Virginia Citizens Defense league

Defending Your Right to Defend Yourself

va-alert-Legislative Update

Published 4/28/2026

VCDL 2026 General Assembly Voting Record

This year’s VCDL General Assembly Voting Record document is now ready for you to download.

The table of contents is linked, so you can click on a line and jump to that section. Each vote that a legislator took on a gun bill is listed in the Vote Breakdown Section. The gun bills are at the back, in numerical order and with a brief description.

Highlights - Senate

14 Senate Republicans had a 100% voting record. The lowest Republican voting record in the Senate was 94%.

21 Senate Democrats never even voted a single time in support of the right to keep and bear arms. Not once. The highest Democrat voting record was a disgusting 2%, and only one Democrat managed to reach that peak and then only because they accidentally voted wrong!

Highlights - House

31 House Republicans voted with gun owners 100% of the time. The lowest Republican voting record in the House was 96%.

53 House Democrats never even voted a single time in support of the right to keep and bear arms. Not once. The highest Democrat voting record was 41%, held by one Democrat, who was way above all the other Democrats and well below the worst Republican. The 2^nd highest voting record was 9% and it went down from there.

Standouts - Senate

3 Senate Republicans (Tara Durant, Christie New Craig, and Todd Pillion) had a 98% voting record because of one bad vote on the same bill, HB1071. HB1071 requires training on how to use Red Flag laws by threat assessment teams in public elementary and secondary schools and public institutions of higher education. VCDL strongly opposed that bill because we oppose red flag laws, which we believe are unconstitutional.

1 Senate Republican, Bryce Reeves, had a 98% voting record because of a single bad vote on SB173. SB173 is a hospital gun ban.  There is a note on that bill that says Reeves meant to vote “no.”

1 Senate Republican, Tammy Mulchi, had three bad votes: one on HB19 and two on SB160. Both HB19 and SB160 make battery in a “dating relationship” a misdemeanor that takes away gun rights for 3 years. 

The lone Democrat standout in the Senate was Stella Pekarsky, who had a 2% voting record because she had one correct vote on SB173, the hospital gun ban. There is a note on that bill that says Pekarsky meant to vote “yes.”

Standouts – House

1 Republican, Keith Hodges, had a bad vote on SB496. SB496 was the bill dealing with leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle.

4 Republicans (Joseph McNamara, Hillary Pugh Kent, Anne Tata, and

Tom Garrett) had bad votes on HB1071. HB1071 requires training on how to use Red Flag laws by threat assessment teams in public elementary and secondary schools and public institutions of higher education. VCDL strongly opposed that bill because we oppose red flag laws, which we believe are unconstitutional.

One Democrat, John McAuliff, had a 41% voting record because he voted correctly on the following bills:

• HB21 - allows frivolous lawsuits against firearms industry
• SB27 - allows frivolous lawsuits against firearms industry
• HB93 - protective order subject to turn guns over to someone 21 or older and not living at the same location
• SB109 - requires schools to notify parents that they are responsible for making sure they have secured their firearms from minors
• HB110 - leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle
• SB348 - firearms in home must be secured if minor/prohibited person present
• SB496 - leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle
• SB643 - prohibits 18, 19, and 20-year-olds from purchasing a handgun or “assault firearm” anywhere in the Commonwealth
  
• SB727 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public
• HB871 - firearms in home must be secured if minor/prohibited person present
• HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public
• HB1525 - prohibits 18, 19, and 20-year-olds from purchasing a handgun or “assault firearm” anywhere in the Commonwealth

Kimberly Pope Adams (9%) voted correctly on:

• SB109 - requires schools to notify parents that they are responsible for making sure they have secured their firearms from minors
• SB727 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public
• HB871 - firearms in home must be secured if minor/prohibited person present
• HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public

Joshua Thomas (9%) voted correctly on:

• HB110 - leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle
• SB496 - leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle
• SB643 - prohibits 18, 19, and 20-year-olds from purchasing a
• handgun or “assault firearm” anywhere in the Commonwealth
• HB1359 - permit to purchase a handgun
• HB1525 - prohibits 18, 19, and 20-year-olds from purchasing a handgun or “assault firearm” anywhere in the Commonwealth

Lily Franklin (8%) voted correctly on:

• SB109 - requires schools to notify parents that they are responsible for making sure they have secured their firearms from minors
• SB727 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public
• HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public

Jessica Anderson (7%) voted correctly on

• SB109 - requires schools to notify parents that they are responsible for making sure they have secured their firearms from minors
• SB727 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public
• HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public

Don Scott (4%) because of some pocket vetoes as Speaker

Stacey Carroll (4%) voted correctly on:

• SB727 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public
• HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public

Nicole Cole (4%) voted correctly on:

• SB727 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public
• HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public

Marcus Simon (3%) because of some pocket vetoes as a committee chair

Jackie Glass (2%) voted correctly on HB871 - firearms in home must be secured if minor/prohibited person present

Kelly Convirs-Fowler (2%) voted correctly on HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public

Virgil Thornton (2%) voted correctly on HB1524 - prohibits carry of “assault firearms” in public

Some final thoughts

In the Senate, had Reeves and Pekarsky voted the way they intended to, all the Senate Democrats would have a 0% voting record and the Senate Republicans would have had 15 with a 100% voting record.

In the House, 8 Democrats opposed the prohibition on carrying an “assault firearm” in public. 2 opposed the prohibition on young adults purchasing handguns and “assault firearms.”

For those of you who have Democrat delegates that voted correctly on some bills (John McAuliff, Kimberly Pope Adams, Joshua Thomas, Lily Franklin, Jessica Anderson, Stacey Carroll, Nicole Cole, Jackie Glass, Kelly Convirs-Fowler, and Virgil Thornton), they are clearly not gun-control extremists like the rest of the Democrat legislators. If you are a constituent, it would be a good idea to contact them, thank them for their good votes, and stay in contact with them. Perhaps there are other gun issues where there is common ground!

If you have a Republican legislator(s), be sure to thank them for standing with gun owners in protecting our right to keep and bear arms!