On Thursday morning, Fox News Channel highlighted efforts by Democrats to impose more gun control in Virginia as gun rights activist Dana Loesch appeared as a guest on Fox and Friends.
Loesch not only discussed efforts to push back against the Democratic legislature which is trying to pass new gun laws, but she also correctly pointed out that crime increased in Colorado and Maryland after those states passed gun control in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings.
At 8:28 a.m. Eastern, co-host Steve Doocy began the segment by recalling: "Meanwhile, hundreds of gun rights advocates gathering outside a Virginia Beach, Virginia, city council meeting this week as local officials passed a resolution declaring Virginia Beach a Second Amendment Constitutional City."
Co-host Brian Kilmeade then jumped in to add;"Now, Virginia Beach is the latest city taking measures to protect gun rights in anticipation of strict, new gun regulations thanks to the Democratic state leadership."
After noting that there were Democratic state legislators who wish to ban gun ranges, and to interfere with parental rights to decide when to teach their children about gun use, Loesch listed other proposals pushed by Virginia Democrats, and correctly pointed out that crime increased in Colorado and Maryand after the passage of gun control:
DANA LOESCH: So we have a number of things. We have the magazine ban, universal background checks which, if you remember when Colorado passed this law, it actually didn't do anything to impact crime. In fact, crime increased -- same thing with Maryland, So they're focusing on things that do nothing to punish criminals, which is interesting because you have a number of local attorneys who decided that they're not going to prosecute some low-level offenses .They want to go ahead and instead target law-abiding gun owners.
NewsBusters has previously documented that CNN failed to bring up the crime increases in both Colorado and Maryland while questioning former Colorado Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper and former Maryland Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley about the passage of gun control in their states.
In fact, crime in Colorado had been dropping steadily before the passage gun restrictions after which it has increased yearly ever since.
Additionally, according to FBI crime statistics released last October, Colorado was one of only six states to see a crime increase in 2018 while most states saw a decline.
Doocy then read some of the gun restrictions proposed by Virginia Democrats:
DOOCY: Let's talk a little bit about what they're talking about doing in the Commonwealth of Virginia with gun law proposals, The governor there, Ralph Northam, suggests they should reinstate Virginia's one handgun a month rule, universal background checks, ban on assault weapons, big magazines, bump stocks, requires individuals to report missing firearms within 24 hours, And he thinks this is all common sense.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of Fox and Friends. Click "expand" to read more.
Fox and Friends
1/9/2020
STEVE DOOCY: Meanwhile, hundreds of gun rights advocates gathering outside a Virginia Beach, Virginia, city council meeting this week as local officials passed a resolution declaring Virginia Beach a Second Amendment Constitutional City.
BRIAN KILMEADE: Now, Virginia Beach is the latest city taking measures to protect gun rights in anticipation of strict, new gun regulations thanks to the Democratic state leadership. … I understand that Virginia Beach, in particular, has hit the pause button, but where's this heading?
DANA LOESCH: Yeah, well, and that's the million-dollar question, and good morning to everyone. I think Virginia Beach -- I think this is now the 118th or 119th county area that is declaring itself to be a Second Amendment sanctuary. All of it has been happening so quickly … I'm sure you all have seen all of the video footage from all of these different counties. You have hundreds of people turning out every single time, and I think that's what Virginia Democrats didn't appreciate when they began this tactic and their overall strategy of disarmament. And let's be really clear because that's what this is. This is what Democrats envision for the rest of America.
Just a quick example of some of the things they've proposed -- In Virginia, Democrats -- there's one Democrat lawmaker who's actually proposed to ban gun ranges. They want to ban gun ranges because it's all about gun sense and gun safety, but yet guess a part of that gun sense and gun safety Is to make it to where law-abiding Americans can't actually train to carry their arms and practice their marksmanship which doesn't sound like safety or gun sense to me. They've also starting stripping parents of their rights -- that's another proposal stripping parents of their rights. That's another proposal of determining when and how their children can learn about firearms and actually shoot firearms under adult supervision.
So we have a number of things. We have the magazine ban, universal background checks which, if you remember when Colorado passed this law, it actually didn't do anything to impact crime. In fact, crime increased -- same thing with Maryland, So they're focusing on things that do nothing to punish criminals, which is interesting because you have a number of local attorneys who decided that they're not going to prosecute some low-level offenses .They want to go ahead and instead target law-abiding gun owners.
DOOCY: Let's talk a little bit about what they're talking about doing in the Commonwealth of Virginia with gun law proposals, The governor there, Ralph Northam, suggests they should reinstate Virginia's one handgun a month rule, universal background checks, ban on assault weapons, big magazines, bump stocks, requires individuals to report missing firearms within 24 hours, And he thinks this is all common sense.
