I love Virginia. I love its mountains, its farms, its small towns and the hunting traditions that have been passed from one generation to the next.
I also happen to be a gun owner.
Those two things are not contradictory. In my experience, they go hand in hand because both reflect a culture that values personal responsibility, self-reliance, and individual liberty.
When Virginia’s lawmakers debated new restrictions on lawful firearm ownership, supporters believed they were taking meaningful steps to reduce gun violence.
Many of us who own firearms believed something else would happen:
We believed thousands of otherwise hesitant Virginians would decide it was time to exercise a constitutional right before it became more difficult to do so.
That is exactly what happened.
Gun stores filled up. Background checks surged. First-time buyers became gun owners, and longtime shooters decided not to wait any longer. FBI background check data, widely used as the best available indicator of firearm purchasing activity, showed just how dramatic the response was. Virginia’s background checks climbed roughly 70 percent in March compared with the previous year, nearly 80 percent in April, more than doubled in May and exceeded three times the previous June’s total as the July 1 deadline approached. While background checks are not the same as firearm sales, the trend is unmistakable. Thousands of Virginians decided they would rather lawfully exercise a constitutional right today than wonder tomorrow whether they still could.
Whether someone supported the legislation or opposed it, the outcome should give all of us something to think about. An effort intended to discourage lawful firearm ownership encouraged many Virginians to become lawful firearm owners instead. Often many times over.
I don't think that was the metric anti gunners were aiming for (pun intended).
When government signals that it may restrict a constitutional right, people often become more determined to exercise it. Virginia became the latest example, and to be clear I'm damned proud to be a Virginian because of it. "Sic semper tyrannic" indeed .
Thousands of law-abiding citizens completed the paperwork, passed the background checks and legally purchased firearms. They followed every law the Commonwealth required.
That distinction matters because we were not criminals exploiting loopholes. We were citizens willingly participating in the legal process. Too often, our public debate blurs the line between violent criminals and responsible gun owners even though they have very little in common.
The Virginia gun owners I know are veterans, law enforcement officers, teachers, nurses, mechanics, farmers, pastors, small-business owners and parents. We hunt because we love the outdoors. We shoot competitively because we enjoy mastering a skill. Some carry a firearm because they believe protecting their family is one of life’s most important responsibilities. What we share is not fear or anger. We share a commitment to doing things the right way.
As a Virginian and a gun owner, I do not celebrate increased firearm sales because I believe more guns automatically make us safer. I see something different. I see thousands of citizens choosing to exercise a constitutional right through the legal process. More importantly, I see no reason to believe law-abiding Virginians suddenly became the source of the violent crime that concerns us all. We exercised our rights legally, just as the Constitution intended. Rights remain meaningful only when responsible people are willing to exercise them.
That also means accepting the responsibility that comes with those rights.
If we ask our fellow Virginians to trust us with our freedoms, we should earn that trust every day. We should pursue quality training, practice safe storage, mentor new shooters, hunt ethically, and conduct ourselves in a way that reflects well on every responsible gun owner in the Commonwealth.
I also want to extend an olive branch to Virginians who support stricter gun laws.
I do not believe most of you dislike gun owners, nor do I believe you wake up looking for ways to take away anyone’s freedoms. I believe many of you are responding to the same heartbreaking tragedies that affect all of us. When children are murdered, when families lose loved ones, or when violence tears apart a community, my heart breaks just as yours does. We may disagree about the solutions, but I do not believe we disagree about the value of human life.
If your goal is to reduce violent crime, then it is my goal, too.
Let us work together where we can. Let us improve access to mental health care. Let us support law enforcement as they target violent repeat offenders. Let us invest in mentoring young people before gangs and violence recruit them. Let us encourage every gun owner to seek training, practice safe handling, and store firearms responsibly.
At the same time, I ask that those who advocate for additional restrictions recognize something Virginia has demonstrated. Law-abiding citizens value this constitutional right deeply. When many believed that right might become more difficult to exercise, they exercised it through the legal process. They did exactly what responsible citizens are supposed to do.
The overwhelming majority of those new gun owners are not the source of the violence that concerns us all. They are your neighbors, your coworkers, your fellow church members, and the parents sitting beside you at Friday night football games. They are not the people terrorizing neighborhoods or preying on innocent victims. They are ordinary Virginians exercising a constitutional freedom responsibly.
To my fellow Virginia gun owners, I have a simple challenge.
Do not let this moment end with the purchase of a firearm. Let it begin there. Invite a curious neighbor to the range. Teach a first-time shooter with patience and humility. Be the safest person on the firing line and the most ethical hunter in the woods. Listen before you argue. Answer honest questions with respect instead of frustration.
The Second Amendment does not simply need defenders. It needs ambassadors.
If we truly believe this right matters, then let us become the kind of people who make that case without raising our voices. Let our character speak louder than our politics. Let our conduct make it impossible to confuse responsible gun owners with violent criminals.
Virginia’s recent experience should teach us more than a lesson about firearm sales. It should remind us that constitutional rights matter to millions of ordinary citizens. It should also remind us that every right carries a responsibility to strengthen the community around us.
The best argument for the Second Amendment will never be made in Richmond or Washington. It will be made every day by responsible Virginians who live with humility, integrity and respect for both their neighbors and the Constitution they cherish.
– Jay Pinsky