RICHMOND, VA. – Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Susan Swecker issued the following statement on Governor Ralph Northam's call for a special legislative session to combat gun violence.

"The time for political debate is over. Virginians should not fear for their lives when they go to work or worry about whether their child will make it home from school. I applaud Governor Northam's call to take action in Virginia on the gun violence epidemic crippling our country. This past Friday our Commonwealth witnessed unspeakable horror - horror that we can and must take action to prevent from happening again. 

Let us not turn this into the same partisan tit-for-tat we have seen so many times. Democrats and Republicans must come together in Richmond and pass the common-sense, public safety measures Governor Northam spoke about this morning. Lives are at stake."