Virginia’s two Democratic senators want to use the commonwealth’s sweeping overhaul of gun laws as a blueprint for national change.

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine introduced a bill on Wednesday that would bring a series of gun violence prevention measures adopted by Virginia to the federal government, including closing background check “loopholes,” requiring a police report for lost or stolen firearms, and removing guns from those at risk of harm to themselves or others.

Although the bill is unlikely to pass the Republican-dominated Senate, the Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2020 shows the state has become a national test case for Democrats running on gun control — and winning.

The bill includes a one-handgun-a-month purchase limit, which recently faced a court challenge in Virginia. The Goochland County Circuit Court denied Virginia Citizen Defense League’s request to place an injunction on the law.

The bill would close most existing background check “loopholes” in federal law by requiring that firearm transfers and purchases occur only through licensed importers, dealers and manufacturers. Under current law, licensed dealers must run a background check on all gun purchases prior to sale, but this law doesn’t apply to private transactions between individuals — either in person or online.

Warner and Kaine’s bill makes a few exceptions for law enforcement, military personnel, and transfers or gifts between family members including step-siblings. The exemption also covers “temporary” transfers like loaning a rifle to a friend for a hunting trip.

Under current federal law, licensed dealers must run a background check on all gun purchases prior to selling them. According to a recent Marist Poll conducted by NPR and PBS Newshour, around 90% of Americans support universal background checks for firearm purchases.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed the measures into law in April as part of a sweeping effort to end gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting last year in Virginia Beach.

“We have seen the scourge of gun violence in the tragedies of Virginia Tech and Virginia Beach, drive-by shootings, domestic violence, the hundreds of suicides by firearm every week, and other crime in cities and towns across our country,” Kaine said in a statement. “For too long, Congress has remained a bystander while states like Virginia have taken action.”

Kaine first announced the bill at a virtual campaign event for presidential candidate Joe Biden presented by BradyPAC, the fundraising arm for the Brady organization, a grassroots gun control advocacy group. Brady President Kris Brown told DCist/WAMU that the policies included in the bill addresses gun violence without infringing on the second amendment.

“Measures that require the reporting of lost or stolen guns, as well as limiting the number of handguns purchases in a single month, will go a long way addressing gun trafficking. Brady is gratified that the Senators have taken this comprehensive step to make our country safer and thanks them for their leadership,” Brown said.

Del. Todd Gilbert (R) represents Virginia’s 15th District, which handed him a huge victory with 74% of the vote last November. He expressed frustration with the new bill and what he described as Democrats’ lack of “interest” in gun violence prevention. “Law-abiding gun owners in Virginia saw their rights eroded this year. It’s not surprising that Virginia’s Democratic U.S. senators want to push these policies at the national level,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert sponsored legislation last summer introducing a gun violence prevention program called Project Ceasefire based on a violence interruption model used in Boston. It would have created a new section within the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services to coordinate law enforcement, community members, and social services providers to combat violence. “Project Ceasefire was killed by Virginia Democrats earlier this year,” Gilbert said. “Any effort that doesn’t include Project Ceasefire isn’t serious about stopping violence.”

Gun control has gone from a third-rail campaign issue to a popular strategy for Virginia Democrats by bringing the laws themselves to the national stage. Americans are demanding accountability an safety at every level of government, according to Khalilah L. Brown-Dean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University. In an email to DCist/WAMU, Brown-Dean stressed the uncertainty many are feeling about police violence and accountability, and the need for students to feel safe at school as the fall approaches.

“Democrats have the opportunity to channel that growing uncertainty into effective policy reform,” she said. “That will only happen, however, if they can clearly articulate that national imperative without resting in standard partisan talking points.”