Elections have penalties. Generally these penalties present up quick — like when one of many nation’s largest protection contractors decides it’s seen sufficient and heads for the exits barely a month after the brand new governor takes workplace.
That’s precisely what occurred in Virginia this week. Boeing introduced it’s yanking its Protection, House & Safety headquarters out of Arlington and heading again to St. Louis — the identical division it moved to Virginia in 2022 when business-friendly Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin was making the Commonwealth a gorgeous place to construct issues that go growth in protection of this nation. Youngkin’s gone now. Abigail Spanberger is in cost. Boeing didn’t want to attend for a second time period to learn the room.
And right here’s the half that ought to have each Virginia gun proprietor sitting up straight: the identical agenda that despatched Boeing packing is identical one coming to your AR, your standard-capacity magazines, and the rest Democrats have determined you don’t want.
Spanberger wasn’t in workplace 5 minutes earlier than Virginia Democrats got here out swinging with roughly 40 gun-related payments this session. The crown jewel is Home Invoice 217 — a flat-out ban on so-called “assault firearms,” focusing on semiautomatic centerfire rifles geared up with magazines over 20 rounds, folding shares, or the flexibility to just accept a suppressor. Violators face Class 1 misdemeanor costs. The legislature additionally superior a 10-round journal cap that might immediately criminalize 1000’s of law-abiding Virginians who at the moment personal completely authorized standard-capacity mags. They’re additionally pushing a $500 state tax on suppressors — proper after the federal $200 NFA tax was zeroed out. As a result of nothing says “we respect your rights” like a punitive tax on a listening to safety machine.
Let’s be clear about the place Spanberger comes from on this. She’s a former volunteer for Bloomberg’s Mothers Demand Motion. Everytown for Gun Security dropped $1 million in paid media to place her within the governor’s mansion and personally contacted a quarter-million Virginia voters to make it occur. This isn’t a politician who stumbled into gun management. This can be a true believer with a compliant legislature and a pen that’s itching to signal every thing Youngkin saved within the trash.
Home Minority Chief Terry Kilgore referred to as HB 217 precisely what it’s — a direct defiance of Bruen and a blatant try to criminalize essentially the most generally owned rifles in America. He’s proper, and the lawsuits will fly. However that’s the purpose. These folks don’t care if their legal guidelines get struck down ultimately. They need them on the books now, they usually need Virginians residing below the specter of prosecution within the meantime.
In the meantime, Boeing is heading to Missouri — a constitutional carry state — the place Secretary of Warfare Pete Hegseth confirmed up on the St. Louis plant to congratulate the employees and name them “patriots which are key components to making sure peace by way of power.” Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe referred to as it a “win for the heartland.” Onerous to argue.
The connection right here isn’t delicate. The political atmosphere that makes Boeing resolve Virginia is now not well worth the threat is identical atmosphere that appears at a law-abiding gun proprietor and sees a criminal-in-waiting. Each are targets of the identical ideological challenge. Each are being advised that their presence — whether or not as a protection producer or as an armed citizen — is now not welcome within the new Virginia.
Youngkin saved the wolves at bay. Spanberger opened the gate. Virginia gun homeowners knew this was coming. Now it’s right here.
Stand your floor, Virginians. The Virginia Residents Protection League, Gun House owners of America, and the NRA-ILA all have energetic campaigns operating proper now. Use them.
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