The “moderate” Democrats elected during last year’s elections in Virginia have turned into communist-loving politicians. There are many examples of this. One of the more recent efforts on display is trying to turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals.
Virginia Delegate Republican Tom Garrett tore into SB 727. SB727 is a bill that would make everyday gun transport a crime anywhere the entire state of Virginia. As the legislation heads to Governor Spanberger’s desk after passing the General Assembly, it’s clear Democrats are targeting rural Virginians who rely on firearms for hunting, sport, and self-defense.
Garrett called out the absurdity straight away: “I literally wondered if we were being pranked when I read the words in this bill.”
He explained the core problem: “This bill would prevent people in Virginia from carrying on any—quote—‘any public street, highway, alley, etc.’ Every gun owner in the state of Virginia who goes to fire their guns… takes roads. Public roads. Highways. To get to wherever they’re going to shoot—whether it’s their own land, a range, wherever. And under this bill, that would make them criminals.”
The bill expands the definition of prohibited “assault firearms” to include everyday items like “a single-shot break-action .410 shotgun… or a bolt-action rifle with an integral magazine if the barrel’s threaded—which ‘enhances lethality.’” Garrett hammered the hypocrisy: “We’ve literally created a criminal class out of millions—not hyperbolic—of Virginians.”
This is a typical communist manifesto action. Disarm the public so that only the government has guns. Once the public is disarmed, it becomes easier to coerce the public into supporting state actions to control everything. History has shown this to be the communist plan over a long period of time. Hitler did it. Stalin did it. And many others as well.
Garrett contrasted this with soft-on-crime policies: “And while we pardon all kinds of people who are committing crimes, and reduce sentences, and give judges the discretion to do things like waive off your DUI offense—where you might have killed my child, had circumstances gone differently—we’re creating criminals out of people who wanna drive to their next-door neighbor’s farm in their pickup truck… with a firearm in the vehicle.”
“This is absurd.”
To be clear, SB 727 bans carrying these firearms on public streets, roads, alleys, sidewalks, parks, or any public place statewide—loaded or not—turning a Class 1 misdemeanor on law-abiding citizens. Exemptions for concealed handgun permits were stripped away, leaving even permitted owners exposed.
This has nothing to do with public safety. This bill would make people less safe in Virginia. Criminals would know that no one would be carrying a weapon out in public. This would encourage criminals to engage in criminal behavior since they know that their chances of coming up against an armed person would be minimal.
Expect early court challenges under the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, as this overreach violates the Second Amendment rights the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld.