Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam calls for special legislative session on gun control

The state of play: Northam wants the legislature to debate bills that include ...

• A ban on silencers.
• A ban on high capacity ammunition magazines.
• Granting local governments more power to limit guns in city buildings.

The other side: Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox said that Northam's decision is "more likely to inflame political tensions than produce substantive public policy changes." He signaled that Republicans in the legislature would pursue a different path for reform, increasing mandatory minimums and efforts to strengthen mental health systems.

"The Governor's call to Special Session is hasty and suspect when considered against the backdrop of the last few months, While the Governor can call a special session, he cannot specify what the General Assembly chooses to consider or how we do our work. We intend to use that time to take productive steps to address gun violence by holding criminals accountable with tougher sentences — including mandatory minimums."

Go deeper: What we know so far: 12 dead in Virginia Beach shooting