VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. _ Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is summoning state lawmakers back to Richmond on July 9 to consider a host of gun safety proposals.
Northam announced Tuesday he's using his executive power to call a special session, which he said was needed after a gunman walked into the Virginia Beach Municipal Center and killed 12 people and injured four on May 31.
The Democratic governor said legislators need to address the thousands of lives lost every year by gunfire.
He announced the date of the special session Friday in a statement.
"The governor is requesting that members of the General Assembly engage in an open and transparent debate, in which the bills brought before the legislature are put to a vote by the entire General Assembly," the statement said.
Northam has proposed at least seven bills that have consistently failed in the Republican-controlled legislature, including universal background checks, bans on "assault weapons" and suppressors _ which the Virginia Beach gunman used _ and the ability of localities to regulate firearms in government buildings.
In regular session subcommittee or committee meetings _ where Republicans outnumber Democrats _ the bills have traditionally been killed or never been given a hearing.
Republicans said they're going to bring their own agenda to the special session, which they said they will use to crack down on criminals. They're likely to propose bills that require mandatory minimum sentences for gun-related crimes, something Northam has said unfairly targets people of color.
The special session comes in the midst of election season. All 140 seats are up for election in November, and Democrats hope to take control of one or both chambers.
