EXCLUSIVE: Virginia governor’s midnight gun bill amendments slammed as election ploy

The National Rifle Association accused Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger of delaying action on gun legislation until after a redistricting vote that could shift the political map in Democrats’ favor.

John Commerford, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, told The Lion in an interview that Spanberger’s “amendatory vetoes are great examples of kicking the can down the road.” Spanberger sent HB 217 back to the Legislature with amendments Monday, which critics, including Commerford, argue is a deliberate delay tactic ahead of a consequential April 21 redistricting vote that could net Democrats four House seats, according to Ballotpedia.

Though Spanberger positioned herself as a moderate Democrat on the campaign trail, several gun advocacy groups say the gun control legislation she recently signed and amended is “unconstitutional” and among the most egregious in the nation.

Commerford told The Lion the amended legislation “essentially bans the most commonly owned semi-automatic firearms across the Commonwealth of Virginia” and that he expects Spanberger’s “more restrictive” amendments to aid the NRA’s prospects in court. The NRA is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.

Spanberger’s amendment to the bill broadened the definition of an “assault firearm” to include “a semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol with a magazine capacity in excess of 15 rounds.” If signed into law, HB 217/SB 749 would create a Class 1 misdemeanor for anyone who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases or transfers an “assault firearm.”

The legislation would also allow Virginia localities to implement voluntary buyback programs for such weapons.

“We see gun owners are fired up, a main part of the electorate that hopefully will vote down this ridiculous redistricting referendum,” Commerford said.

“Governor Spanberger’s last-minute amendments to these gun control bills – slipped in during the dead of night – are nothing more than a desperate ploy to prop up her radical redistricting referendum by delaying action until after Election Day,” he said in a statement.

Spanberger’s office did not respond to The Lion’s request for comment.

Spanberger signed several other gun control measures into law Monday and wrote in a statement Tuesday that she “support[s] the Second Amendment. But gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in America, and that should motivate all of us to ask ourselves what we can do to mitigate this harm.”

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon wrote April 10 that the Department of Justice will be watching Virginia closely, specifically citing SB 749.

“In all, the General Assembly has forwarded to you over 20 bills that restrict Second Amendment rights. I urge you to reconsider allowing any bill that would infringe on the lawful use of protected firearms by law-abiding citizens to become law. In an effort to avoid unnecessary litigation, the Second Amendment Section stands ready to meet and confer with attorneys in the Virginia Attorney General Office,” Dhillon wrote. “The Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens shall not be infringed.”

Commerford acknowledged Dhillon’s letter and said there is likely to be a court battle in which Spanberger will “waste taxpayer dollars trying to take away constitutional rights from law-abiding Virginians.”

Notably, former President Barack Obama urged Virginia residents to vote for the redistricting referendum Friday.

“By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms,” Obama said. “Make a plan, show up and vote yes, Virginia.”