Virginia Passes Gun Ban With a Loophole for Lawmakers

Virginia lawmakers just passed a bill banning firearms in and around the state Capitol, making it a Class 1 misdemeanor to carry in the Capitol building, Capitol Square, and surrounding government-controlled buildings. Violations can result in fines, jail time, and seizure of your firearm.

It’s another expansion of government-imposed gun-free zones, the same policy that continues to target lawful gun owners while doing nothing to stop criminals.

But this bill goes a step further.

Buried in the language is a carve-out for the people who wrote it.

“The provisions of this section shall not apply to any member of the General Assembly who leaves a handgun in an unattended motor vehicle…”

At the same time, the bill imposes restrictions on everyone else:

“No person shall knowingly leave a handgun in an unattended vehicle…”

The law explicitly states that the firearm ban does not apply to members of the General Assembly if they leave a handgun in their vehicle while parked in a legislative parking structure.

At the same time, the bill creates a new section of law regulating how handguns can be stored in unattended vehicles if that vehicle belongs to someone from the general public.

So while the public is banned from carrying anywhere near the Capitol, lawmakers made sure they can still keep a firearm on the same property, secured in their vehicle, within reach, under their control.

This bill does not remove firearms from the Capitol.

It removes them from you.

If firearms are truly too dangerous to exist near government, that standard should apply equally.

It doesn’t.

Lawmakers are willing to disarm the public.

They are not willing to disarm themselves.