Residents Deliver Gun Violence Petitions to Warner’s Office

The McLean-area Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence delivered more than 3,000 signatures to the office of Sen. Mark Warner on Tuesday urging him to support universal background checks on all gun purchases, limits on the size of ammunition clips and the assault weapons ban.

The Virginia Democrat’s announcement Wednesday that he will support the Manchin-Toomey bipartisan compromise came as welcome news to the group, according to a news release.

“While it does not address the ammunition or assault weapons issue, the compromise does close the gun show loophole, one of our primary goals,” said group leader Ben Zuhl in a prepared statement. “The over 3,000 Virginians represented by our petition are happy to have Senator Warner’s vote on this bill and we will be back to talk to him about the need for other reforms.”

The group wants Rep. Frank Wolf, R-10th, to take a position on these same issue.

“We have talked to thousands of Rep. Wolf’s constituents and find that 86% support the same reforms—background checks, limits on ammunition clip size and banning the sale of assault weapons size,” Zuhl said in a statement. “It seems unthinkable that he could ignore that many of his constituents. We will continue to canvass the 10th District and help be sure that the voices of the 86% are heard. We are hopeful that Rep. Wolf will listen.”