This story was reported and written by our media partner Capital News Service.
Virginia gun rights advocates worry more gun control laws will be passed after Democrats won the gubernatorial race and gained a majority in the House.
The day after the blue sweep election, the Virginia Citizens Defense League published an alert stating another Democratic trifecta returning in January will vote anything pro-gun control into office, no matter how “stupid” or “unconstitutional” it is.
“When you have more than 60 Democrats in the House of Delegates, you're going to see gun safety measures being passed,” said Alex Keena, a Virginia Commonwealth University political science professor.
There was less campaigning surrounding gun reform this election. It might be considered politically risky to support such proposals, as many Democrats have moderate opinions on the issue, Keena said.
Keena considers Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger to be moderate and predicts she will not go far with any gun reforms that are not popularly approved.
Spanberger said she would sign gun reform legislation into law in order to keep families safe, according to her website. She received $74,724 in donations from gun control groups and was endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun violence prevention organization.
“We'll see how moderate she is. I don't think she's very moderate,” said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League.
Van Cleave joined VCDL in 1996, two years after it was established. When he joined, Virginia had a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, with a Republican governor. However, they still passed a large amount of gun rights legislation, according to Van Cleave. He said Democrats are not as moderate as before.
“Before, there were a lot of moderate Democrats that they call blue dog Democrats that support gun rights and other things like that, but they also may have different social values, but that's gone,” Van Cleave said. “Now, the Democrat Party just walks in unison and nobody dares to support any kind of gun rights.”
The VCDL alert said the election results mirror the last time there was a Democratic trifecta, from 2019-2021. Seven gun control reforms were put into effect in 2020. These measures included background checks, reporting stolen or lost firearms and the confiscation of firearms. A proposal to ban assault rifles was introduced, but failed to pass.
VCDL will hold its annual Lobby Day on Jan. 19 at 8 a.m. with a rally at the Bell Tower at 11 a.m. Their 2020 rally was estimated by the Capitol Police to have 22,000 attendants, according to a previous report by Capital News Service. The group believes its last rally mitigated the number of gun control laws passed that session.
Del. Michael Jones, D-Richmond, said he and his colleagues in the Democratic party do not want to take guns away from citizens, but to have common-sense legislation in place.
“I don't want to take people's guns away, but I just think there needs to be some type of understanding. To drive a car, you have to get a driver's license,” Jones said. “Well, hey, to own a gun, I think you should at least go through a gun ownership class.”
One of Jones’ examples for common-sense gun laws was to require the revocation of a concealed carry permit if a protective order was placed against the carrier. Jones’ cousin was shot and killed in bed, along with her 1-year-old child, by the partner she had a protective order against.
“To own and bear arms is a right,” Jones said. “That means it's extended, and that means it can be regulated and ultimately can be taken away.”
Jones sponsored House Bill 1660, one of the gun reform bills Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed earlier this year. Jones has no plans to sponsor any more gun reform legislation as he is currently focused on legislation that helps student athletes and people affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement this year.
Andrew Goddard is a board member of the Virginia Center for Public Safety, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the reduction of gun violence in Virginia.
He said that VCDL only has an extreme position on gun rights because it is a “working mouthpiece” organization for gun manufacturers. It wants to make more money for manufacturers without permitting the sale of unserialized parts, according to Goddard.
“They're really in favor of it because in some ways, they need to have gun violence to justify them having so many guns,” Goddard said. “If gun violence disappeared, what are you doing with all the guns? A lot of it boils down, not just to politics, but to money.”
Goddard’s son was one of the 17 injured in the Virginia Tech shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, in which 32 people died. He has lead poisoning from three bullets left in his body, according to Goddard. The tragic event is what started his advocacy work for firearm regulation.
“I now continue because of all the other parents I've met and other family members I've met of people who have died by gun violence,” Goddard said. “And you know, that's what keeps me going, I was lucky -- my son survived.”
Firearms represented 40.6% of all known weapons used in aggravated assaults, according to a report done in 2023 by the Virginia State Police.
The Virginia Center for Public Safety will have its 34th annual Anti-Gun Violence Vigil and Lobby Day on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19.
Ahead of the 2026 session, lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 27, to define standards of responsible conduct for firearm industry members, and SB 38, which further regulates the transfer of firearms from individuals with protective orders or convicted of domestic abuse.
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Communication. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.