This story was reported and written by Radio IQ.
Using a firearm in the commission of a felony is a crime so heinous, one Republican senator says, that he wants to double the sentence.
Before he got to the General Assembly, Republican Senator Danny Diggs was sheriff of York County. Now, he's asking his colleagues in the Senate to double the penalty for people convicted of using a firearm to commit a felony. A second offense is currently five years, but he wants it to be 10 years.
"When you choose to use a firearm in the commission of a felony the second time; I mean, you've already gone through this once. Now, you've done it again. You are a tremendous danger to the community, and you need to be put in jail for a much longer period of time," Diggs says. "So, I want to increase that penalty for a second offense from five years to 10 years."
Delegate Holly Seibold is a Democrat from Vienna who says increasing penalties is not going to help rehabilitate anyone.
"Lots of these folks have mental health issues, and so they’re committing the crime because they haven't had any rehabilitation," Seibold says. "They haven't had any therapy or counseling or medication, and so, if we can really get to the heart of what's causing the problem, they wouldn't be recommitted in the first place."
The effort to increase penalties for repeat offenders is one of the key priorities for Senate Republicans during the General Assembly session this year.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
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