A special session of the General Assembly has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 9, to consider legislation on weapon safety.

The session was called by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam following the mass shooting in Virginia Beach on May 31 in which 12 died.

The legislation being considered, according to a release from the Office of the Governor, include universal background checks; a ban on assault weapons, to include suppressors and bump stocks; an extreme risk protective order; reinstating the one-gun-a-month law; child access prevention; requiring people to report lost and stolen firearms and expanding local authority to regulate firearms, including in government buildings.

“No one should go to work, to school, or to church wondering if they will come home,” Northam said in a statement on June 4.

During the address, he expressed heartbreak for families affected by the shootings.

“But that is what our society has come to, because we fail to act on gun violence … I will be asking for votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers.” Northam said.

Prior to the upcoming session, The Herald reached out to area legislators to get their thoughts on the session and the legislation being considered.

Rep. Denver Riggleman is congressman for the 5th District, which encompasses Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward counties.

In a statement to The Herald Wednesday, Riggleman said his hope is that Republican legislators advocate for weapon rights.

“This special session is an effort by Gov. Northam and the Democrats to infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” Riggleman said, “and I hope Republicans in the General Assembly will stand up for our gun rights during this special session.”

State Sen. Frank Ruff represents District 15, which includes all of Charlotte County, Mecklenburg County, Lunenburg County, Nottoway County and parts of Brunswick County, Campbell County, Dinwiddie County, Halifax County, Pittsylvania County, Prince George County and Danville City.

Ruff said many of the legislation being considered on July 9 were also considered during the General Assembly session in January of this year.

“It was done on the heels of the shooting in Virginia Beach, before, I think, everyone had been buried, and I think that was not a proper action to take,” Ruff said in a statement about the special session announcement. “We will consider everything that’s offered, but there are already laws in the books to deal with people who do bad things, but that does not stop people from doing bad things. I’m not sure what we are trying to accomplish there.”

State Sen. Mark Peake represents District 22, which covers Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward counties.

He said in a statement that he believes the session and its subject matter have become politicized.

“I am disappointed that the governor chose to politicize this tragedy so quickly,” Peake said, noting that the victims’ families did not have time to conduct funerals before the special session was announced.

“Now that the governor has called for a special (session), we will see what happens,” Peake said. “I have been sworn to uphold the constitution of Virginia and the United States. The Second Amendment protects gun rights. I think if they want to attack gun rights, they need to look at amending the constitution.”

Peake said he, with other legislators, will be in Richmond July 9 in his role as state senator for District 22.

Del. Tommy Wright represents District 61, which includes Cumberland, Amelia, Mecklenburg and Nottoway, and part of Lunenburg County.

Wright said in a statement that he also believes the session was called too soon.

“I think the special session has been called a little hastily,” Wright said. “I think we should have allowed more time for the families of the victims of this terrible, terrible tragedy in Virginia Beach to have a little time for them to have their funerals and mourn, give them a period for mourning and for privacy … It’s the governor’s prerogative to call a special session, and it’s our prerogative to convene, and we’re going to do just that.”

He said aspects that should be considered during the session are providing services for those with mental health or behavioral issues. He also suggested increasing the mandatory sentencing for perpetrators of violence.

“We need to see violent crimes, whether it be with a gun or anything else, they need to get the proper amount of sentencing and are not just given a slap on the wrist,” Wright said.

“We want to try to help solve this problem of shootings and other acts of violence while at the same time protecting the Second Amendment rights of citizens. Citizens have a right to protect themselves,” Wright said.

He said he has been praying and thinking about those affected, and said that thoughts and prayers are important during this time.

Del. James Edmunds represents District 60, which includes Prince Edward, Charlotte, Halifax and part of Campbell County. In a statement, he said he doesn’t believe the measures will prevent gun violence situations from occurring in the future.

“It comes as no surprise that the Governor would call a special session in response to the most recent mass shooting in Virginia Beach,” Edmunds said in a statement. “Tragedies such as this always provide a platform to advance more gun control measures, especially when there is an upcoming election. I personally do not believe that any of the proposals that Governor Northam has put forward would have prevented this massacre from occurring! Quite frankly, murdering someone is already punishable by death in Virginia and that doesn’t stop heinous crimes such as this one. Why take away the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns?

“I have been very consistent in my position on the Second Amendment since first being elected. I have no problem increasing the penalty of those who break our current laws but I do not think that more laws are the answer,” Edmunds said.

Del. Matt Fariss represents District 59, which includes Buckingham County and Appomattox County, and parts of parts of Albemarle, Campbell, and Nelson counties between Charlottesville and Lynchburg.

Fariss said in a statement that he hopes that the session will address mental health and resources to provide additional mental health resources.

“We know now is a time of grieving and a time to give support to the 12 families and the community affected by the Virginia Beach tragedy,” Fariss said. “My family is praying for healing. After a thorough investigation is complete, I look forward to having the discussions that the governor’s administration wants to have in special session and I hope he will invite and use all resources available from our social services and mental health networks to come up with more effective ways to address the mental health crisis. As a physician, he knows very well that mental health issues are possibly the most important issues we face as a society.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, in a statement, praised the session for seeking to take action on gun violence instances.

“It’s painfully clear from the horrific shooting in Virginia Beach and the daily scourge of gun violence in communities across the Commonwealth that Virginia must pass commonsense gun safety reforms … There’s a lot of unfinished business to make our communities safer. We need more than thoughts and prayers; we need action,” Kaine said.

Sen. Mark Warner said in a statement that legislators, regardless of political party, will find commonalities during the session.

“This is the right move,” Warner said. “I hope legislators will come to Richmond with a willingness to find common ground on ways to reduce gun violence. Keeping our Commonwealth safe can and should be a bipartisan effort.”