Larock Doubles Down on Opposition to Background Checks

In an article published this weekend by the Winchester Star, Republican Delegate Dave LaRock doubled down on his opposition to universal background checks, calling them a “false talking point from the pro gun-restriction side.”
 
According to a recent poll by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy, 84 percent of Virginian voters support universal backgrounds, including 76 percent of self-identified Republicans.
 
The poll, which was released a week before the shooting in Parkland, Florida, also showed that 65 percent of Virginian voters supported banning assault weapons, and a majority said it was more important to control who could access a gun than it was to protect the rights of gun owners.
 
However, in the same article, LaRock said proposals to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were a “knee-jerk reaction.” According to the Star, Delegate LaRock “said that if certain guns were banned, mass murderers would just move on to a different type of weapon. He said he does not favor any additional restrictions on firearms.”
 
“The idea that evil is committed because a certain type of firearm is available is not founded in reality,” he said.
 
House Democrats this year introduced more than two dozen gun safety bills, including legislation to ban bumpstocks, ban high-capacity magazines, ensure universal background checks, and keep guns out of the hands of those who present a threat to themselves or others. House Republicans killed every single gun reform bill.
 
“Delegate LaRock’s perception of the gun violence crisis is not founded in reality,” said Katie Baker, spokeswoman for the House Democratic Caucus. “People are being gunned down in classrooms and at concerts, and yet the only solution put forth by House Republicans is to put more guns in more places. This isn’t a question of whether what happened in Parkland could happen in Virginia, because it already did. This is the time to stand up, not back. We need reasonable gun reforms now.”