Democrats in Virginia are determined to close the state’s nonexistent so-called “gun show loophole.” Thursday, a group of legislators presented a 28,000-signature petition demanding expansion of background checks for gun purchasers in the wake of the shootings of two Roanoke journalists and a tourism official on live television.
They join Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe in an effort to change the current law, which does not require background checks for gun purchases from unlicensed dealers or private sellers. The seven Northern Virginia delegates and two Democratic nominees to the House of Delegates unveiled their petition at a news conference in Arlington alongside the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
It hardly needs to be pointed out that the murderer who sparked this debate did not acquire a firearm by means of a private transfer. So what’s the point? Oh, that’s right—using tragedy as leverage to advance an anti-gun agenda.
