Chaos is breaking loose in Virginia following the promise to enact many new anti-gun laws that some are calling unconstitutional. Virginian Democrats have proposed legislation that, if passed, will require background checks before purchasing a firearm, will limit the buying period between firearms to 30 days and will allow businesses to restrict or even ban guns from their stores. The three bills have passed the Senate and are now on their way to the House to be considered. Democratic lawmakers have stated that these new regulations are intended to improve public safety and come as an answer to the recent increase in Democratic wins. Republicans have stood firm in their belief that gun control laws would only serve to punish innocent people while still not stopping those who have bad intentions with their firearms.y

Monday, Jan. 20 was subject to many pro-gun rallies in Richmond, as many Virginians find this new possible legislation to be unconstitutional. Virginian sheriffs have threatened not to enforce the laws if they were to be passed, claiming that they will continue to uphold the constitution of the United States by allowing U.S citizens their Second Amendment rights. Thousands of activists have gathered at the capitol to protest, guns in hand. There was heavy security at the rally following credible threats of violence and a counter-protest by pro-gun control activists was supposedly called off so as to avoid any violence or confrontation. 

The real question is whether or not the state of Georgia is, or any other southern state, is going to follow in Virginia’s footsteps. Virginia was previously a moderately red state, with many of its representatives being republican. A change such as this was unprecedented and definitely not expected amongst the citizens of Virginia despite their recent increase in democratic representatives. This begs the question: if a moderately republican state is one of the first to move towards enacting gun control, who is to say that other southern states such as Georgia will be next? Gun control has been a highly controversial topic over the last decade as there has been an unsettling amount of shootings in the States, and it seems to have split the country in half. In other words, only time will tell if Georgia will follow suit in Virginia’s progressiveness.