HAMPTON, Va. — A shooting that left a 1-year-old baby in Hampton hurt is renewing calls for preventative gun legislation.
Hampton police said another child accidentally shot the baby with an unsecured gun, bringing the topic of firearm safety back to the surface.
“It is so unfortunate that… youngsters… have access readily to real, live weapons," Hampton Roads Del. Cliff Hayes told 13News Now.
Several gun-related bills passed through the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly this session. However, Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed dozens of those bills while only signing a few.
In a statement, the governor said the bills he signed would help protect public safety. He said the ones he vetoed would trample citizens’ constitutional rights.
One of the bills shot down by Youngkin would have required gun owners who live with children to buy a locking device. Del. Hayes calls it a commonsense measure.
“That was a good bill that passed the House, passed the Senate, and then gets vetoed, gets rejected," Del. Hayes said. “Any of those gun safety measures that were vetoed this time could have begun reversing the trend."
In his veto explanation, Youngkin pointed to a bill he signed in 2023, House Bill 2387, that created a tax credit for firearm safety devices. Additionally, the governor noted legislation he signed this year that "prevents parents from willfully allowing a minor child to gain access to a firearm if that child poses a threat of credible violence."
He said these approaches “lead to the safety and well-being of children without affecting law-abiding citizens or their constitutional guarantees.”
On Wednesday, Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck also spoke out about the shooting. He urged gun owners to be more responsible.
“I think parents have to understand that when you leave a weapon lying around that a child can pick that weapon up, think it’s a toy or even just accidentally fire it," said Mayor Tuck.
Hampton police said the baby is expected to survive. Police are still investigating the circumstances around the shooting.