Virginia's Moms Demand Action & Students Demand Action fight gun violence, urging voters to elect gun-sense leaders in 2025. They advocate for stronger laws following recent tragedies, aiming for a safer future in the Commonwealth
FREDERICKSBURG, VA – In the shadow of recent gun violence in Spotsylvania County, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, and Students Demand Action are intensifying their urgent call for stronger gun safety laws. Their overall mission is to advocate for common-sense public safety measures to protect communities from gun violence and work towards a future free from firearm-related tragedies.
Moms Demand Action, a non-partisan grassroots movement with nearly 11 million supporters across every state, tirelessly advocates for laws proven to reduce gun violence. Students Demand Action mobilizes young people, organizing school walkouts and pushing for stronger gun safety laws to ensure future generations are safer.
Virginia faces a severe gun violence crisis, with an average of 1,200 people dying and 1,624 wounded by guns annually. The economic cost of gun violence in the state is a staggering $14.2 billion each year, with taxpayers covering $288.3 million.
Just weeks after Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed numerous gun safety bills, Spotsylvania County, directly south of Fredericksburg, endured a mass shooting on April 8, 2025. This tragic incident, believed to be an illegal gun sale turned robbery, left three people killed and three wounded, including one suspect.
The day prior, a third-grader at a Spotsylvania elementary school brought an unsecured handgun to school after finding it at home, highlighting the pervasive nature of the gun violence crisis. These tragedies underscore the urgency felt by advocates, especially coming after the Governor's vetoes.
Following the election of a "gun sense majority" in both chambers of the General Assembly in 2023, lawmakers passed dozens of gun safety bills, with five signed into law. In the 2025 legislative session, gun sense champions advanced more than twenty gun safety measures through both chambers to Governor Youngkin’s desk.
These included bills to ban future sales of assault weapons, prohibit untraceable "ghost guns", expand bans on rapid-fire devices like bump stocks and Glock switches, strengthen protections against firearm possession by domestic abusers, and require secure firearm storage around children.
However, Governor Youngkin has vetoed several critical gun safety policies for two consecutive years, including proposed bans on assault weapons, rapid-fire devices, guns in hospitals and on college campuses, and a five-day waiting period. Advocates criticized these vetoes, stating they "appease the gun lobby".
The few measures that made it into law, such as expanding tax credits for secure storage and requiring secure storage information for parents, were notably sponsored by former Moms Demand Action volunteers now serving in the legislature.
Looking ahead to the 2025 elections, gun safety advocates in Virginia are redoubling their efforts to elect a Gun-Sense Governor and re-elect a Gun-Sense majority in the House of Delegates. Their commitment is to ensure that critical, life-saving gun safety bills finally become law, moving Virginia towards a future free from gun violence.
