A freshman Republican lawmaker in Virginia openly carried her revolver on the floor of the state Senate this week after a colleague was mobbed by protesters.
“I’ve had people get in my face. I’ve had people come up and try to touch me inappropriately. And it is a deterrent,” state Sen. Amanda Chase told the Washington Post Wednesday, referring to her firearm.
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The Virginia Capitol’s gun rules are lax. It is one of more than a dozen statehouses that allows visitors to bring in concealed weapons, and at least six Republican senators take a firearm onto the upper chamber’s floor, according to the Post.
Chase told the newspaper Wednesday she usually carried her revolver concealed because she didn’t want to alarm other people, but she decided to open carry this week after a fellow Republican state senator was swarmed by activists for talking about a bill that would ban sanctuary cities in Virginia.
“I’ve had a very positive reception. I’ve been called a ‘badass,’” Chase said.
Democratic Virginia Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw told the Post Chase’s move was “absurd.”
The Virginia Capitol has been the location of at least one firearm-related mishap. In 2006, then-Del. John “Jack” Reid accidentally fired his handgun in his office. No one was injured in the incident.
