Oh yeah, this can’t end well.
Living in VA, I don’t see a problem with NONVIOLENT felons who’ve served their time.
Being a life long Va. resident, I guess I have a dog in this hunt. One part of my common sense says that it is bad business to return felons their rights. One part tells me that historically, when a man (or woman) paid their debt to society then that was it. They could return to society and hopefully contribute in a positive way. They could vote, own a gun, etc. I don’t know when the law was enacted that stripped felons of their rights. The Constitution says nothing about a citizen forfeiting their rights after a felony conviction. I have an old friend in law enforcement who once sagely told me, that the only differance between us and those with a record, is that when we were young, we didn’t get caught. I do find it interesting that Virginia, a state that requires voter i.d., would consider returning voter privaledges to non-violent felons. That doesn’t seem like an efficient way to deprive voter rights.
It might help this argument if there were fewer felonies.