More than 30 University students are participating in a protest taking place at the Virginia State Capitol today to advocate for tighter gun laws in the Commonwealth.
The protest, which is taking place on Advocacy Day, is spearheaded by Abby Spangler, the founder of protesteasyguns.com, a Web site created after the Virginia Tech shootings last April that aims to increase and improve gun control.
According to Spangler, four buses are bringing more than 100 participants to Richmond today to take part in the protest.
Participants will begin the day by appealing to state legislators to close the gun show loophole through which certain gun show vendors are not required to conduct background checks on their customers. Although a House committee voted against legislation last week that aimed to close that loophole, fourth-year Nursing student Randa Samaha, who is leading the students leaving from the University to go to Richmond, said a Senate committee will make a decision on a similar piece of legislation tomorrow.
The loophole, Spangler said, allows for guns to be easily purchased at shows without the normal precautions.
"Twenty-two to 35 of sellers at Virginia gun shows are considered private sellers, and they can sell guns without background checks," Spangler said. "We think that is unacceptable and that every gun sold at a gun show should have a background check."
Spangler added that without proper background checks, criminals and those who are mentally unfit to own a weapon can easily obtain a gun without being restricted.
Though opponents of tighter gun restrictions frequently point out that Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho did not purchase his weapon through a gun show, others see the gun show loophole as an example of why gun laws need to be revisited and revised.
Brian Hickey, a second-year College student and protest participant, said a faulty background check system was what enabled Cho to obtain a gun despite being deemed a danger because of mental illness.
"We are protesting to prevent having a similar event happen in the future," Hickey said.
After the protest a vigil will be held in honor of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. Following that, all of the participants will lie down for three minutes on the lawn of the state Capitol, representing the amount of time it took for Cho to purchase the gun used in the massacre, Spangler said.
For Samaha, motivation to tighten gun control laws is rooted in the loss of her sister Reema Samaha, who was one of the victims at Virginia Tech. Like Samaha, many other University students involved in the protest were directly affected by the shootings and feel it is important to speak out for the friends and family members they lost. Hickey, who was also a close friend of Reema Samaha, added that he feels it is important that college students be heard by the state through today's protest.
"It's important for U.Va. students to be involved because it's an important voice, it's important for the college population to be heard," he said. "We are the future of this state, and the legislators need to know what this young voice is saying, and that is to close the loophole."
According to Samaha, the danger presented by Virginia's current gun laws should be a concern for everyone, not just those affected by the Virginia Tech shootings.
"It's important for all Virginians to realize how easy it is for a gun to be purchased," she said. "It's not just a problem Virginia Tech is facing; it's something we are all facing"
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