VCC Magazine Fall 2019

One of the most important issues we face today By Richard L. Saslaw Gun violence prevention is one

of the most important issues we as a Commonwealth and a nation face today. Earlier this summer, the same summer in which 12 innocent victims were gunned down in a mass shooting in Virginia Beach, Governor Northam called a special session of the General Assembly and tasked the legislature with thoughtfully exploring and debating commonsense solutions to stem the scourge of gun violence. Republican

majorities in both the House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia instead chose to shirk their duties and put any and all reform on hold by referring the issue for “further study” by the Crime Commission. And this time they did it with a smile and friendly banter, even as hundreds of individuals presented their heart-tugging stories and courageous legislators held out hope things would be different after the facts were presented. It is not unusual to defer action on proposals that come before the Crime Commission. But it is unforgivable these bills did not get a hearing in either chamber in July. And what’s a total insult to the men, women and children we are elected to serve is deferring legislative action until after the elections this November 5. Thoughts and prayers are not saving any lives. It’s not a state secret that semi-automatic weapons with high capacity magazines and military-style assault weapons have only one purpose—kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. It’s not likely that an individual will use a rifle with 50-round “drum” magazine to hunt beer or bear. In order to operate a moving vehicle—whether a car, motorcycle, or a boat—you need a license. It’s therefore puzzling to me why there is such ardent opposition to universal background checks. Not a license, just a simple check to ensure that a person is capable of responsibly owning a firearm. Annually, more than 1,000 Virginians lose their lives to gun violence. More than half are due to suicide. In cases of domestic abuse, women are most likely to be the victims of gun violence. Isn’t it time to try to save lives rather than stack up the death toll? Universal background checks, forbidding the sale of military- style assault weapons with high-capacity magazines, and keeping weapons out of the wrong hands are not new or novel ideas. They are ideas that have been discussed and vetted ad nauseam over the past decade as the mounting body count continues to stun this nation. When we are in charge, I can assure you Senate and House Democrats will get commonsense legislation to the Governor’s desk. Senator Richard L. Saslaw is a democrat who represents the 35th District: Falls Church, part of Alexandria, and Fairfax County. The Good News? By Paul Krizek The good news is that there has been an overall decrease in violent crime over the last ten years in the Commonwealth, however the use of firearms in violent crimes has risen 31% for murder and non-negligent manslaughter and 54% for aggravated assault. Specifically, in 2018, there were 3,108 aggravated assault incidents with a firearm, up from just 2,069 in 2009. (From the Virginia State Police Criminal Justice Information Services Division, August 30, 2019) Delegate Paul Krizek is a democrat representing the 44th District, which covers part of Fairfax. V

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