Kaine, McAuliffe, Herring Hold Joint Press Conference on Gun Control

Governor Terry McAuliffe, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, and Attorney General Mark Herring just completed a joint press conference on gun control proposals they are taking and will push.  Among them are:

• McAuliffe has issued an executive order to ban all firearms in all state buildings except for law enforcement officers.
• McAuliffe said he will establish a joint task force to prosecute gun crimes and enforce existing laws.
• McAuliffe said the Commonwealth is aggressively going after gun dealers who sell guns illegally.
• McAuliffe will authorize the AG to prosecute gun crimes, giving cases state resources.
• McAuliffe also said he will continue to look at what "executive action" can be taken to curb "gun violence."

When Kaine got up to speak, he said he thought the "NRA no longer speaks for its members" and instead works for the gun manufacturers.  He also said his worst day was the Virginia Tech shooting.  Kaine claimed that  the legislature has stalled any "gun safety" legislation and has actually made "gun safety worse".  Maybe someone should remind Kaine that Virginia's crime rate is the lowest it has been since the 70's,  dropping some 26% between 2006 and 2013.

More on details will be posted later today.

In the meantime, you can share your views on Virginia gun laws with NBC12 which will hold a moderated townhall on October 21st.

Update: The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that McAuliffe's executive order on firearms in state buildings is a ban on open carry.

The ban on guns in government buildings affects executive branch office buildings, which includes buildings throughout the state such as Department of Motor Vehicles locations and Virginia Employment Commission offices. The new restriction doesn't apply to the Capitol building or General Assembly offices, where authority lies with the Republican-controlled legislature. Guns already are not allowed in court buildings. 

The ban applies immediately to guns carried openly. Banning concealed weapons requires a longer regulatory process, but McAuliffe said he expects the Department of General Services to propose regulations aimed at concealed carrying within 30 days.

The ban doesn't apply to law enforcement, security or military personnel carrying firearms as part of their duties.

The Times-Dispatch also noted that the governor's order also called for judges and prosecutors to use their powers to require gun forfeiture in domestic violence cases,  as well as directed the Virginia State Police to request tracing of every gun used in a crime and finally, established a statewide tip line to allow people to collect rewards for successfully reporting gun violations.

Update 2: Mark and Gabby Giffords gun ban group has issued a statement according to WRIC:

“In his campaign for governor, Terry McAuliffe told Virginians that if elected, he would advance commonsense policies that make their families safer from gun violence. Now, as governor, Terry McAuliffe is keeping his word and establishing himself as a true champion for common sense,” said Peter Ambler, Founder and (C)(4) Director of Americans for Responsible Solutions. “Most significantly, Gov. McAuliffe is showing other governors around the country they don’t have to wait on often stubborn legislatures to fill gaps in enforcement and other key areas of gun safety.”

Update 3:  Thursday afternoon I had the opportunity to talk about McAuliffe's actions with Cam Edwards of NRANews.