Speakers at a pro-gun rally at the Virginia Capitol on Monday criticized some Republican politicians, including Attorney General Jason Miyares, whose office is defending a lawsuit over Virginia’s universal background check laws.
“Democrats might not actually be the roadblock. The roadblock might be Republicans that think that they have the base. There’s something called, ‘The Lesser of Two Evils Fallacy.’ It says that I’m not as bad as the other person, so therefore I’m going to get the votes of my base. We have to get rid of that. If a Republican goes anti-gun, we have to primary them,” Guns of America (GOA) Special Projects Coordinator John Crump said in a speech.
He said, “Not every Republican is totally pro-gun. Who here likes Jason Miyares? Well, you might like him, but do you know that he is defending universal background checks vigorously?”
GOA and the Virginia Citizens Defense League are two of the plaintiffs in Ehlert v. Settle; the plaintiffs seek injunctions against the background check laws. Crump told The Virginia Star that the two sides of the lawsuit are negotiating to try to reach a possible settlement.
Crump told the crowd, “He could enter into a consent agreement with GOA and VCDL and universal background checks could be gone overnight. He could at least stop defending universal background checks, but he is defending them. I need everyone here to call Jason Miyares and tell him to stop defending universal background checks, to stop taking away your rights.”
Crump wasn’t the only speaker warning of Republicans who are soft on guns. Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) made similar remarks in a speech making a case for her nomination for reelection. State Senate candidate Lance Allen also had warnings for Republicans, who he said to use the Democratic Senate majority as an excuse for inaction.
Allen said, “Republicans try to hide behind that time after time. Oh, we can’t do that because of the Democratic Senate.”
“If you want to do the right thing, you do it over, and over, and over,” he said.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jason Miyares” by Jason Miyares. Background Photo “Courtroom” by Carol M. Highsmith.
