Virginia Moves To Lower Penalties For Assaulting Police

A new Virginia proposal is closer to receiving the governor’s signature and making it loud and clear: assaulting a law enforcement officer is now more acceptable to legislators in the Commonwealth. The bill, which downgrades the penalty for assaulting a police officer in some cases from a felony to a misdemeanor, passed the Democratic-controlled state senate by a vote of 21-15 and is supported by Democratic Governor Ralph Northam.

This new proposal is the latest development in the Commonwealth, where the legislature is also considering “defund the police” proposals, in addition to passing stringent gun control measures on Virginians earlier this year.

Existing gun owners in Virginia, as well as those wishing to exercise their Second Amendment right for the first time, have already faced severe infringements on their right to keep and bear arms by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. The governor and the Democratic-controlled Virginia Assembly and Senate, with the help of billionaire and failed Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, passed and signed into law several gun control bills during the 2020 legislative session that would turn unsuspecting and law-abiding Virginians into criminals. During this time, Virginians already faced unrest and uncertainty due to the initial worries from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Law enforcement was stretched thin. Virginia criminals were even released from jails, many of whom turned back to commit violent crimes right away.