Center for American Progress

Donate

Center for American Progress

The Virginia special session on gun legislation doesn’t have to be a farce
In the News

The Virginia special session on gun legislation doesn’t have to be a farce

Chelsea Parsons and Ed Chung argue that Virginia's special session on gun legislation should focus on commonsense measures to address the factors contributing to gun violence, rather than an ineffective, tough-on-crime approach.

Media Contact

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Government Affairs

[email protected]

In the aftermath of the horrific mass shooting in a municipal building in Virginia Beach on May 31 that left 12 people dead and four others injured, a surprising thing happened in the state capital. Rather than the usual round of empty “thoughts and prayers” by some policymakers and passionate calls for action by others, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced that the Virginia legislature would indeed be called on to take action in a special session focused on proposals to prevent gun violence, scheduled to begin Tuesday.

But there are indications that the special session will be made a farce by legislators more eager to play politics than address an urgent public safety issue.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Washington Post. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Chelsea Parsons

Former Vice President, Gun Violence Prevention

Ed Chung

Senior Fellow

Team

Public Safety

Protecting people from crime is one of the government’s most fundamental and urgent responsibilities. However, the current reality is that too many crimes go unsolved and too many victims lack justice. The Center for American Progress is committed to advancing evidence-based policies that keep individuals safe by solving crime when it happens, ensuring swift and certain accountability for those who harm others, and preventing crime in the first place.