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Myrna gets kids back, gag order placed
Members of Myrna Morrissey’s family say that a judge dismissed the abuse claims being made by state Sen. Joe Morrissey against Myrna and another man in her life. They also say that Sen. Morrissey requested a gag order for himself and Myrna, which retired Judge Robert S. Brewbaker Jr., granted.
“Today justice was served. Being that today’s verdict does not benefit Senator Morrissey, he continues his efforts to silence Myrna and her truth,” the statement from Myrna’s family reads. “A gag order was requested by his legal team and was granted binding both of the parents. However, we feel it is important as her family to clear her name by letting the public know that Myrna and Mr. Brown were completely vindicated today in court. The allegations set forth by Senator Morrissey were unfounded and it was determined by the court that this was nothing more than a rash. No abuse occurred whatsoever. This was an abuse of his power and influence and the legal system. We are elated she was able to have her day in court and that her children are home in her care where they belong.”
This order means that Myrna was allowed to have her children back. She went and picked the kids up from school Thursday.
Myrna reuniting with her children Thursday
Sen. Morrissey, who is under a gag order directly, has not commented on the case.
Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) announced Friday that she was selected to serve as the Vice Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries. The Subcommittee is responsible for matters concerning America’s water resources, federal irrigation projects, generation of electric power from federal water projects, interstate water issues, and fisheries management.
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) released the following statement after voting to condemn socialist policies this week.
“I’m glad we got that out of the way, because Virginians know that I will always vote to condemn atrocities committed by the most brutal dictators in world history. For those who seek to escape the grip of communism and totalitarianism, the United States of America has always been a beacon of hope, opportunity, and freedom. That’s why I have been proud to serve my country, defend its values, and protect our homeland from its enemies. Going forward, I hope we will also see House GOP leadership bring bills to the floor that focus on lowering prices, addressing inflation, and keeping our communities safe. We should be looking to build bipartisan agreement around the pressing issues facing the American people in the here and now — not just condemning the violence and terrors of the past.”
Bill to add identifying stamp to firearms fails in subcommittee
By Samuel Britt, Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. – A House bill requiring firearms to be microstamp-enabled recently failed in the Virginia General Assembly, but not without a tense exchange before the vote was called.
Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, introduced House Bill 1788, which would require firearms sold after July 1, 2025 to have a unique “alphanumeric or geometric code” that identifies the item's make, model and serial number. That identifier would create a microstamp on each expended cartridge case each time the firearm was fired.
The bill would also make it unlawful to transfer a firearm that wasn’t microstamp-enabled. The altering of the stamp would be a Class 3 misdemeanor, according to the bill, which is punishable by a maximum $500 fine.
Filler-Corn called the bill “pro-law enforcement,” because the identifying information could help solve crimes, she said.
“We’ll continue to introduce legislation, support legislation and eventually when we’re back in control, actually pass legislation that will save lives,” Filler-Corn said.
California and New York are the only two states with a microstamp policy.
There is a lack of companies and manufacturers producing microstamp-enabled firearms now, according to Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. The organization lobbies for gun rights.
The measure is “totally unconstitutional” and would be difficult to establish, Van Cleave said.
“There would of had to have been some analogy in history back in late 1700s or the 1800s where we had things that marked gun cartridges and it was a requirement,” Van Cleave said. “There was no such thing, nothing even close.”
Firearm store owners would need to get their hands on microstamp-enabled firearms in order to legally sell them to the direct public. The bill had a delayed start period of two years.
Tony Martin is the owner of New American Arms, a local gun store in Richmond. He said his business would not be the only one affected if the bill had passed.
“My concern, I think, would be that it would affect sales of all guns,” Martin said. “Maybe this is a politically motivated attempt if we require technology that’s not available, and then they say, ‘OK, well, because of this law you can’t sell guns.’”
The bill contained a provision that would not apply to any firearm manufactured prior to July 1, 2025.
The issue is not about the loss of firearms in society, but the amount of crime committed and most importantly, Filler-Corn said, the crime that goes unsolved.
There was a tense exchange ahead of the subcommittee’s vote on the measure. Committee chair Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, eventually declared Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William, out of order when she was speaking about the bill. Mundon King, whose husband works for law enforcement, thanked Filler-Corn for introducing a “revolutionary” bill. The delegate said she grew up in a community “ravaged by gun violence and unsolved crimes.”
“It stays with you, it stains communities,” Mundon King said.
Freitas interrupted Mundon King when she said “the only people who have an issue with this [bill] are people who are benefitting.”
Freitas had stated a few minutes before, when Filler-Corn blamed the gun lobby for preventing the bill’s passage, that it was OK to “argue passionately” on behalf of a bill, but not OK to question the intentions of others being discussed.
“We will do this one day, but not today,” Mundon King said as Freitas called the vote, after a back and forth exchange.
The final vote to kill the measure was 6-4.
Lawmakers introduced around 50 firearm-related bills this session, according to a review of the Virginia Legislative Information System website. The two chambers are represented by different parties and gridlock is anticipated for most gun control proposals, and for measures that would roll back existing gun control policies.
“There is never going to be one bill that will answer and solve all gun violence,” Filler-Corn said. “But every single bill, every single measure, every single gun violence prevention bill and gun safety bill that we have passed, each and every one of them actually saved lives and it makes a difference.”
