Va. Governor Called For A Special Session On Gun Control. An Hour-And-A-Half Later Lawmakers Adjourned With Little Done.
An array of proposals were on the agenda, but lawmakers put off dealing with any of them until at least November, with the Republican speaker of the House blasting Gov. Ralph Northam's move as “just an election year stunt.”
The New York Times:
A Gun-Focused Special Session In Virginia Ends Abruptly
In the grim aftermath of the mass shooting in Virginia Beach in May, Gov. Ralph Northam insisted it was time for action. Thoughts and prayers were not enough, he said, as he called for a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to consider a raft of gun control proposals. That special session began on Tuesday around noon. An hour and a half later, it was over. The House and Senate voted along party lines to adjourn until November. (Robertson, 7/9)
The Washington Post:
Gun Debate Ends Abruptly In Virginia As GOP-Controlled Legislature Adjourns After 90 Minutes
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) ordered the session in the wake of the May 31 mass shooting at a Virginia Beach municipal building in which 12 people were killed. Lawmakers had filed some 30 bills aimed at restricting gun use or lethality or stiffening penalties for gun law violations. Republican leaders in the state House and Senate said they would refer all bills to the bipartisan Virginia State Crime Commission for study and recommendation, and then reconvene Nov. 18 — after a high-stakes state election in which all 140 legislative seats are on the ballot. (Schneider, Vozzella and Olivo, 7/9)
CNN:
Virginia Session To Debate Gun Control Adjourns Without Action
"It is shameful and disappointing that Republicans in the General Assembly refuse to do their jobs, and take immediate action to save lives," Northam said in a statement Tuesday. "I expected better of them. Virginians expect better of them." (Stracqualursi, 7/9)
The Roanoke Times:
General Assembly Adjourns With No Action On Gun Bills, Election 4 Months Away
House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, called Northam’s decision to call a special session an “election-year stunt.” Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment, R-James City, said Northam chose “politics over policy.” Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, called it a “gut reaction.” “We owe more to the people of Virginia,” Obenshain said at a news conference after the legislature adjourned. (Friedenberger, 7/9)
USA Today:
Gun Laws: Virginia Considers Plan To Ban Assault Weapons
Gun control supporters had hoped the special session would energize their efforts nationwide to turn the tide against the "corrosive influence" of the gun lobby. Kris Brown, president of the Washington-based Brady gun control group, described the state's GOP leadership as "nothing short of cowards" who could have set an example for the nation. "If these 'leaders' won't enact solutions that their own constituents are demanding, then we're going to fight tooth and nail for representatives who will," Brown said. (Bacon, 7/9)
The Virginia Pilot:
Republican Lawmakers Vote To Adjourn Special Session On Guns Without Debating Legislation
The votes to adjourn came after hundreds of people gathered near the Capitol to urge new gun control laws they hoped would prevent future mass shootings. Hundreds more asked lawmakers not to restrict Second Amendment rights, with some saying none of the bills proposed would have prevented a gunman from killing 12 people in Virginia Beach on May 31. (Albiges and Coutu, 7/9)
The Washington Post:
Amid Bitter Divisions On Gun Control In Virginia, Moments Of Understanding
One man held an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and wore a black “Make America Great Again” hat. The other man held a sign with a picture of two arms in an embrace and the caption “The only arms we need” and wore a blue hat that said “Make America Obama Again.” They were caught Tuesday morning outside the Virginia State Capitol between hundreds of anti-gun protesters on one side and a long line of gun rights activists on the other. And they began to talk. (Schneider and Vozzella, 7/9)
