It is often said that bad ideas start in California and make their way east. But these days, Virginia seems eager to take that crown.
The Old Dominion’s two U.S. senators aren’t just embracing gun control from Richmond, they’re trying to export it nationwide. Democrat Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have rolled out the so-called “Virginia Plan,” a package that would take 13 of the most extreme gun restrictions in Virginia law and impose them across the country.
In pushing this agenda, Kaine points to the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre as justification. But the facts tell a different story. A comprehensive analysis of mass shootings over more than 75 years shows that 93% of mass shootings occur in so-called gun-free zones. That suggests the problem is not too many guns, but too many places where only the attacker is armed and the victims are defenseless.
Nevertheless, Kaine and Warner want to expand those zones by banning firearms within 1,000 feet of most hospitals and mental health facilities. But does anyone really believe that a sign will stop a criminal intent to murder? These attackers continually ignore such restrictions. And given that most of them choose these disarmament zones, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that these policies do not deter attacks – they invite them.
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Take a hospital in Darby, Penn. A deranged individual came in, intent on killing as many people as possible in 2014. By the logic of gun control advocates, that attack should never have happened. The shooter was prohibited from possessing firearms; he could not pass a background check. However, he still obtained a number of weapons illegally.
And the hospital was exactly what gun control advocates say they want: a place where no one but law enforcement is allowed to go. But in practice these limitations could not hold him back. And as the saying goes, when seconds count, the police are minutes away.
The gunman walked right past a “no weapons allowed” sign and opened fire. What he didn’t expect was resistance. His intended target, Dr. Lee Silverman, was a lawful license holder who transported despite hospital policy. When the shooting started, Silverman took cover and returned fire, hitting the attacker several times and stopping the rampage. Tragically, one life was lost, but authorities credited him with preventing a much larger massacre.
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That’s not a theory – that’s reality. And yet Virginia’s leaders are moving in the opposite direction. Of the thirteen provisions in the Virginia Plan, perhaps the most egregious is the ban on firearms in general possession—a restriction that Virginia itself is now in the process of imposing.
The term “assault weapon” is one of the most misleading labels in this debate. But any item used to kill can be labeled an “assault weapon.” FBI data from the past five years shows that knives are used in about 1,500 murders annually – more than three times more than all guns combined. AR-15s are only a small subset of long guns. Why then is policy fixated on one category that represents only a small portion of violent crime?
These bans not only miss the point; they also entail real costs. The targeted firearms are among the most popular in the country for legal purposes, including self-defense. Depriving law-abiding citizens of access to effective defensive tools does not disarm criminals – it only tilts the balance against those who follow the law. If the goal is public safety, we should focus on violent offenders and not place restrictions on responsible citizens.
That’s something President Donald Trump has done well. Our country enjoys unprecedented security – and that has not been the result of new gun restrictions. It came from a shift in priorities. In the first month of his second administration, Trump implemented measures aimed at deporting violent gang members, ending catch-and-release policies for illegal aliens and taking repeat offenders off the streets. This is what true public safety looks like.
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Nevertheless, Kaine and Warner want to expand those zones by banning firearms within 1,000 feet of most hospitals and mental health facilities.
The results speak for themselves. We saw the largest drop in homicides ever in a single year — without a single new federal gun control law. While some politicians insist that more gun restrictions are the answer, the data shows the opposite: enforcing the law, locking up violent offenders, and reducing crime. That should be a wake-up call for anti-gun Democrats like Kaine and Warner. But they will probably ignore it.
Ultimately, this isn’t just a policy debate – it’s a real battle over whether this country will respect the Constitution or bend the knee to tyranny. That’s why Gun Owners of America is involved in lawsuits across the country: challenging Illinois’ so-called assault weapons ban, pushing back on expanded gun-free zones in New York and preparing a challenge to Virginia’s new ban on commonly owned firearms.
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At its core, the Virginia Plan is about exporting Virginia’s experiment to the nation. But if it becomes a national model, it will also have a national response—in the courts, in the states, and in defense of the Second Amendment.
