Governor Jim Justice (R) on Tuesday invited Virginia counties weighed down by Democrat gun control to secede from the Old Dominion and become part of West Virginia.

WSET reports Justice referenced West Virginia’s emergence as a state in 1863, the result of seceding from overreaching Virginia Democrats at the time, and made clear the invitation for counties to secede which was extended then remains standing today.

During a joint press conference with Liberty University president Jerry Falwell, Justice said, “A long time ago, the infringement of fundamental values” led to the formation of West Virginia. This point comes as Virginia Democrats continue their focused attack on Second Amendment rights; it comes as more than 100 local governments in Virginia have declared themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries in the face of infringement on fundamental gun rights.

Justice added, “West Virginia is an incredible state…If you’re not truly happy with where you are, we stand with open arms to take you from Virginia or wherever you may be. We stand strongly behind the Second Amendment, we stand strongly behind the unborn.”

On January 15, 2020, Breitbart News reported West Virginia lawmakers were pushing a resolution to allow Virginia counties to join the state.

The resolution, HRC 8, said in part:

Whereas, Article VI, Section 11 of The Constitution of the State of West Virginia explicitly permits additional territory to be admitted into, and become part of this state, with the consent of the Legislature and of a majority of the qualified voters of the state; and Whereas, In a spirit of conciliation, the Legislature of West Virginia hereby extends an invitation to our fellow Virginians who wish to do so, to join us in our noble experiment of 156 years of separation from the government at Richmond; and, we extend an invitation to any constituent county or city of the Commonwealth of Virginia to be admitted to the body politic of the State of West Virginia, under the conditions set forth in our state Constitution, specifically, with the consent of a majority of the voters of such county or city voting upon such proposition; and we hereby covenant that their many grievances shall be addressed, and, we further covenant with them that their firearms rights shall be protected to the fullest extent possible under our Federal and State Constitution.

The resolution was designed to secure a Special Session of state legislators to plan “a special election to provide for the approval of the admission, or, the rejection of such admission, of such county or independent city.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.