McEachin challenges Cuccinelli's "guns in churches" opinion

"Once again, the Attorney General governs by fiat and by his opinion rather than by the constitutional process of legislation. This very bill was introduced in the 2010 General Assembly Session, only to be left in committee by members of his own Party, never even to make it to a Floor vote. Republicans in the House of Delegates opposed this legislation and defeated it, but rather than accept the legislative process and therefore, the will of the people, the Attorney General has seen fit, once again, to overrule and ignore the Virginia General Assembly with its duly elected representatives of the people, and simply impose his own will on the Commonwealth.

"I cannot imagine a need to carry guns in places of worship where people go to seek peace, prayer and solace. Now, thanks to the Attorney General, if a faith community does not wish guns at their services, they will be forced to post signs and expend funds to ensure guns are not present. The assumption will be that guns can be there, even if they are contrary to the spirit of the religious service and the desires of the congregants.

"If this is truly what Virginians want, then the bill needs to be passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor. Are the Attorney General and his cohorts afraid of a real and honest debate on this issue? Are they afraid that the vote will turn out as it did previously? Is the Attorney General so determined to kowtow to radical gun organizations that he does not want to allow faith leaders to have the opportunity to express their opinions on this subject?

"Next Session, I will put in a bill to not have guns in places of worship and then an honest debate on the merits of this policy can occur, culminating in a vote by all the elected representatives in the General Assembly. This serious decision can then be made by the people, not by a single individual's political grandstanding."