Virginia pro-gun activists start new Second Amendment sanctuary movement

The Virginia Citizen Defense League, led by its president, Philip Van Cleave, called on members to activate the “Second Amendment sanctuary movement 2.0.”

The gun rights activists are rallying their supporters to call county officials to reignite the Second Amendment sanctuary trend that swept the state between 2019 and 2020, when commonwealth Democrats controlled all government branches, as they do now.

Some Virginia counties were already doing it, with the Lynchburg City Council set to vote Tuesday on reaffirming its Second Amendment sanctuary status.

After former Gov. Ralph Northam and his Democratic Party proposed several gun control measures in 2019, county leaders from 95% of the state’s almost 200 localities pledged not to enforce an “unconstitutional” gun control measure coming from Richmond.

Virginia’s gun rights crowd now wants to duplicate that success with Gov. Abigail Spanberger and her Democratic Party pursuing a raft of new gun control laws.

“The ideal Second Amendment Sanctuary would not enforce any unconstitutional gun laws, especially gun bans or carry bans,” the pro-gun rights group said on its website, and notes that some localities went as far as becoming “Constitutional Sanctuaries.”

Mr. Van Cleave’s group is also working to flip Virginia’s Senate to a Republican majority in 2028. Senate Democrats now hold 21 seats to the Republicans’ 19.

“It’s one thing to talk about [gun control bills], and it never makes it into law,” Mr. Van Cleave told The Washington Times. “If the governor starts signing a bunch of these bills, that’s going to wake up that sleeping group of people again. So it could be interesting come election.”

Mr. Van Cleave added, “There are at least two and a half million gun owners in Virginia … a very conservative estimate. There are three-quarters of a million concealed handgun holders alone.”

Minors coached to join Minnesota ICE protests

Recent walkouts by high school students in Minnesota to protest federal immigration enforcement are part of organized political activism in the state’s education system, new documents revealed.

The effort to politicize students was identified by the watchdog group Defending Education, which obtained communications and training documents from the liberal activist at the Sunrise Movement.

“Parents, teachers and community members need to put a stop to the teachers’ unions and their nonprofit allies training minors to be street activists in service to advancing their far-left political agenda,” said Rhyen Staley, director of research at Defending Education, which works to remove politics from all levels of the U.S. education system.

The training presentation includes slides about “Options for ’Day of Action’” such as a “mass buy and return” at a local Target store or rallying at a state government building.

It includes a “walkout guide” that suggests student demands, which are the same as those from the civil rights group UNIDOS-MN and the St. Paul Federation of Educators.

The “ICE Safety Training for Twin Cities Metro Students,” operated by the Sunrise Movement, also gives tips on what to do if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents enter school property.

The document urges changes to truancy policies and stopping “standardized testing because of unequal education.”

Low-tax activists boost RSC’s reconciliation framework

Americans for Tax Reform gave a thumbs-up to the Republican Study Committee’s reconciliation 2.0 framework plan.

The tax-cutting advocacy group says the proposal from the largest conservative caucus in the U.S. House would give “Republicans the chance to eradicate lingering Biden-era policies and costs.”

The framework includes spending cuts and policies to make homeownership, health care and energy more affordable.

“Spending is dramatically reduced in the RSC framework. In total, the proposals achieve more than $1.6 trillion in spending reductions and over $1 trillion in net deficit reduction,” the group says on its website.

“Nearly 70 percent of these proposals have already been introduced or passed by House Republicans, making this framework not merely an aspirational wish-list but an achievable roadmap.”

D.C. sued for concealing safeguards against noncitizen voting

The Federation for American Immigration Reform filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia to compel the release of public records showing whether, and to what extent, it has safeguards against voting by noncitizens.

The suit, filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, comes from the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles’ failure to respond to the immigration group’s Freedom of Information Act request submitted on Nov. 12, 2025.

The FOIA requested records, policies and communications about how the agency distinguishes between U.S. citizens and noncitizens during voter registration processes, verifies citizenship status before transmitting data to election officials, and handles data from non-REAL ID-compliant credential holders.

“Since FAIR submitted its request in early November 2025, the DC DMV has provided no substantive response, determination, or records — an egregious violation of D.C, FOIA’s mandatory timelines,” the organization said.

• The Advocates column is a weekly look at the political action players who drive the debate and shape policy outcomes in Washington. Send tips to theadvocates@washingtontimes.com.