The Democrat-controlled Virginia General Assembly passed multiple gun control bills on February 12, including several that are now on their way to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office for his signature. The controversial legislation has prompted intense debate between supporters who say they view the bills as necessary for public safety, while opponents see the measure for what it is, an infringement on the rights of Americans as part of a larger disarmament agenda of the left. 

Democratic Senator Jennifer Boysko waxed unintellectual on the subject, demonstrating just how little she cares about those Constitutional rights while simultaneously proving she is either too corrupt or too dumb to understand the context and the intent of the Second Amendment. 

“Nobody needs to go hunting with an AK-47… Nobody needs to leave guns out when they are toddlers in the home. These gun bills will save lives,” said Boysko.

How does someone with such a compromised comprehension of the Bill of Rights make it to the rank of Senator in the United States? To be honest, I am on the fence as to whether she is actually this ignorant or simply trying to win my logical fallacy of the day award. It has been discussed ad nauseam at this point, to the extent that anyone still making this argument is either intellectually devoid or morally corrupt. The Second Amendment is not about hunting, and therefore, it doesn’t matter if you need an AK-47, or any firearm for that matter, to suit that purpose. 

Additionally, there are already laws regarding child endangerment, and those who act with disregard should be held accountable for their actions, but not all households are the same, as Republican Delegate Nick Frietas points out that there is not a one size fits all solution, making it imperative that we enforce existing law without infringing on civil liberties. 

“I live in a rural area where the police will probably not get to my house in 15-20 minutes… So if my strong, independent 17-year-old is home alone — who has been taught to handle firearms responsibly since the age of 5 — [and she accesses] that [firearm] for the purposes of protecting herself from someone trying to break in and harm her, I am now guilty of a misdemeanor,” Frietas said on the House floor. 

This bill, requiring guns to be stored in lock boxes in homes when children are present, is on its way to Youngkin’s desk. The Governor will also consider a bill that would institute a five-day waiting period on firearm purchases, a measure that Democrats claim would prevent impulsive purchases resulting in reduced suicide rates, but one that was recently ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. Aside from the issue of Constitutionality, another problem is that the law affects all gun buyers, most of whom already own a firearm and only a minority of whom are making their first purchase. 

But there is another agenda at play here, according to Philip Van Cleave, President of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. He says the bill’s true intent is to target and shut down gun shows. 

“You can buy it there, but you have to wait five days, but the show is over… Now you have to drive to wherever that dealer is to get your gun. It could be across the state. It could be in a different state,” said Van Cleave. 

Another option would be to have the dealer from the gun show ship the firearm to the purchaser’s local dealer. However, that would incur not only shipping costs but also an additional transfer fee, reducing bargains and discouraging purchases, causing irreparable damage to those events. 

“It’s sad, the Democrats seem to have lost touch [with] what the Constitution is — they have lost touch with what our right to self-defense is,” says Van Cleave. 

A bill banning the sale of new “assault weapons” was also approved by the House, but it will return to the Senate for consideration before it can advance. 

With President Trump’s proscribed 30-day autopsy of the Second Amendment by Attorney General Pam Bondi drawing near, it remains to be seen if there is a light at the end of the tunnel where we may one day see the national restoration of this crucial and inalienable right. I would encourage the administration to seek a means by which to put teeth behind it for years to come, introducing consequences for knowingly and willingly attempting to circumvent the Second Amendment.