Husband of mass shooting victim speaks to Virginia lawmakers

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Jason Nixon came to Richmond on Jan. 21 for the first time hoping to speak about a gun bill. But he got to lecture some lawmakers, too.

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“You guys have lost sight about politics,” he told a group of delegates. “It’s not about my side is better than yours."

It’s the first time he’s addressed lawmakers in the state Capitol after his wife, Kate Nixon, was killed along with 11 other people when a gunman opened fire at a Virginia Beach government building in May.

After the shooting, many state Democrats ran successfully on a campaign of preventing gun violence. They gained the majority in the House and Senate in November’s election, vowing to enact stricter gun measures like universal background checks and allowing localities to regulate firearms, which many Republicans have said they oppose.

Nixon’s been outspoken about state lawmakers before, when — while still under a Republican majority — the General Assembly ended a special session on gun control after 90 minutes without taking up any bills. A lawyer for Nixon said at the time that some lawmakers used his late wife for political opportunities, while others used Kate’s name when referencing how she considered bringing a gun to work for protection.

He also criticized state Senate candidates in Virginia Beach in October after a Democrat launched a television ad featuring an employee who was in the Municipal Center the day of the shooting.

On Jan. 21, Nixon lectured lawmakers while arguing for a bill that would make it easier for people to sue the state or the locality if someone was injured in a gun-free zone created by the government. The bill ultimately died on a 6-2 vote.

“Democrats have control, so let’s see what they can do with it,” Nixon said. "Let’s compromise, let’s work together. In order to run a…