Republicans Join Democrats in Advancing Anti-Gun Regulations in Virginia
by John Crump
The proposed ban would significantly increase the area where shooting is not permitted, to include private property.
Leesburg, Virginia – -(AmmoLand.com)- Republicans Ron Meyer and Matt Letourneau, who sit on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, joined their Democratic colleagues by backing anti-gun groups demands. Loudoun County is an affluent Washington, DC suburb located in Northern Virginia.
The demands were to send studies to the Transportation and Land Use Committee that would expand the area of the county where shooting is prohibited. Currently shooting is banned in most of the eastern portions of the county. The proposed ban would significantly increase the area where shooting is not permitted, to include private property.
The study also would double the minimum distance required for shooting from 50 yards to 100 yards from primary and secondary roads. Target shooters will also be required to have a berm when shooting.
Hunters say these regulations will cut down on where they can hunt. They point out that the land they and their families have been hunting on for hundreds of years would now be off limits. They feel it is not only a violation of their Second Amendment rights but also a violation of their property rights.
Ron Meyer doesn’t see these proposals as either a violation of property or gun rights. In fact, he considers these regulations as protecting property rights.
Ron Meyer doesn’t see these proposals as either a violation of property or gun rights.
“I believe it is wrong to violate people’s right to life and property — like allowing the shooting of homes without penalty. All of the eight homes shot lead to zero fines and/or successful prosecutions,” Meyer told AmmoLand. “The goal of the committee discussion is to figure out how to fix that, while not infringing on 2nd Amendment rights. 2nd Amendment rights do not trump our rights to life and property — they need to be balanced. No one has to right to shoot another’s home without penalty.”
Meyer is referring to an incident where gunfire hit a house. The police were not able to determine who fired the shots. Other gun rights advocates think new laws are not the answer and there should more focus on enforcing current laws.
Meyer tends to bring up the fact that Trump lost his district when questioned about why his voting record on the gun issue is more in line with the Democratic side of the board than the Republican side. Letourneau’s district also leans lefts. A lot of Republicans see the two as pandering to their left-leaning constituents.
Meyer and Letourneau’s voting record hasn’t escaped the notice of other prominent Republicans like the President of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies and NRA Board member, Willes Lee.
“Meyer and Letourneau are exactly why voters are wary of Republicans. Concocting ‘non-solutions’ that serve only to restrict our civil rights more doesn’t make Loudoun County safer,” Lee told AmmoLand. “Worse is that every Republican in the state, especially elected officials, won’t speak against them. Republicans need to join brave Second Amendment and firearms-rights supporters to fight these ridiculous proposals.”
Other residents of Loudoun County are also upset over the apparent defection Meyer and Letourneau to the Democrats side of the issues involving guns.
One Facebook user wrote: “These guys are doing the Democrats job for them. It’s inexplicable and utterly dishonest. “
Many people shared the feeling of betrayal although some Republicans seem to back the ideas of Meyer and Letourneau by pushing the idea that the Second Amendment is only about the right to own a firearm and not about the right to shoot a gun.
One Facebook user that agreed with the two Republicans wrote: “The 2nd Amendment is about the right to bear arms, not the right to discharge your firearm wherever you want.”
The measure passed the Board by a vote of 5-4 with all Democrats and the two Republicans voting for it sending the proposed changes to the February Transportation and Land Use Committee meeting.
Matt Letourneau did not return a request for comments to AmmoLand.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.
