Free Republic

Brandi Long told Stafford County supervisors Tuesday night that she and others are devastated by the loss of life caused by gun violence. But Long said proposed gun-control legislation Democratic lawmakers have introduced in next year’s General Assembly session would criminalize weapons and activities of lawful citizens without solving the problems that exist. “It will only make many of us felons overnight, or leave us defenseless against those who already disregard the current laws,” Long said. Long and more than 60 others spoke Tuesday night in support of a resolution making Stafford a Second Amendment sanctuary, which means county officials...

WUSA9 reports that the Prince George Police Department announced the arrest of five suspects connected to the notorious Mara Salvatrucha-13 (MS-13) street gang after the gruesome discovery of a slain 16-year-old boy stabbed more than 100 times and lit on fire in a Virginia field on March 9th.Police told local media that the victim, Jason Chicas, was also part of the "MS-13 clique" in question. Chicas was "killed inside of a home located in the 7000 block of Varnum Street in Landover Hills, Md. in Prince George's County. Police say his remains were then driven to Stafford County." His body was discovered...

A Virginia transgender student was reportedly barred from seeking shelter inside her middle school's locker rooms during a safety drill last month. WUSA reports that the student, who identifies as female, was unable to go inside the girls' or boys' locker rooms during the drill designed to prepare children for school shootings. The student's name and the name of her school are not being released in order to protect her identity. Equality Stafford, an LGBT rights group based in Stafford County, Virginia, posted about the incident on Facebook: According to the post, the student was instructed to sit in the...

The mother of an autistic 17-year-old Stafford County girl who was sexually assaulted Saturday has been accused of helping the teen’s attacker try to leave the country, court records show. Hamad Mastour Alsuwat, 20, was arrested Sunday at Dulles International Airport as he was boarding a plane bound for his native Saudi Arabia, police said. He is charged in Stafford with object sexual penetration, a felony that carries a potential life sentence. The victim’s mother, who is not being named to protect the victim’s identity, was arrested Sunday on a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. According to an affidavit...

Thursday was supposed to be the highlight of the year for more than 100 kindergarteners from Stafford County, Va. They got up early and took a chartered bus to the White House for a school field trip. But when they arrived, all the 5-year-olds got was a lesson in disappointment.