10 things you need to know today: February 18, 2020

Virginia lawmakers block a proposed assault weapons ban, an expert predicts China's coronavirus will plateau soon, and more

A health worker in China
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. Virginia lawmakers block assault weapons ban

Virginia state senators on Monday rejected Gov. Ralph Northam's (D) push to ban the sale of assault weapons, with four moderate Democrats on the State Senate Judiciary Committee joining Republicans to shelve the bill. Northam has tried to use his party's new majorities in both houses of the state legislature to pass a broad package of gun-control laws. "We will be back next year," Northam's spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, said. Democrats campaigned promising tough gun restrictions last year and won control of the General Assembly for the first time in more than two decades. Their attempt to follow through has met pushback, with tens of thousands of gun-rights advocates protesting at the Capitol last month and more than 100 local governments declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.