This story was reported and written by our media partner the Virginia Mercury.
Standing just outside the iron fencing surrounding Virginia’s Capitol in downtown Richmond on Monday, Alexandria resident Gerald Vandendries hoisted a semi-automatic rifle and scanned the crowd gathering for Lobby Day — an annual ritual for gun rights supporters that carried renewed urgency this year.
“We’re hoping to just kind of give Democrats a friendly reminder that this is our right,” Vandendries said. “Our Constitution very specifically says our rights shall not be infringed. They do not have the right in any way, shape or form to dictate to us, the civilian population, what we can or cannot own.”
Monday’s pro-Second Amendment rally, organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, drew nearly 1,000 people to the Bell Tower in Capitol Square.
Attendance was noticeably higher than in recent years, reflecting concerns among gun owners as Democrats once again control both chambers of the General Assembly and the governor’s office — a political alignment many supporters said felt familiar.
In early 2020, when Democrats gained unified control of state government for the first time in more than two decades, lawmakers enacted sweeping changes to Virginia’s gun laws, including universal background checks, a one-handgun-a-month purchasing limit and a red-flag law allowing courts to temporarily remove firearms from people deemed a danger.
The legislation, signed into law by then-Gov. Ralph Northam, triggered fierce opposition and drew tens of thousands of gun rights supporters to Capitol Square for Lobby Day that January, though the demonstration remained peaceful.
That history framed much of the message Monday, as speakers and attendees warned that a similar legislative push is again taking shape — and urged supporters to respond not only through rallies but by engaging in elections, local government and the courts.
Several speakers emphasized that even if new restrictions are enacted, gun rights advocates still have avenues to fight back.
Longtime VCDL coordinator Brendan Mooney, who now lives in Idaho, returned to Richmond to address the crowd. He urged attendees to run for or seek appointment to local offices, including school boards and planning commissions.
“There’s a lot of offices in your county that are probably filled with people that got there because they showed up,” Mooney said.
U.S. Rep. John McGuire, R-Goochland, also took the stage, urging supporters to mobilize ahead of this year’s congressional elections.
“We need all hands on deck. We’ve got the midterms coming up,” McGuire said. “I need 10 people to get 10 people to get 10 people to vote. We need your prayers. We need your dollars. We need you out there knocking on the doors now.”
Later Monday afternoon, a counter-protest gathered at the Bell Tower for an annual gun violence prevention rally that doubles as a day of remembrance for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Friends and family members of gun violence victims joined advocates from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, forming a crowd of a few hundred.
About 100 attendees wore blue Superman-themed beanie hats honoring Adam Turck, a Richmond-based actor who was shot and killed last summer after intervening in a domestic dispute while walking his dog.
“While we understand and even admire what Adam did, we’re also angry it wasn’t Adam’s job to protect the vulnerable from an act of violence,” said CJ Bergen, a friend of Turck’s who spoke at the rally. “That was the commonwealth’s job.”
The contrast between the two events was stark. While the VCDL rally centered on frustration and resistance to anticipated legislation, the gun safety gathering emphasized remembrance, gratitude and persistence.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,237 Virginians died from gun violence in 2023. Nationwide, the agency reported roughly 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the same period.
Del. Nadarius Clark, D-Suffolk, who chairs a House Public Safety subcommittee, said at the later rally that addressing gun violence is personal for him after losing a family member.
Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, also attended the afternoon rally and expressed hope that legislation previously vetoed under Youngkin — including a safe storage proposal — could now advance under Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Virginia lawmakers set to debate these gun bills this session
Democrats have already filed a broad package of firearm-related legislation this session, signaling that gun policy will again dominate debate.
One proposal would impose an 11% excise tax on retail firearm and ammunition sales, directing the revenue to a state gun violence intervention and prevention fund.
Other measures would establish standards of responsible conduct for gun manufacturers and dealers, allowing enforcement actions by the attorney general, local prosecutors or individuals harmed by violations.
Several bills focus on domestic violence, tightening firearm relinquishment requirements for people convicted of assault or subject to protective orders by adding age, residency and reporting standards designed to ensure guns are surrendered.
Lawmakers are also revisiting so-called ghost gun legislation, strengthening penalties for manufacturing, selling or possessing undetectable plastic firearms, unserialized guns and unfinished frames or receivers, with updated language reflecting modern security screening technology and delayed effective dates beginning in 2027.
Another proposal would narrow exemptions allowing firearms in Capitol Square and other government buildings, particularly on public college campuses, limiting them to approved academic or institutional activities.
Democrats have also revived an assault weapons ban, introduced by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, a measure supporters argue would reduce mass shootings but which gun rights advocates say would outlaw commonly owned firearms.
Republicans have countered with more limited proposals, including a bill that would exempt women with active protective orders from restrictions on carrying firearms in certain locations and another that would lower fees charged by local law enforcement for processing concealed handgun permit applications.
But their prospects may be limited after losing all three statewide offices and seeing Democrats expand their majority in the House.