As election nears, candidates in Lynchburg-area delegate contests offer competing messages on gun reform – Lynchburg News and Advance

In a bright red shirt with a Gun Sense Voter button pinned to the front, David Zilles strolled down a quiet residential street on a recent weekend with his two young children while canvassing for votes.

Zilles, a 46-year-old nuclear engineer and a Democrat, is mounting a campaign to wrestle away a House of Delegates seat that has been held by Republicans for more than a decade.

Among his top priorities as a candidate are reforming Virginias gun laws a topic that has taken center stage this year after a mass shooting in Virginia Beach left 12 people dead and a legislative special session called to address gun violence was shut down by GOP lawmakers.

Im a strong supporter of our Second Amendment rights, Zilles, who is running in the open 23rd House district, said. But I think the community realizes we need to close the loopholes and the gaps that exist in our gun laws.

In addition to supporting proposals they argue will bring down health care costs, protect the environment and encourage job growth, Zilles and his cross-town ally Jennifer Woofter, who is running against longtime Republican incumbent Kathy Byron in the neighboring 22nd House district, believe common sense solutions to gun violence is a message that is resonating with voters.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted late last month found gun policy is the most important issue for Virginians. Of the three-quarters of voters who told pollsters the topic is very important, support for Democrats and Republicans evenly is split, indicating the issue is animating voters on both ends of the political spectrum.

Its top of mind in a way that I think it hasnt been in previous years, Woofter said.

Democrats have not won in the 22nd or 23rd districts which stretch from Amherst County, across Lynchburg and into Campbell, Bedford and Franklin counties since the boundaries were redrawn nearly a decade ago.

The same poll that found near universal interest in gun issues also found voters in central and western Virginia favor Republican candidates over Democratic candidates, 53% to 43%. The state GOP is hoping to maintain its slim majority in the General Assembly and is counting on the Lynchburg-area districts to remain in Republican hands.

Just as Democrats see gun reform as a winning issue, Republicans are convinced their approach will carry them to victory.

Ive got a lot of grassroots support among the Second Amendment supporters, Wendell Walker, Zilles Republican opponent and a first-time candidate for office, said. These guys vote. They dont sit around and talk about it.

Republicans and gun-rights advocates have said Democrats gun control proposals are too extreme for most voters and punitive to responsible gun owners.

Theyre really misreading the public on guns, said Philip Van Cleave, president of the gun rights group Virginia Citizens Defense League.

Both Byron and Walker, who have earned A ratings from the National Rifle Association, have pledged to block expanded background checks and red-flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of potentially violent people proposals championed by their Democratic opponents.

We all know that when the recent tragedy which sparked this discussion again happened we had laws in place, Byron said, referring to the May 31 shooting in Virginia Beach. But criminals dont follow the law. So this is a situation where just passing additional laws isnt necessarily going to be a solution to anything.

Zilles and Woofter know theyre up against tough odds. Both said they believe turnout, which has hovered at about 30% in years without a statewide race on the ballot, will be a key factor if they are to prevail Nov. 5.

There are enough Democrats out here, Woofter said, pointing to Sen. Tim Kaines strong showing in Lynchburg during his reelection bid last year. The question is: Are they going to come vote in an off, off-year election?

Both of the Democratic upstarts are backed by the local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America a national nonpartisan group advocating for stronger gun laws and have relied heavily on the group for support. Indeed, Zilles entry into the political arena began when he joined the chapter last year in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the student activism that arose from the massacre.

Maggie Millard, the membership lead for the local Moms Demand Action chapter, said about 30 members have volunteered with the Zilles and Woofter campaigns this year.

Were really excited to have two gun-sense candidates running in our districts this year, Millard said. Its clear that our community is ready for change; this isnt a Democrat thing, this is a Virginia thing.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Reach Richard Chumney at (434) 385-5547.

Richard Chumney covers breaking news and public safety for The News & Advance. Reach him at (434) 385-5547.

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As election nears, candidates in Lynchburg-area delegate contests offer competing messages on gun reform - Lynchburg News and Advance