On Thursday, Oct. 15, Virginia's governor, Terry McAuliffe, signed Executive Order 50, which was intended to prevent further gun violence. Surprisingly, some people agreed with the executive order, and others were outraged. There are six parts to the legislations.
1. Establish Joint Task Force to Prosecute Gun Crimes
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2. Authorize Attorney General to Coordinate and Bring Criminal Cases Against Firearms Law Offenders
3. Establish Tip Line For Illegal Gun Activity
4.Trace Guns Used in Crime
5. Encourage Judge and Prosecutors to Seek Gun Forfeiture in Felony and Other Cases
6. Banning Firearms in State Government Buildings
Governor McAuliffe, an outspoken advocate for gun control, resorted to an executive order because his other proposals such as universal background checks and keeping guns away from violent criminals, domestic abusers, and stalkers have been rejected by the Republican-controlled General Assembly. With McAuliffe, as he signed the order, were the parents of Alison Parker, one of the news reporters killed earlier this year. Colin Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 and a Senior Policy Advocate for Everytown for Gun Safety, believes that McAuliffe's actions are moving Virginia in the right direction for preventing gun violence.
A fellow Virginian believes that the executive order, "Sounds like a reasonable, common sense method to me. I'm sure Hitler would approve!" You can now count on Hitler's vote for McAuliffe this next election season. Another, more civil, commentator said, "Hey Governor ASSHAT, What part of 'Shall not be infringed" do you not understand?" "Governor ASSHAT" is another name for Governor McAuliffe. "Shall not be infringed" is the last line from the beloved Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights, which fully states, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." This man has a point. The best-regulated militia are ones that meet in government buildings and include felony offenders. Don't we remember that on April 19, 1775, the British were coming to confiscate the weapons of the dangerous militiamen? Where is today's Paul Revere to unite us and take down the tyrant in Richmond?
Will Governor McAuliffe's actions work in reducing the gun related crime in Virginia? That remains to be seen, but in a state that witnessed one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States in 2007, something, if not an executive order, needs to be done.
Lawmakers go back in forth between the root cause of the prevalent gun violence in the United States. Whether we should focus on the person behind the gun or the gun itself, we should keep in mind the safety of the people at the end of the gun barrel. I don't care if we have more gun control or everyone owns a gun, I am just tired of having a new gun story to write about every month.
