Virginia Senate approves ‘red flag’ law allowing temporary seizure of guns from someone deemed a threat – By Gregory S. Schneider (Washington Post) / Jan 22 2020
RICHMOND —The Virginia Senate on Wednesday passed a “red flag” law that would allow authorities to temporarily seize the firearm of someone deemed a threat, a measure that was strongly opposed by gun rights advocates who swarmed the streets around the state Capitol on Monday.
The bill passed on a party-line vote of 21-19, with every Democrat in favor and every Republican against. Debate grew unusually sharp as some GOP senators suggested that the bill would violate the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
“Each legislator that votes in favor of this bill in my opinion is a traitor to Virginia, a traitor to the Second Amendment and a traitor to our constitutional freedoms,” said Sen. Amanda F. Chase (R-Chesterfield), the gun-toting iconoclast known for her provocative style.
Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) threatened to write a formal complaint against Chase for violating Senate rules against “speaking offense” to members. “I am deeply offended,” Howell said, adding that she would hold off in her complaint only because Chase admitted she had not read the rules.
Other Republican senators tried to dial back the heat but argued that they felt the law was dangerous because it allowed police to seize weapons from someone based only on a civil complaint, not for breaking the law.
“I’m not going to invoke any highflying rhetoric,” Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (R-Rockingham) said after Chase’s outburst. “I think we’re all about trying to keep Virginia safer. However we have very differing views” on how to do it.
Opponents also argued the bill would put police officers into risky situations by having them confront someone who might not want to surrender their weapons. Sen. A. Benton Chafin Jr. (R-Russell) invoked the specter of Ruby Ridge, the Idaho compound where federal marshals got into a gun battle with a barricaded family group.
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