RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Jeffrey Katz wants Virginia gun owners to know police are not and will not come for their guns.
Col. Katz addressed what he called "recent online sentiment" which indicated Virginia passed laws to prompt police to go door-to-door to collect firearms from Virginians.
"I want to speak to this clearly and plainly. There is no legislative proposal seeking to do this, and there will not be," Katz said in a statement published to the Virginia State Police Facebook page. "VSP works each day to enhance safety and protect civil liberties. Those liberties were not granted by government and will not be impeded by government. Not now, not ever. Activity of this nature is, by its very nature un-American."
Gun-related laws and issues are always hotly-debated both in the Virginia General Assembly and communities across the Commonwealth.
Last month hundreds of gun rights advocates gathered at the State Capitol to oppose legislation that would ban the sale of assault firearms and high-capacity magazines in Virginia.
If signed into law as passed by the General Assembly, the sale, manufacture, and importation of guns classified as assault weapons and magazines that hold more than 15 rounds would be banned after July 1, 2026. Those who already own such items before that date would be allowed to keep them.
At that rally, Jason Redman of TurboVets said the legislation represented a broader threat to constitutional rights.
"We are seeing drastic attempts to erode one of our most important freedoms: Our Second Amendment," Redman said.
The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax), said the measure is intended to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
"The overall goal of this bill is to ensure that we have less weapons of war on the street," Salim said.
Salim added that the lack of legislative action on gun violence has gone on too long.
"Instead of trying to do something, we just continue to say, we're going to think about you and we're going to pray for you. So we have not seen a lot of that being done," Salim said.
State Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Rockingham) argued the bill will do nothing to stop criminals from obtaining guns illegally, and that the focus should be on them — not law-abiding gun owners.
In response to the bill's passage, a spokesperson for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said the governor looked forward to reviewing the legislation.
"The Governor is grateful for the efforts of legislators and advocates to address gun violence in Virginia communities, and she looks forward to reviewing all legislation that comes to her desk," the spokesperson said.
Virginia Citizens Defense League President Phillip Van Cleave urged Spanberger to veto the bill, arguing it would do nothing to reduce violent crime.
"Veto it," Van Cleave urged. "There is nothing in there that is salvageable. The whole thing will do nothing to stop violent crime."
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