A gun rights bill passed the Chesapeake legislature on a 3–2 vote last week, but Governor Bran Raising (R-CH) vetoed the bill on constitutional grounds yesterday. The bill would have prohibited the enforcement of certain federal gun control laws in Chesapeake.

The Commonwealth’s former senator, Present Sale, reportedly called the Governor to express his discontent with the legislation. But Assemblyman H.S.C. Tiger (S-CH) encouraged the Governor to sign the bill into law.

“Let us recall [Virginia’s] old motto, ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’ and the once-proposed motto for the United States,” the Assemblyman said. “Sign B.178!”

Activists on both sides of the gun debate demonstrated on capitol hill every day for a week. But in the end, the Governor vetoed the bill. “I can’t in good conscious sign a bill that is just trying to violated 4 different federal laws,” Raisin said, according to reports from senior staffers.

Governor Bran Raisin (R-CH) at a fundraiser in Northern Virginia over the holidays. The Governor vetoed a bill that would have prohibited state officials from enforcing federal gun laws. | Patrick Semansky/AP

Had the law been passed, it would have set the state up for a costly court battle. The bill, Sale said, was a “clear violation of the Supremacy clause.” The Commonwealth does not currently have an Attorney General, but will hold a gubernatorial election in January.

A similar bill failed last month in Dixie. Though it passed the Legislature on a party line vote, Governor Storm Stopper (D-DX) vetoed the proposal. “It would impair law enforcement and security staff’s ability to ensure weapons-free spaces,” he said in a statement. “We are a gun-friendly state, but we are also a sensible state. We understand that a gun is a right and a responsibility.”

Because the Assembly has adjourned sine die, the veto cannot be overturned. A review of other dockets shows that the bill has not yet been submitted elsewhere.

Rachel Fischer contributed to this report.