A top Republican in the Virginia General Assembly condemned state Democrats, including Virginia Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, for denying Virginia deputies a pay increase after some state sheriffs publicly refused to enforce new gun control legislation.

Rep. Bill Stanley, who represents the 20th District in western Virginia, wrote on Facebook that he attempted to amend the state budget to give “all of our men and women of Virginia’s Sheriffs’ Departments” a 3% pay raise on Thursday, but Democrats voted “no” as retribution for comments that some law officers made during the contentious debate on gun control in the state.