With Virginia gun owners under fire like never before and more than two dozen anti-gun measures recently passed by the legislature and forwarded to Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger for her consideration, a major gun-rights organization is speaking out against another proposal that would be devastating to gun owners.
In a recent state alert to members in Virginia, Gun Owners of America (GOA) recently blew the whistle on a congressional redistricting scheme that could make things in the legislature even worse than they already are for those who support the Second Amendment.
Virginia voters are being asked to approve a constitutional amendment on April 21 that would allow politicians in Richmond to redraw congressional districts outside of the normal 10-year cycle. Right now, districts are drawn once per decade by the Virginia Redistricting Commission.
As GOA pointed out, the proposal would give the General Assembly the ability to step in mid-decade and redraw maps if another state does the same.
“From a gun owner’s perspective, this is a serious problem,” GOA wrote in the alert. “The same politicians pushing aggressive gun control would gain more controlover how districts are drawn. That means fewer fair and competitive elections, and fewer opportunities to push back on anti-2A legislation.”
For daily TTAG readers, the battle going on in Virginia is a familiar one, spawned by the recent election of Gov. Spanberger, which emboldened gun-ban advocates in the legislature and throughout the state.
“Virginia has already seen a steady stream of gun control proposals this legislative session,” GOA wrote. “Locking in a political advantage through redistricting makes it much harder to stop or reverse those efforts.”
GOA added that similar efforts in states like California have shown how redistricting can be used to protect political power and limit real voter choice by gerrymandering away strong districts that vote for freedom when it comes to gun rights.
“If politicians can redraw districts whenever it benefits them, they can insulate themselves from voters who oppose their policies, including gun owners,” GOA wrote. “Do your part during this April 21 referendum. Vote NO on the redistricting amendment. Show up and vote, and make sure that your voice is heard.”
In the release, GOA provided a button that takes members to the Virginia Voters Portal. That page provides links to opportunities to register to vote, check voter registration, find your polling place, and even apply to vote absentee by mail.
Recent reports show that supporters of the redistricting effort have raised 50 times as much money as opponents. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, the pro-redistricting group “Virginians for Fair Elections” has raised more than $27 million. The group opposing redistricting, “Virginians for Fair Maps,” has brought in just under $500,000.