Attorney General Herring celebrates signing of historic gun safety legislation

RICHMOND (April 10, 2020) – Attorney General Mark R. Herring issued the following statement celebrating Governor Northam’s signing of historic gun safety legislation that Attorney General Herring has fought for during his time both as a state senator and as attorney general. The legislation includes universal background checks, a reinstatement of Virginia’s one-handgun-a-month law, an Extreme Risk Protective Order, a mandate to report a lost or stolen firearm, among others.

“We have been working for years for this moment. I want to thank all the advocates, lawmakers and everyday Virginians who tirelessly fought for these life-saving gun safety measures,” said Attorney General Herring. “Virginians sent a message to Richmond last November that they were ready for gun violence prevention laws in the Commonwealth and this year we were finally able to deliver. Guns have taken the lives of too many Virginians, but, unfortunately, Republicans did nothing to change that reality for entirely too long. Our communities are now safer because of these commonsense gun safety measures that have proven to be successful in preventing gun violence.”