Walter Williams: Gun rights endangered in Virginia

Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam will have much to apologize for if he signs into law a bill that attacks Virginia citizens' Second Amendment rights. The measure is Senate Bill 16, which would ban "assault" firearms and certain firearm magazines.

Since Democrats have seized control of Virginia's General Assembly in the last election, they are likely to push hard for strict gun control laws.

Those laws will have zero impact on Virginia's criminals and a heavy impact on Virginia's law-abiding citizens who own, or intend to own, semi-automatic weapons for hunting or their protection. As a friend once explained to me, "I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop."

I am proud of my fellow Virginians' response to the attack on their Second Amendment rights.

Firearm owners in the state have joined with sheriffs to form Second Amendment sanctuary counties. That means local authorities will be required to protect Second Amendment rights in the face of any attempt by Virginia's General Assembly to abrogate those rights.