Communities and families across the commonwealth have experienced the devastating consequences of America’s gun violence epidemic, from last year’s tragic shooting at the University of Virginia to the mass shooting at a Wal-Mart in Chesapeake. We started the year with a 6-year old getting access to a gun and wounding his teacher in Newport News, and most recently a mass shooting broke out in Richmond during a graduation ceremony, killing one of the graduates and his stepfather.
Virginia has seen its share of gun violence. We have to do a better job keeping Virginians safe from this epidemic.
Earlier this summer, our nation commemorated National Gun Violence Awareness Weekend. Here in Virginia, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at John Lewis High School in Springfield about gun violence in our country and the need for states to pass common-sense gun safety laws.
I am proud that in Virginia we have made significant strides in the gun safety movement by passing laws requiring background checks on all gun purchases, limiting firearm access by individuals in crisis (known as a reg-flag law), and prohibiting guns at polling places and in the state capitol; however, we have fallen short in enacting some of the most fundamental gun safety laws, such as requiring a permit to purchase firearms and requiring secure storage of firearms.
Legislation to require a permit before buying a firearm would give law enforcement a chance to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them by ensuring that, before anyone can purchase a gun in Virginia, they must first go through an initial background check and safety training to ensure they can handle a gun responsibly. It would also allow law enforcement officials to deny permits to people who they know pose a danger to themselves or others with a gun. It could also help prevent people from buying a firearm for someone else (straw purchases) and provide law enforcement officers with a vital tool to help investigate gun crimes and bring the people who commit them to justice.
This past session, my colleagues and I in the legislature had an opportunity to pass two life-saving secure storage bills requiring individuals to safely store firearms in their homes and vehicles. However, despite gun violence being the leading cause of death among children and teens and an overwhelming number of unintentional shootings by children could have been prevented had the guns been stored securely, my Republican colleagues blocked these bills from advancing, thereby making our communities even more vulnerable to gun violence.
Time and time again, we have seen how gun violence takes away the joy from the most important and sacred moments in life, shattering communities and forever traumatizing survivors and families. These senseless acts of gun violence are a uniquely American crisis. The United States is not the only country with mental illness, domestic violence or hate-fueled ideologies, but because of lax laws and easy access to guns, our gun homicide rate is 26 times that of other high-income countries. If more guns made us safer, we’d be the safest country in the world. Instead, community after community grieves these senseless tragedies. The data is clear: Strong gun laws save lives, and states with weaker gun laws and higher gun ownership rates have higher rates of gun violence.
Before the commonwealth mourns yet another mass shooting, I am calling on my fellow lawmakers to not be afraid and take action on gun safety by passing legislation this upcoming session that will require a permit to purchase firearms and requiring all individuals to securely store firearms in their homes and vehicles. There is no higher calling as a lawmaker to make sure that your constituents are safe and have the resources they need to have the best quality of life.
Del. Patrick Hope is serving his seventh term in the Virginia General Assembly, representing Arlington County.
