(WSLS) Virginia gun rights supporters scored a major win Monday.
A bill aimed at regulating assault weapons in Virginia was shot down in the state legislature.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-5 to kill House Bill 961. Considered the most controversial gun bill of the session, it would have restricted certain rifles, including the popular AR-15, and banned certain magazines, including ones that hold more than 12 rounds.
Four Democrats joined Republicans in a vote to shelve discussion until next year.
Gun enthusiast Bryan Thornill feels the law wouldn’t have helped solve the problem of gun violence.
“We keep trying to restrict the law-abiding citizen for the few that aren’t law-abiding,” he said. “If they’re not law-abiding, then what is the law going to do for the non-law-abiding citizen?”
There was applause from gun rights supporters when the vote came down in Richmond, but there’s frustration from the bill’s supporters, like Peter Reed, who spoke in the committee meeting about the death of his daughter in the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting.
“This bill does not infringe on anyone’s rights. It is a matter of life and death for these families and these victims,” Reed said.
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