Richmond, Virginia—In a blow to communities still reeling from the impact of gun violence, Governor Glenn Youngkin has vetoed dozens of bills that would have helped stem the tide of mass shootings and preventable gun deaths. In a veto session on Tuesday, the Governor vetoed thirty gun violence prevention bills passed by the General Assembly; chief among them were SB 2, sponsored by Senator Creigh Deeds, and HB 2, sponsored by Delegate Dan Helmer, which would have banned assault weapons in the Commonwealth. Of the 111 mass shootings in the United States this year, the worst have involved assault weapons. 

“Vetoing these bills means that the Governor has blood on his hands,” said LaTwyla Mathias, Executive Director of Progress Virginia. “People are losing their lives from preventable gun violence every single day, and our community has been begging for some relief from this endless cycle of shootings. Nobody should be afraid to go to their polling place, or to go to church or the park or to school because somebody might turn up with an assault rifle there; because of Glenn Youngkin, they have to live in fear. Victims of domestic violence or stalking shouldn’t have to worry that their assailant can go out and buy a gun right after they’re convicted; because of Glenn Youngkin, they have to. Kids should be able to play at their friends’ houses without unsecured weapons lying around; because of Glenn Youngkin, that can’t be assured. Glenn Youngkin cares so little about what guns are doing to our communities that he won’t even let JLARC study the issue. He is derelict in his duty to serve the people of Virginia, and he cares more about keeping money from the gun lobby flowing in than preventing a single death. We call on the Republicans in the General Assembly to gather some courage and help the Democrats overturn these vetos on April 17th.”

Background: 

A Partial List of Policies That Glenn Youngkin Believes Would “Punish Law-Abiding Gun Owners”

• Bills designed to prevent people convicted on domestic violence (HB 362 and SB 642), stalking, and assault charges (HB 798) from buying guns
• Bills that ensure safe storage of firearms (HB 183 and SB 368) and require trigger locks on guns in houses with children (HB 351)
• A bill that would have required applicants for concealed carry permits to submit fingerprints as part of the application (HB 799)
• A bill that would have prevented armed people from intimidating voters at early voting locations (HB 939)
• Bills that would have created standards of responsible conduct for gun manufacturers (HB 318 and SB 491)
• Bills that would have allowed a judge to temporarily remove firearms from a person who was judged to be an immediate threat to themselves or others (SB 258 and HB 916)
• A bill that would have allowed JLARC, Virginia’s non-partisan research agency, to study the effects of gun violence on communities (SB 338)
• Full List of 3/26 Vetoes