VA Senate Democrats May Try to Revive Gun Control Bills

Elections have consequences and the election of Democrat Ralph Northam as Lt. Governor has switched control of the evenly divided State Senate to the Democrats.  This control was cemented when Delegate Linwood Lewis won Northam's vacated seat by a total of 11 votes after the recount.  Now, according to the Roanoke Times, Democrats are looking for ways to revive bills defeated earlier this session when Republicans and a majority on nine committees, including gun control bills.

And gun control bills like SB 520, which was defeated Monday in the Courts of Justice Committee, could also be resurrected with a new, 9-6 Democratic majority on the panel.

That measure, sponsored by Sen. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond, would create a Class 2 misdemeanor for a person who is not a licensed dealer to sell, rent, trade or transfer a firearm to any other person who is not a licensed dealer.

“There definitely are bills that are important to our core constituency,” said McEachin, the architect of Tuesday’s takeover.

Typically, to revive a bill killed in committee, someone who voted on the prevailing side (in this case the side that killed the bill) would have to move to reconsider the vote.  Doubtful that any of the Republicans on the committee would do that and the one pro-rights Democrat, John Edwards has been a good friend to gun owners and he is the only Democrat who voted on the prevailing side and could move to reconsider the vote.  Though this does not mean there are not other slights of hand the anti-rights Democrats could try.