I am writing in response to the article titled “Surovell Defends Vote Against Virginia Assault Weapon Ban,” published in your newspaper on February 29, 2020.
While it’s understandable that Senator Surovell would vote against an assault rifle ban in Virginia because the bill that was presented was not ready, the only thing about this article that bothers me is that Surovell felt that their time was better spent on the “20 to 25 other big policy issues” that they needed to discuss. This article does list all the progress the state of Virginia has made in terms of gun control, and each step they have taken is extremely significant, however, one issue that they discuss in this article is the pattern of assault-style weapons being the weapon of choice in multiple mass shootings. If banning assault rifles isn’t at least one of the top 10 policy issues that we are concerned about, I’m not sure what Surovell’s list would consist of as his top 20. As it is every American’s right to own a gun, whether it is for sport or their own protection, assault rifles are completely unnecessary to own. Not one person should ever need an assault rifle, as their designated function is to mass murder; it is a weapon of war. I completely understand why someone would vote against an immature bill that would have gotten nowhere, but I do not understand why an assault rifle ban would not be at the top of a list of pressing issues or why it is not taken more seriously in bill proposals, when it seems that an assault rifle’s primary function in this world is for mass shootings.
Kelly Urlwin
Centreville