I’m going to admit it. I giggle a little when I think about how Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s special session on gun control went. He was so sure that the aftermath of a mass shooting would be the time he could pressure Republicans into screwing over their constituents. Instead, they adjourned 90 minutes after coming to order.

It seems the governor can call for a special session, but he can’t make them stay in special session.

I smile just thinking about it.

Among the victors, however, is Gun Owners of America and gun owners in general.

From an email sent by GOA earlier this week:

Governor Ralph “Blackface” Northam tried to exploit the Virginia Beach shooting by calling an emergency legislative session to pass radical gun control bills. But, powered by grassroots defenders of our God-given rights like you, we pressured the Virginia House and Senate to protect the Second Amendment… …And gun owners everywhere won. His special session happened — but ZERO gun control bills were passed. No matter where you live, this was a massive victory against the bloodthirsty anti-gun mob. Which is why we want to hear from you now. As expected, some spineless Republicans introduced “compromise” bills to try and appease the radical anti-gunners who have waged war on our God-given rights. One bill would have made it a FELONY for gun owners to merely step into a Gun Free Zone. But the RINO who authored this bill felt pressure from countless patriots who refused to let their Second Amendment rights get ripped to shreds. This should be a lesson for all of us. We can never put our blind faith in elected officials to follow through on their campaign promises. It’s up to us to remind them who they work for… YOU.

I don’t know that there’s anything here that’s wrong. I’m not sure they’re characterizing a certain Virginia lawmaker correctly, but I’m not sure they aren’t, either.

Bearing Arms editor Cam Edwards was at the state capitol, along with hundreds of Virginia gun owners and groups like the National Rifle Association and the Virginia Citizens Defense League. All were working to maintain the rights of Virginians to keep and bear arms for years to come. I don’t think GOA was trying to imply it did this alone or anything, but those other groups deserve a strong mention for their efforts. With elections in Virginia just a few months away, it’s going to take everyone working together to ensure that these bills don’t come back before an anti-gun legislative majority.

What happened in Virginia is a big win for gun rights as a whole. Further, while there was a lot of press about it for the next day or two, there hasn’t been a whole lot of outrage except from the usual suspects. It’s as if most people don’t care.

That’s important. It’s yet another data point that suggests the pendulum is swinging back away from the pro-gun control side. That pendulum has been there for far too long this time around. However, it always swings back, and that’s what seems to be happening now.

Democrats in the state are raising a lot more money to spend on elections, and the national gun control groups will be working hard to turn out voters in the DC suburbs, Richmond, and Virginia Beach. There’s a big test ahead for the anti-gun crowd. If they can’t get gun control passed, and no one seems to care even in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting, it sure suggests that gun control isn’t going to be a winning issue come November 2020.

That said, I do encourage them to continue making that push. After all, I don’t want to interrupt my opponents when they’re making a huge mistake.