ROANOKE, Va. – Gun ownership and diabetes are two dramatically different topics, but people in both groups experienced a significant law change when the book closed on 2020.
Starting on New Year’s Day, online concealed carry classes are no longer allowed in Virginia. Additionally, the price of insulin is now capped at $50 for a month-long supply.
Safeside Tactical owner Mitch Tyler told 10 News more than 1,500 Virginians took their online course in the last three days of the year, compared to 4,000 in the eight months prior to New Year’s.
“We really want gun owners to take the initiative to learn about firearm safety,” Tyler said. “It was important to them to be able to get this critical gun safety course done without potentially exposing themselves or other susceptible members of their household to COVID-19.”
Former Salem School Board president and longtime diabetes research advocate Sally Southard said the insulin cap will have a transformative effect for many diabetics.
“Certainly this will help. It’s life or death,” Southard said. “If you don’t take insulin, you could be dead in a couple days.”
Southard, a Type 1 diabetic herself, said she personally knows people who have risked their lives to afford their medication.
“A woman I know was jeopardizing her own health and not taking her insulin so that she could get her grandson’s asthma medicine,” Southard said. “Without it, people will die.”
The new laws on the books also includes outlawing holding a cellphone while driving and measures to prevent surprise medical costs from out-of-network emergency room visits.