Wanted to let you all know that I just sent this off to our senators, the vcdl is with us.

I would encourage you all to copy and paste this and send it as well to your direct representation and senators alike. Let them know that we have a big problem with this and that any law repugnant to the Constitution is null and void and will be disregarded as such.

 

Formal Demand and Notice: Over 4,705 Signatures Require Immediate Rejection of SB 749, SB 348, and All Infringing Firearms Legislation – No Further Advancement,

 

Senators Scott A. Surovell, Saddam Azlan Salim, and Jennifer B. Boysko

 

I write as Chad Cadenhead, a sovereign citizen and resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the originator of the petition "Stop Virginia's Tyrannical Gun Grab" on Change.org (https://c.org/cK77kC7R7D which has now garnered over 4,700 verified signatures from law-abiding Virginians and fellow Americans resolute in defense of our unalienable rights. 

 

This communication serves as formal notice and demand, transmitted to each of you in your official capacities.

 

The right to keep and bear arms is not a concession granted by government but a natural, pre-existing right retained by the people, as affirmed in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 13 of the Virginia Declaration of Rights: "That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state... [and] the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Government is instituted to secure these rights, deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed. When it enacts measures destructive of those ends—disarming the law-abiding, criminalizing common arms in lawful use, or circumventing due process—it exceeds its legitimate authority and invites rightful redress.

 

The legislation you have advanced or sponsored—most notably Senate Bill 749 (patron: Sen. Salim), reported from the Courts of Justice Committee on January 26, 2026 (9-Y 5-N party-line vote) with substitute and referred to Finance and Appropriations—prohibits the importation, sale, manufacture, purchase, possession, transport, or transfer of so-called "assault firearms" (encompassing many semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns in common use) and imposes severe restrictions on ammunition feeding devices exceeding 10 rounds, with Class 1 misdemeanor penalties and collateral firearm disabilities. Companion measures, including Senate Bill 348 (sponsor: Sen. Boysko) mandating storage under threat of criminalization, and others in the package (e.g., restrictions on carry, unserialized firearms, and public spaces), form a coordinated infringement.

These provisions contravene: The Second Amendment, as construed in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), protecting arms "in common use" for self-defense and other lawful purposes;

Article I, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution, declaring the right unalienable and not subject to infringement;

Due process under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, through arbitrary prohibitions and potential deprivations without individualized adjudication;

The Fourth Amendment's safeguard against unreasonable searches and seizures;

Equal protection principles, by disarming citizens while exempting select classes.

 

As Chair of the Courts of Justice Committee (Sen. Surovell), you have facilitated the advancement of SB 749 and related bills on party-line votes, overriding substantial opposition. As patrons and sponsors (Sens. Salim and Boysko), you bear direct responsibility for promoting these measures.

 

On behalf of the petitioners and all who hold these rights sacred, I demand: immediate and public opposition to SB 749, SB 348, and all companion or similar bills—no further hearings, amendments in "compromise" of fundamental rights, votes, or advancement in committee or on the floor;

Full repudiation of this disarmament agenda and affirmation that Virginia remains a sanctuary for the unalienable right to keep and bear arms;

Accountability for those advancing such infringements, including through electoral consequences;

Written confirmation within ten (10) business days of receipt that you stand unequivocally against these measures and will act to defeat them.

Enclosed/summarized is evidence of the petition's support (over 4,700 signatures, surging daily). Silence or inaction will be construed as acquiescence to constitutional erosion.

 The people have spoken clearly through this growing outcry and will continue to do so at the ballot box and beyond. We seek fidelity to the compact of liberty, not confrontation.

 

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed—not incrementally, not under pretext of safety, not at all.

I await your prompt, affirmative response.

Respectfully but firmly submitted,

(Your name)