Virginia Democrats Wrote a Gun Law, Then Exempted Themselves. They Got Caught.
HB110 banned leaving guns in cars. The original text had a special carve-out for legislators. Rules for thee. #Virginia
Virginia Democrats Wrote a Gun Storage Law, Then Tried to Exempt Themselves
Virginia Democrats just pulled one of the oldest tricks in politics. They wrote a gun control bill for you, then carved out a special exception for themselves. Because of course they did.
House Bill 110 prohibits leaving a firearm in an unattended vehicle. But buried in the original text was an exemption for lawmakers parked in legislative garages. The people writing the law decided the law should not apply to them.
The Exemption Told the Truth
If leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle is so dangerous that regular citizens must be prohibited from doing it, why is it suddenly acceptable when a General Assembly member does it? They know these laws are a burden. That is why they reached for a special privilege.
Republican State Sen. Richard Stuart cut straight through it:
"We are a citizen legislature. We are no better than anybody else. And we should never vote for a bill that gives us a special privilege."
After backlash, the conference committee deleted the exemption. But only after they got caught. The bill still passed on party-line votes.
A Larger Gun Control Agenda
HB110 was not a one-off. Multiple other gun bills advanced including an "assault weapons" ban and firearms manufacturer liability measures.
Republican Del. Wren Williams:
"Not one of these bills would have stopped what happened at Old Dominion University. Every law needed to stop him already existed. Every single one failed. All seven of these bills make criminals out of Virginians who follow the laws."
NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford: "Rules for thee but not for me. Whether it's exempting themselves from extreme gun-control measures or spending exorbitant amounts of money on armed security while their constituents are left disarmed and helpless."
When politicians write laws they do not want to follow themselves, believe them. They are telling you exactly who those laws are for.
Further Reading
• Daily Caller: Virginia Dems Backtrack on Gun Bill Exemption