Spanberger: “As Governor of This Great Commonwealth, I will Sign Commonsense Gun Violence Prevention Bills”

RICHMOND, Va. — Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger — a former federal law enforcement officer and the mother of three school-aged girls — yesterday joined Moms Demand Action outside the Virginia State Capitol to voice her commitment to keeping Virginia’s kids safe and supporting commonsense gun violence prevention legislation as the next Governor of Virginia.

Click here to read coverage of the event in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and the full text is below.

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Richmond Times-Dispatch: Spanberger: As governor, I will sign gun violence prevention laws

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the presumptive Democratic candidate for governor, spoke at a rally for gun violence prevention outside the state Capitol on Wednesday morning and highlighted her commitment to enacting what she called common-sense gun safety laws.

Spanberger emphasized the need to protect children and honor victims of gun violence through advocacy and legislative action.

Spanberger is the only declared Democratic candidate for this year’s governor’s race. She is likely running against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the only declared Republican candidate at this point. 

“Unfortunately, our current governor has vetoed proposals, bipartisan legislation, that would have made progress on some of these issues, legislation that would have made our commonwealth a safer place to live, work and raise a family,” Spanberger said at the chilly Wednesday morning rally hosted by the group Moms Demand Action.

“Now I’m running for governor, and I will say this: as governor of this great commonwealth, I will sign common-sense gun violence prevention bills.”

Last year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed several gun control measures that had passed the General Assembly, including proposals to ban the purchase and sale of assault-style weapons.

Youngkin said at the time: “I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of Virginia, and that absolutely includes protecting the right of law-abiding Virginians to keep and bear arms.”

Spanberger thanked those who advocated for Lucia’s Law, which makes it a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison for any parent or adult caregiver to allow a child to get ahold of a firearm if the child is known to pose a threat of violence or has been found delinquent because of a violent offense.

The legislation, which Youngkin signed last year, was inspired by the shooting death of 13-year-old Lucia Bremer in 2021 after another Quioccasin Middle School student used his father’s gun to shoot her while she and a friend were walking home from school. 

“The Bremer family turned their pain and their loss of their beautiful young daughter into advocacy, and now, because of that work, because of their advocacy, because of their work to honor their daughter and because of your work in concert with them, lives will be saved,” Spanberger said.

“But we know there is more that we can do.”

Several gun safety measures have been introduced by state legislators this year, including a bill to tax firearms and use the revenue for gun violence prevention as well as a bill that would require anyone purchasing a gun from a firearms dealer to present a valid permit issued by the Department of State Police that allows the holder to purchase a firearm.

Moms Demand Action volunteers at Wednesday morning’s rally said they are prepared to push hard this session for more gun safety reform.

“Lawmakers know exactly where our generation stands on gun violence: pass gun safety laws or we’ll replace you with someone who will,” said Daniel Gonzales, a volunteer leader with the John R. Lewis High School Students Demand Action chapter.

“We have every intention of bringing that energy into this year’s session, especially since it’s an election year. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for young people in America and we fully expect our leaders to build on the bipartisan progress they made last year on gun safety.”

More than 100 children and teens die by guns every year in Virginia, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guns are the No. 1 cause of death for children and teens in Virginia, followed by car crashes, according to CDC data. The same is true for the U.S.

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