Andy Parker, father of slain reporter Alison Parker.
Andy Parker, the father of slain journalist Alison Parker, followed up on his promise to make enacting gun safety measures his "
mission in life" with
an op-ed last week in the
Washington Post.
In recent years we have witnessed similar tragedies unfold on TV: the shooting of a congresswoman in Arizona, the massacre of schoolchildren in Connecticut and of churchgoers in South Carolina. We have to ask ourselves: What do we need to do to stop this insanity?
In my case, the answer is: “Whatever it takes.”
Parker's goal is laudable and his determination a must given the uphill battle he faces. In his opening salvo on the issue, he names names of Virginia lawmakers he hopes to hold accountable for their lack of action. Keep reading below to find out who.
Legislators such as Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who represents Roanoke, where the shooting of my daughter and her colleague Adam Ward took place on live television. In his more than two years as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Goodlatte has had plenty of opportunity to bring up universal background check legislation and other gun violence prevention bills. He has refused to lead on this issue, and he has done absolutely nothing to help contain the carnage we are seeing. On the other hand, Goodlatte had no problem cashing his check from the National Rifle Association during the 2014 election cycle. Shame on him.
At the state level, we are talking about legislators such as Virginia state Sens. John S. Edwards (D-Roanoke), who represents the area where Alison and Adam lived, and William M. Stanley Jr. (R-Franklin), who represents my home district. Edwards’s district also contains the Virginia Tech campus, so he is fully aware of how easy it is for dangerously mentally ill individuals to acquire guns in the commonwealth of Virginia. Yet he has been a constant opponent of sensible gun reforms, such as expanded background checks, during his nearly 20 years in the state senate, breaking ranks constantly with his colleagues in Virginia’s Democratic Party.
Naming names is a good start. At the very least, these lawmakers should have to answer for their dismal record on gun safety, especially given Virginia's very recent and horrific history of gun violence and the lawmakers'
utter failure to do anything to address the issue.
But as I argued in my weekly column last Saturday, none of these lawmakers is likely to lift a finger until they fear for their seats. Unfortunately, Rep. Goodlatte—who is solidly pro-gun rights—won his 2014 reelection with nearly 75 percent of the vote. So while it might be possible to publicly shame him, it might not be possible to change his behavior anytime soon. His seat's too safe.
State Sens. Edwards and Stanley are slightly more interesting cases.
Edwards, a Democrat, often crosses the aisle to vote with Republicans against gun safety measures. He even helped vote down a measure this session that would have made it a misdemeanor to allow someone 4 years old or younger to hold a firearm or air gun. So in that respect, unseating Edwards is a worthy goal. It's also potentially doable since independent candidate Don Caldwell, the Roanoke County Commonwealth Attorney (D.A.), has entered the race and could serve as a spoiler. Unfortunately, Edwards' undoing wouldn't help the overall cause much since his Republican challenger, Nancy Dye—"a lifetime member of the NRA"—is more likely to benefit from Caldwell's presence in the race.
GOP Sen. Stanley's Democratic challenger Kim Adkins has potential but is perhaps a bit of a long shot. I'm admittedly unclear about Adkins' position on gun safety. But any Democratic non-incumbent will have an uphill climb in this light-red Virginia district since the state holds its senate elections the year before the presidential (i.e. this year)—making both of these races off-year elections. But at the very least, Stanley's loss could be something to root for.