Y’know, the Republican Party has been trying for years to convince people that their views, and those of their allies in the NRA and VCDL, are in line with those of responsible gun owners, like me.
Bull.
There’s absolutely nothing controversial about background checks, which a wide majority of even Republicans are in favor of, so we can keep guns out of the hands of domestic violence abusers, terrorists, or criminals– like the ones in New York City, who brag about how easy it is for them to drive down to Virginia and load themselves up.
And if you want to concealed carry a firearm, you should dang well be required to have a permit and training. This “Constitutional Carry” nonsense they try and push is 100% Grade-A horse manure, because the Founding Fathers wouldn’t have put up with that sort-of nonsense. I should know; I’m running for Thomas Jefferson’s old seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, and when the University of Virginia was founded, firearms were banned from campus at his behest. Imagine that!
And it’s all good and well to talk a big game about mental health issues, but that means actually putting in the hard work to provide that support, because mental health issues are serious issues, not just a reason to sadly pontificate about why the latest mass shooting occurred. And if you really want to solve those issues, then unfunded mandates, no matter how well intentioned, just aren’t going to flipping cut it. We need to do more, and we need to not stop until the problem is fixed.
Hey, if the Republicans want to talk about guns, great! Let’s do it- absolutely! But that means not catering to party flacks, lobbyists, and special interest groups with their own agenda. It means standing up for Virginia and Virginians before all else. That includes the NRA, last seen busily trying to incite a civil war in order to keep their coffers full. It also includes the Virginia Citizen’s Defense League, who’re so far out there that they think even the NRA is a pusillanimous organization of gun-grabbers.
I’m sick and fricking tired of the Republicans letting the extremists in their party run the show, especially on issues like this one. And since the Republicans don’t want to stand up by God, that’s exactly what I intend to do in Richmond.
Stand with us today, and we can take our people-powered campaign all the way to November, flip the Trump Winery district, and bring responsive and accountable leadership back to the folks of Virginia.
Kellen Squire is an emergency department nurse in Charlottesville, VA, running for the Virginia House of Delegates in the 58th District this fall. Donate to, volunteer for, or get the word out about our people-powered campaign, TODAY!
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