‘Disenfranchised’: Virginia GOP rips Democrats for banning guns in General Assembly

Del. Nick Freitas, speaking on the Virginia House floor, implored Democrats to take responsibility for making the General Assembly a less safe environment.

“If something bad happens, are the members that are actually going to vote to disarm that law-abiding citizen now going to take responsibility for security if something bad happens to them?” asked Freitas, who is running for Congress against Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia’s 7th District.

Democrats took the first step of enacting promised gun control when they passed a bevy of reform bills through the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.

Republican Del. Todd Gilbert attacked measures to disarm lawmakers on State Capitol grounds in a statement released this week.

“Democrats hold majorities in both chambers and can pass whatever policy they wish,” wrote Gilbert. “However, today’s action will ensure this policy takes effect without a vote from the vast majority of legislators. Democrats want to ban guns, but not enough to stand up and take responsibility for their own policy. Furthermore, hiding behind the honor of our Capitol Police is cowardly.”

GOP Sen. Amanda Chase, who has openly carried a pistol onto the General Assembly floor, told WTVR the ban was silly and that she was angry “because I feel like the American people have just been disenfranchised.”

Democratic House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn said the new rule was put into place “to keep everybody safe” and that the ban should have been instituted “a long, long time ago.”