Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a slate of gun control measures into law Friday that will increase background checks, limit handgun purchases and establish a so-called "red flag" law.

Guns became a divisive issue in Virginia after Democrats won full control of the state's General Assembly in November, and Northam, a Democrat, promised to pass the host of restrictions.

The signing comes almost three months after more than 20,000 gun owners descended on the state capitol in Richmond to protest the measures. It's also been almost a year since the deadly Virginia Beach shooting left 12 people dead plus the shooter at a municipal building.

"We lose too many Virginians to gun violence, and it is past time we took bold, meaningful action to make our communities safer," Northam said in a statement Friday. "I was proud to work with legislators and advocates on these measures, and I am proud to sign them into law. These common-sense laws will save lives."

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Missing from the package that Northam had proposed, though, was a ban on the sale of "assault" firearms and guns with high capacity magazines. On Friday, Northam vowed to reintroduce the measure in the next legislative session.

"We can't stop here. We need to keep working on this issue. It will be year after year," Northam said on a press call.

Democrats faced fierce opposition from Republicans in the legislature and a growing movement of gun owners who had protested the bills every step of the way and passed symbolic "Second Amendment sanctuary" measures in towns, cities and counties across Virginia.

Donning orange stickers and military-style semiautomatic rifles, protesters flooded Richmond in January for a "Lobby Day" that prompted Northam to declare a state of emergency after receiving threats of violence from out-of-state white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. The rally was peaceful and went on without incident.

Among the measures approved by Northam Friday:

Requiring background checks on all gun sales in Virginia

Re-instituting a limit on handgun sales to one a month

Increasing penalties for recklessly leaving firearms near children or failing to report a lost or stolen firearm within two days

Allowing localities to set their own rules on the presence of firearms in public

Prohibiting those subject to a protective order from possessing firearms

Creating a "red flag" law that allows law enforcement to temporarily seize a gun from a person deemed to pose a danger to themselves or others

"Virginians sent the message loud and clear that they wanted stronger gun laws," House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn said Friday. "These bills will protect Virginians from senseless gun violence."

Northam had proposed a similar package of bills shortly after the Virginia Beach shooting last May and called a special legislative session. However, Republicans in control of the General Assembly adjourned it, rejecting all the proposals without a vote.

"Year after year, Republican majorities killed these bills," Filler-Corn said. "In last year's legislative elections in Virginia, we made a promise to voters that once in the majority, Democrats would quickly pass gun violence prevention measures."

When Democrats flipped both houses of the General Assembly, they returned the party to full power over the legislature and governorship for the first time since 1993.

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Following the election, the movement to enact "Second Amendment sanctuaries" throughout Virginia gained steam, through which localities declared they would not enforce laws they see as "unconstitutional".

Groups like the Virginia Citizen's Defense League also organized gun owners to lobby their elected officials not to vote for the gun control proposals, culminating in the Richmond rally.

"The governor and leadership in the Democratic Party have declared war on law-abiding gun owners, and they're tired of it," Virginia Citizens Defense League president Philip Van Cleave told USA TODAY in January.

The battle over the state's gun laws drew the national spotlight, too. And President Donald Trump weighed in with a tweet: "Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia. That’s what happens when you vote for Democrats, they will take your guns away."

A bill that would have banned the sales of some semiautomatic firearms and the possession of magazines with more than 12 rounds and some firearm accessories was held up in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Virginia Citizens Defense League called it a "victory" in an email to supporters and vowed to continue to fight against the bill in the coming session.

Additionally, some of the bills that ultimately did pass were tempered with less stringent requirement backed by Republicans and some moderate Democrats.

Still, Filler-Corn called the package that Northam signed, "the most important common-sense gun safety bills in the Commonwealth of Virginia's history."

Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller