I’m back, and I’m full of rage! Again.
Going through the bills that were filed this session, I noticed a disturbing pattern: many of the worst bills were all sponsored by the same guy. Who, you might ask? None other than Delegate Nick Freitas. You might remember him as the guy who ran for Congress last year who lost to Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. Whether he is in the House of Delegates or running for Congress, he’s bad news for Virginia. If we went through every reason he is literally the worst, I’d be writing a novel, so here are six reasons I hate him, just based on bills he’s filed this year.
- Nick Freitas doesn’t think you should have to take an in-person class to demonstrate competence with a gun before getting a concealed weapons permit.
Yes, you read that correctly. Nick Freitas filed HB292, a bill that allows a person to demonstrate how competent they are with guns by…watching online videos? Watching a video certainly doesn’t tell you much about how well someone can aim and shoot a gun without hurting anyone, and it is appalling that Delegate Freitas thinks that we should just hand out concealed carry permit to anyone who can manage to get through an online course.
We should only be giving out concealed carry permits to people who have demonstrated (preferably many times over) that they are responsible gun owners who can be trusted to carry concealed weapons with them in public places. Sorry, but hitting play on a few videos and then walking away to go to the bathroom doesn’t count.
- He wants to allow unlimited gun purchases for everyone.
When Democrats took control of the House of Delegates in 2019, one thing they did was reinstate the limit of one gun purchase per month. Seems pretty reasonable, right? Why would anyone need more than one new gun a month?
Apparently, Nick Freitas does. He filed HB299, which would repeal that limit and allow unlimited gun purchases for anyone.
3) I’m pretty sure he hates working people.
That sounds like hyperbole, but why else would you go out of your way to file a bill that would cap the minimum wage at $11 an hour when working people have been fighting for YEARS to get to $15 an hour?
Every working person should be able to raise their family with dignity, and the best way to accomplish that goal is by raising the minimum wage. By filing this bill, Nick Freitas has proven once again that he will put wealthy corporations ahead of working families every time. That’s not OK with us.
4) Sorry, Nick, but “opportunity” is not the same as “equity.”
Delegate Freitas filed this strange bill to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Opportunity. Opportunity is great, but equity and opportunity are not even close to the same thing. Equity is defined as “something that is fair and just” where opportunity is defined as “a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.” See how they are different?
Beyond that problem, this bill also additionally calls for the Director of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion to “serve as an ambassador for unborn children.”
I have a LOT of questions about that. Like for one, what are the qualifications for communing with the unborn and knowing what they want? I’m pretty sure unborn children aren’t a monolith, so like, who will the Director know what they want?
As a formerly unborn person, I am concerned.
5) He sponsored the Cruelty To Pregnant People Act
This bill is just cruel. If it becomes law, infants who have only hours or days to live will be ripped out of their parents’ arms, hooked up to machines, and forced to undergo painful and unnecessary medical procedures that won’t even save their lives. Parents and doctors would have no say in how their child’s last few moments of life would go. It’s unspeakably cruel and there’s absolutely no reason for this bill.
If you want to learn more about this, check out this ad from a labor and delivery nurse talking about the issue and a similar bill that was debated in North Carolina.
6) He wants to ban abortion outright.
Lastly, I hate Nick Freitas because he wants to just ban abortion outright. He filed HB1274, which would ban abortion after 20 weeks. When a person makes the decision after being pregnant for 5 months to have an abortion, there’s a reason. No one who doesn’t want to have a child endures pregnancy for that long. Politicians are not qualified to insert themselves into these private, often very painful, medical decisions. Just say no to abortion bans.
Wow, that’s a lot of reasons Delegate Nick Freitas sucks! But these bills don’t have to become law if we don’t want them to. Call your representatives in the House and tell them to vote no on these bills. And if the Republican majority manages to get them through the House, we can rely on our Democratic Senate to protect our progress and ensure that these bills never make it to the Governor’s desk. Call today to make your voice heard!
