BREAKING UPDATE: Virginia State Senator Tommy Normant under pressure, has reversed course, see Tweets below.
SEE TWEETS FROM @patrickmwilson BELOW:
Continue reading the original story below:
In a stunning turn of events, majority leader and state senator from the 3rd district of Virginia has sold his fellow Republicans and constituents down the river. Tommy Norment, who attended the same Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia as Virginia Democrat Governor Ralph Northam, appears to be caving into the Governor’s upcoming gun control agenda.
Virginia Governor Northam, embroiled in scandals of his own relating to pictures that surfaced earlier this year in his EVMS yearbook showing people posing in blackface, (in addition to his ‘infanticide’ comments) is attempting to restore his clout with the left by politicizing a recent and tragic shooting at the Virginia Beach City Municipal Center.
Today’s special session called by the Virginia Governor will have some pro and anti-gun control proposals from different legislators, although the special session itself is an attempt for Democrats to get more gun control measures on the books. Tommy Norment is shockingly proposing some measures that are nothing less than antithetical to what conservative Republicans and all pro-gun Americans stand for. Perhaps standing out the most is SB4013, a bill that if passed will ban guns in all government buildings, taking the current law banning guns from all state buildings a step further.
SEE TWEET BELOW FROM LOCAL VIRGINIA NEWS NBC AFFILIATE:
It would not be surprising to see a Democrat propose such a bill on the wake of a tragedy as it seems to be the left’s M.O. to use tragedies to leverage their anti-second amendment agenda every chance they get. But to see a Republican leader in gun-friendly Virginia do this is very shocking to many. Clearly, there is much pressure from the left for Tommy Normant to stand with Ralph Northam’s agenda as can be seen in the video Tweet below. The question is, why is he actually caving?
SEE TWEETED VIDEO BELOW FROM APPARENT LEFT-WING ACTIVIST POSTED BY @GiffordsCourage:
While this story is disheartening and surprising for many, this is actually not Norment’s first anti-gun rodeo. Previously Tommy Norment has voted to require universal background checks for sales by non-dealers at gun shows, (SB1257, 2009). He voted against repealing a ban on concealed carry in restaurants, (SB1035, 2009; SB334, 2010). He voted against repealing one handgun per month law, (HB940, 2012). Norment voted for gun-free zones on college and university campuses, prohibiting concealed carry by law-abiding permit holders, (SB493, 2018).
Some may wonder if a recent political storm in Virginia’s 97th House of Delegates Republican nominating process ties in. Delegate Chris Peace, and challenger, now nominee Scott Wyatt had a contentious battle for who would be the Republican on the ballot for this seat in November. While Chris Peace had angered many regarding a controversial vote for Medicaid expansion, a bad political move in hindsight, he did indeed have a 100% rating with the VCDL.
Is there more to the reasoning behind why Tommy Normant and the left-leaning Libertarians in the Virginia GOP such as Delegate Nick Frietas, who backed Scott Wyatt by supporting the convention that helped him win than meets the eye? Will Scott Wyatt be as strong on gun control as Chris Peace if elected after Tommy Norment played a role in his nomination? One can only speculate.
180 degree turns by Republicans in gun-friendly states such as this and others like Florida Republican Congressman Brian Mast should be alarming. Brian Mast claims to be pro-gun personally but politically not so much. Constituents must be aware that talk is cheap and voting rights and actions matter. There will surely be more to come of this breaking story as the special session details unfold throughout the day.