A few weeks back, we met Silda Nikaj. She is the Lyles-Crouch Elementary parent still frustrated and terrified by the March 1 incident when a student brought a parent’s gun to school.
“March 1 would not have happened if the gun had been locked up,” she said.
This year, the Virginia General Assembly passed a flurry of gun control bills, including one that made it a crime if a parent does not securely lock up a gun and a minor lives in the home.
“The legislature did the right thing, yet the governor vetoed it,” she said.
Phillip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League on the other hand applauds the governor.
“We already have a law on the books that says if someone under 14 gets their hand on a loaded gun then the parent can be held accountable,” he said.
This issue was just one of dozens of gun control measures that passed the General Assembly, only to die at the Governor’s desk – along with around 50 other bills. That included minimum wage increases and marijuana decriminalization. It adds up to 87 vetoes so far.
“We’ve never seen a governor veto this number of bills before,” Democrat State Sen. Scott Surovell said.
WUSA9 asked Surovell is this all because the arena deal collapsed?
“I think he might have been willing to compromise more on these vetoes if he had gotten his arena or more of what he asked for in the budget,” Surovell said.
Rather than revenge, Surovell offers a different perspective. He said until now, Youngkin hasn’t really explained to Democrats where he stands on issues.
“We are finding out that he’s a hardcore MAGA-conservative,” he said. “We know that he finally started taking positions by vetoes.”
WUSA9 asked the governor’s office: Why so many vetoes? They sent us a statement from Youngkin:
“I review every bill on its individual merit. I believe that every bill deserves a full reading and review, which I give every bill. I make a judgment based on what I think that bill will do to move Virginia forward or damage Virginia.”
WATCH NEXT: DC Council votes on Monumental Sports deal