Two local lawmakers who spearheaded bills to limit domestic abusers’ access to firearms blasted recent vetoes of that legislation at a press conference today (Thursday).
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) last month struck down bills from State Sen. Barbara Favola and Del. Adele McClure that would have strengthened existing gun control laws around people who have physically attacked family members and romantic partners.
The Democratic legislators, who represent parts of Arlington, decried these decisions at a meeting hosted in Ballston by Doorways and the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance — two groups that additionally criticized budget amendments that shrank victim service providers’ funding by $7.4 million.
“A woman who is in a situation of domestic violence [where] a firearm is present is five times more likely to die,” Favola said. “This is a matter of life and death.”
McClure said, “I cannot possibly think of a valid reason for vetoing a bill that would close a lethal loophole and save so many lives.”
People convicted of assaulting members of their family or household are currently banned from owning guns in Virginia.
However, state law does not extend to people who have attacked romantic partners — a limit sometimes known as the “boyfriend loophole.” The law also allows people convicted of assaulting family members to hand over their firearms to a member of their household.
Youngkin argued that closing these exceptions could cause “inadvertent compromises to public safety.”
“The legislation fails to achieve its intended purpose and is unnecessary,” he said in a veto statement. “The existing legal framework addresses firearm possession in cases of domestic abuse.”
McClure, who sponsored a bill to expand state law to include dating or intimate partners, called the governor’s decision “a deadly veto.”
“It is evident that Gov. Glenn Youngkin does not trust women, he does not care to protect women and he does not have the interests of women and survivors around the Commonwealth in mind,” she said.
Favola, meanwhile, sponsored legislation that would have prevented abusers from giving their guns to people who reside in their household or who are under 21. She called it a “common-sense measure” introduced because she heard from constituents about people failing to actually surrender their firearms.
“I wanted to ensure that our current law was followed and I wanted to ensure that women and families were safe,” she said.
Both McClure and Favola intend to continue advocating for their bills in the next legislative session.
Doorways and the Action Alliance also argued in a press release that the state budget should have included more funding for agencies that serve victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and child trafficking. Federal funding for these programs has shrunk by 47.5% in the last five years, making them more reliant on state funding, according to Action Alliance Policy Director Jonathan Yglesias.
“Governor Youngkin’s decision to veto these bills and cut millions of dollars from agencies providing vital services to crime victims demonstrates just how out of touch he is with the needs of women and communities across Virginia,” Yglesias said.