Anna Bryson | Friday, August 8, 2025
Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, rolled out a new public safety plan Thursday that addresses violent crime, illegal guns and child safety.
To crack down on violent crime, Jones said he would conduct a thorough review of the staffing and budget of the Attorney General’s Office with the goal of shifting more resources to combating violent crime and holding bad actors accountable.
“We really want to focus on stopping violent crime and supporting our victims, so we’re going to restore a department-wide focus on targeting violent crime, drug trafficking, sexual abuse and repeat offenders,” Jones said.
Jones’ plan includes a drug trafficking unit, which he said does not exist in the current Attorney General’s Office. The unit’s goal would be to improve regional partnerships and communication to work with other states to stop the flow of drugs in and out of Virginia.
Jones said his stances on crime and incarceration have not changed since he was in the General Assembly.
“I always supported law enforcement when I was in the General Assembly. That’s why I voted for budgets that increased pay raises for law enforcement across the commonwealth,” Jones said.
“We voted for measures that would crack down on sex offenders, common-sense measures that will keep our community safe. And now, as we embark on this campaign, we really want to hone in on what is going to be most successful to stem the tide we’ve seen here in Virginia, to make us more safe.”
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Part of Jones’ public safety plan is to strengthen re-entry programs for people who are leaving prison to return to their communities.
“I am supportive of programs that are going to make Virginia more safe. I’m supportive of programs that are going to afford people the opportunity to thrive,” Jones said.
“Certainly I want to make sure that our communities are as protected as possible. I’ve got two little boys, and I want to ensure their future is safe and secure on every level. And so we’ll work with the legislature to make sure that all of the things that they’re passing are really going to make a big difference.”
Protecting children
Jones says if he’s elected this fall he will create a child safety unit within the Attorney General’s Office.
“We know that social media companies and some other tech companies are making it easier for people to prey on children, and we want to step in and stop that in its tracks,” Jones said in an interview.
The child safety unit would “identify child predators and help bring them to justice, and really protect a vulnerable population that I think deserves a lot of our attention,” Jones said.
Gun safety
Jones, who as an assistant attorney general in Washington D.C. sued the nation’s largest manufacturer of ghost gun kits, says he would make cracking down on illegal guns a major focus.
He says he would investigate and prosecute gun dealers who break the law and put them out of business. Jones wants to use the full force of the attorney general post to hold gun manufacturers accountable, including through using civil statutes on consumer protection grounds where possible.
His office would use the proceeds from any settlements with gun manufacturers to fund violence interruption and gun safety programs that can reduce shootings and gun deaths, especially programs that keep kids engaged in healthy activities.
