As VCDL warned in alerts before the election – if the election goes wrong, we could be back in 2019-2021 all over again. Gun controllers controlling the Governor’s office, the House, and the Senate. Gun controllers also controlling the Lt. Governor’s office and the Attorney General’s office.
Sure enough, we are in the same exact configuration. In both 2019 and 2025 it appears that hatred of President Donald Trump’s policies partially drove Democrats to the polls in large numbers. Republican voters underperformed both years, too.
The blind hatred of Trump was so strong in 2025 that Democrat voters supported an Attorney General candidate who has displayed poor judgement, including extreme reckless driving and wishing death on a Republican Speaker of the House and his children! Jay Jones certainly can’t speak from any kind of moral high ground as Attorney General.
We have options to fight back:
VCDL Lobby Day is on January 19, 2026, starting at 8am, with a rally at the Bell Tower at 11am. In 2020, we had over 50,000 gun-owners show up for the largest gun-rights rally in American history. While that show of solidarity by gun owners didn’t stop all the gun-control bills from passing, it certainly stopped an “assault weapon” ban that year and it toned down many of the gun-control bills that passed.
We need to reinforce the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement from 2019. Then, around 95% of localities supported being some form of a 2A sanctuary. Basically, getting our local governments to repledge their support for being sanctuaries and not enforcing unconstitutional restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.
We should also encourage our sheriff’s and Commonwealth Attorneys to not enforce such unconstitutional laws. More on getting that effort moving will come in a future VA-ALERT.
We will fight unconstitutional laws in court, as our budget allows. VCDL has won several times in court over the last couple of years. It is expensive and can take years for a ruling, but we can fight back successfully. We need members to make tax-deductible contributions to the Virginia Citizens Defense Foundation (VCDF) to help cover the costs of litigation. You can contribute to the VCDF by clicking
here. We will be working with
Gun Owners of America in doing lawsuits. GOA has been a fantastic partner.
VCDL needs more members to give it more power and clout. We currently have 11,000 dues paying members, but we have 61,000 people here on VA-ALERT! If you aren’t paying dues to VCDL every year, then you are not a member. (If you think you are already a member, we ask that you double-check your membership status on our website by clicking here and logging in to your membership account.) Membership is only $25 a year. To join VCDL, click here.
If we want good candidates in 2027 to help take back the General Assembly, the
VCDL-PAC needs to start building its war chest NOW. To contribute to the VCDL-PAC, click here.
There is always the option of civil disobedience (“I will not comply”) when dealing with unconstitutional or unfair laws, if you are willing to accept the consequences if prosecuted. For example, Delegate Nick Freitas recently said something along the lines of, “I did not lose my guns in a boating accident. I still have them and I’m not giving them up!”
Jury nullification allows you to vote “not guilty” if someone is being tried for mere civil disobedience of unconstitutional gun-laws. It just takes one “not guilty” vote to hang a jury. Note that lawyers cannot tell you about jury nullification during a trial. But it is always an option a jury has, nonetheless.
Keep your eye on VA-ALERTs as we move forward.
