners reside and where rifles like the AR-15 are in wide circulation. Immediately following the announcement, more than three-dozen Virginia localities rushed to declare themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries” for gun owners. After facing major criticism from gun rights groups and promises of non-compliance from several sheriffs departments across the state, it looks like Northam and his gun grabbers have at least partially backed off their agenda – for now. Under the new promised legislation, the governor says any ban on so called “assault weapons” like the AR-15 would include a grandfather clause allowing current owners to keep their weapons, provided they register them with Big Brother.

Related: VA County Sheriff Vows To Deputize Thousands of Citizens To Fight Potential State Gun Grabs

"In this case, the governor's assault weapons ban will 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," Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky told the Virginia Mercury.

The report notes that a slew of new, Democrat-led gun regulations are still headed this way, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and a one-handgun-a-month limit on gun purchases.

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