Newport News Education Association

The Newport News community has endured 3 shootings on our public school grounds in the last 16 months. The most recent was the Richneck Elementary shooting on Jan. 6, in which a 6-year-old brought a firearm to school and shot his first-grade teacher in the chest. 

All of these shootings were perpetrated by minors who illegally accessed deadly weapons. It should not be so easy for children and teens in Virginia to get their hands on firearms.

It is time for state leaders to come together to help address the disturbing increase in gun violence incidents in Virginia’s schools. Virginians are counting on our elected officials to work together to protect our children and grandchildren through common sense gun legislation, not to play politics with their lives.

The Virginia state senate passed the six common sense gun bills listed below, including SB1139, which would require households where children are present to have firearms and ammunition locked in separate containers. On Jan. 6, the Richneck shooter brought his mother’s loaded gun to school. A law requiring that gun and ammunition be locked away separately could have thwarted his efforts.

As Newport News Education Association President, I call on the Virginia House of Delegates and the Governor to do the right thing for Virginia children and schools in the aftermath of the Richneck shooting by passing and signing into law these common sense bills:

SB1139 (Boysko) requires any person who possesses a firearm in a residence where such person knows or reasonably should know that a minor under 18 years of age is present to store such firearm unloaded in a locked container, compartment, or cabinet and to store all ammunition in a separate locked container, compartment, or cabinet. Passed the Virginia Senate on January 31.

SB1382 (Deeds) creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses, transports, or transfers an assault firearm, as that term is defined in the bill, and prohibits a person who has been convicted of such violation from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for a period of three years from the date of conviction. Passed the Virginia Senate on January 31. 

SB901 (Marsden) provides that no person shall leave, place, or store a handgun in an unattended motor vehicle, as defined in the bill, unless the vehicle is locked and the handgun is secured in a locked container or locked compartment of the vehicle. Passed the Virginia Senate on Feb. 1.

SB1067 (Surovell) provides various factors that a judge or magistrate shall consider for the purpose of determining probable cause prior to issuing an emergency substantial risk order or a substantial risk order. Passed the Virginia Senate on January 30.