VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday localities could face consequences if law enforcement officers don't enforce gun laws.
When asked by a reporter if local governments would face retaliation for declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, Northam responded, "There's not going to be retaliation. That's not what I'm about. I'm about making Virginia safer."
Northam continued, "If we have constitutional laws on the books and law enforcement officers are not enforcing those laws on the books, then there are going to be consequences, but I'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it."
Northam did not offer specifics on what the potential consequences would be.
Local government meetings continue to be packed across the state with residents calling on their local governments to declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries.
On Tuesday night, Chesapeake City Council members voted unanimously to become a "Second Amendment constitutional city."
Northam pushed back on all of the resolutions being passed, saying all laws that he personally has proposed are constitutional. "We're not going to take people's guns away," he said.
He also said the sanctuaries are having an effect on businesses thinking about investing here. "They have concerns when they hear localities are not going to enforce the laws of the land, so I would say be careful what you're asking for," he said.
Northam noted how Democrats took control of the General Assembly, partly because of the issue of guns. "They can continue to have their meetings. They can continue to make sanctuary counties, but we're going to do what Virginians have asked us to do," he said.
Click here for full coverage of Second Amendment sanctuary city efforts.
