RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Advocates and opponents of gun control held dueling demonstrations at the Virginia Capitol as the perennial debate over the hot-button topic began anew.
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is pushing a package of gun control measures ahead of this fall's state legislative elections even though they stand little chance of passage in the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Pro-gun forces held a rally Monday morning. Many attendees wore orange "Guns Save Lives" stickers and a speaker assailed McAuliffe and other gun-control advocates as "gun grabbers."
In the afternoon, gun-control backers wore yellow "Background Checks Save Lives" stickers and displayed a string of red paper hearts representing the more than 800 gun deaths in Virginia last year.
Among the speakers was Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring.