FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Simonds Calls on Yancey to Support Comprehensive Gun Violence Solutions
NEWPORT NEWS – Shelly Simonds, the Democratic candidate in the House of Delegates 94th District, calls on Republican Delegate David Yancey to support comprehensive gun violence prevention solutions. Recently, in an attempt to avoid backlash for his inaction on our gun violence epidemic, Yancey announced he will pursue a narrow and esoteric bill in the upcoming special session.
“As a mother, school board member, and proud resident of Newport News, I want to protect our communities from the threat of gun violence. If I were representing HD-94 during the special session, Newport News would know exactly where I stand on this issue,” Simonds said. “Delegate Yancey has yet to tell us if he will support a comprehensive bill package that addresses all aspects of gun violence in Virginia, including universal background checks, an extreme risk protective order, and a ban on high-capacity magazines. Delegate Yancey cannot avoid his constituents concerns by paying lip service to the issue of gun violence.”
“We can’t let politics get in the way of our safety,” Simonds continued. “Our leaders should have acted on this long ago, not after yet another senseless tragedy. I have always stood for comprehensive gun violence prevention, while Delegate Yancey has been silent and inactive.”
Delegate David Yancey, who won re-election by challenging the results of a citizen-led recount and having his name selected at random in a tie-breaking drawing, has taken $1250 from the NRA in the past and refused to support bills like universal background checks or bans on high-capacity magazines.
“Virginia is one of the biggest sources of illegally trafficked guns on the east coast due to our lack of gun safety laws,” said Democratic Leader Eileen Filler-Corn in a comment to the Daily Press. “If Delegate Yancey is serious about stopping the dangerous epidemic of gun trafficking in Virginia, we hope he will also support reinstating the one handgun a month policy and passing mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms this July. Despite resistance from Republican leadership to address gun violence in this special session, we are confident that if these priority bills are given a full floor vote, we will finally pass common-sense gun violence prevention legislation.”
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