By Michael Martz

ALEXANDRIA — Two days after the fatal shooting of three young people in her former congressional district, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger left no doubt about where she stands on state legislation to prevent gun violence that Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed again this year.

Spanberger, speaking to a rally of red-shirted advocates for stronger state gun-control laws, declared Thursday that “Virginia is on the right path, but we need a governor to sign,” as she flourished one hand to mime a signature.

Among the legislation she said she would support if elected governor in November are proposals to stiffen penalties on failure to keep loaded firearms safe from minors, a ban on the manufacture and distribution of “ghost” guns, stricter limits on high-capacity magazines that can be used in mass shootings and a ban on the sale, purchase or transfer of assault-style rifles.

Youngkin vetoed two dozen bills dealing with firearms, including a ban on sales of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. He proposed amendments that the General Assembly rejected on others, leaving their fate in his hands.

“I will sign legislation into law to make progress on these issues to keep Virginia families safe,” she said. “I will not veto common-sense proposals like our current governor has done.”

Spanberger’s speech did not specify a ban on sales of assault-style weapons, which Youngkin has vetoed in two consecutive years since Democrats regained control of both chambers of the General Assembly at the beginning of last year. But she said in an interview after the rally that she would support such a prohibition, as she did in Congress by co-sponsoring legislation that the House of Representatives passed but the Senate killed in 2022.

“I am totally on the record,” she said.

Spanberger stepped down from Congress in January after three terms representing the 7th Congressional District, including Spotsylvania County, where a shooting incident on Tuesday night left three people dead, several more injured and four teenagers charged in the shootings. She withheld comment until she learns more about what happened, but noted that a day earlier a gun had discharged in the backpack of an elementary school student in Spotsylvania.

“Thank God no one was hurt, but what in the world would allow an elementary school student to have a gun in their backpack,” she said in the interview.

Gun violence has become a red-line political and cultural issue in Virginia, but Spanberger emphasized her background as the daughter of a law enforcement officer who carried a firearm every day and the niece of an avid hunter who stored his rifles in a cherrywood cabinet in his home.

“I grew up in a family where responsible gun ownership was the norm,” she said.

Spanberger also served in several law enforcement roles, first as a U.S. Postal Service inspector who worked on money laundering and narcotics cases and executed search and arrest warrants.

“I carried a firearm every single day as part of my job,” she told the crowd here.

Spanberger noted that that under a 1994 federal law in force then, but repealed later, she used gun magazines that had a larger capacity for ammunition than those allowed for civilian use, “keeping the community safe and also ensuring that law enforcement had a bit of an advantage.”

She also served as an officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, where her job continued to require training and use of firearms.

“My mission was keeping the American people safe,” she said.

Spanberger’s Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, is a former U.S. Marine and a longtime backer of gun rights. Earle-Sears’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment about the Spanberger rally.

The rally was sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety and its affiliates, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. Spanberger served as a volunteer advocate for Moms Demand Action in Henrico County, after leaving federal service and before running for Congress for the first time in 2018.

“It’s about common sense y’all,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “Abigail has proven you can respect the Second Amendment (guaranteeing the right to bear arms) while fighting for a safer community.”