ABC reports that a Virginia lawmaker carried an assault rifle, an AK-47, on to the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates:
Virginia Del. Joe Morrissey, a Democrat hailing from the Richmond area, showed off the weapon while pushing for tighter gun-control laws, The Washington Examiner reported.
"A lot of people don't know that in many locations in the commonwealth, you can take this gun, you can walk in the middle of Main Street loaded and not be in violation of the law," Morrissey said on the floor, according to the Examiner, assuring other lawmakers that the gun was not loaded.
Let's squiggle down and unpack that ...
... He assured fellow lawmakers the gun wasn't loaded? Why?
Is it dangerous if loaded? Does "brandishing" it worry law-abiders in the area? Might that agitate other gun carriers to pull a weapon out and aim, ready to fire back? Is there a prohibition against carrying loaded weapons in state government buildings if you're not a police or security officer? If so, why that?
According to the report, Delegate Morrissey is a Good Guy whose bill to ban assault weapons and hi-cap magazines had been voted down by a subcommittee a day or two before. (ABC's report said the subcommittee "killed" the bill.)
The beat goes on.