President Falwell joins West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to bolster support for counties’ secession

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice held a joint press conference Tuesday, Jan. 28, at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College in Martinsburg, W.Va., to bring attention to discussions that have surfaced regarding counties seceding from Virginia to join their neighbor to the west.

Falwell said recent decisions by Virginia’s legislature are threatening individual liberties given by God and enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, including the Second Amendment.

The Virginia Senate recently passed a red flag law, which allows temporary confiscation of firearms if their owners are deemed dangerous. The House committee is proposing universal background checks and a bill that limits handgun purchases to one per month, among other gun-control measures.

“What’s happening in Virginia right now is a tragedy in the making,” Falwell said. “Democratic leaders in Richmond, through their elitism and radicalism, have left a nearly unrecognizable state in their wake.”

“They are using their power to strip away the God-given rights held by every person in the state, despite their protections under the U.S. Constitution,” he continued. “…The threat from the radical left is real and is spreading across our country and tearing our national family apart at the seams.”

Gov. Justice invited all counties bordering West Virginia to join his state in peacefully dividing from Virginia, a movement some have coined as “VEXIT.” His invitation extended to all U.S. citizens across the nation.

“We want the world to know just how welcoming West Virginia is,” Justice said, who described his state as a place filled with faith-based, family-oriented people. “We stand with open arms. … West Virginia is an incredible state. … It’s an opportunity to live in paradise against the backdrop of the most beautiful mountains, the most pristine air and water, and surrounded by loving, appreciative, hardworking people. We have thousands of good-paying, high-quality jobs just waiting to be filled. We have beautiful cities and communities, great opportunities to start and grow a business, four breathtaking seasons, and we’re a stone’s throw from two-thirds of the country’s population. Our state supports personal freedom and we value the Second Amendment and the rights of the unborn. Come join us. You will never regret it.”

The growing calls for a secession measure are reflected in a resolution that is currently gaining support in the West Virginia Legislature as some Virginia counties are considering such a move; petitions have also been circulating online in recent weeks. Citizens are encouraged to work with their city council or county supervisor to sign and collect petitions and put this on the ballot for a vote.

“Count me in on this push for counties to leave Virginia,” Falwell said. “If the groundswell of support grows for counties to leave, what’s also certain is that they will be joining the Mountain State miracle that Governor Jim Justice has engineered.”

Falwell spoke in high regard for Gov. Justice and his efforts to defend traditional values.

“Under Gov. Justice’s leadership, West Virginia has become more attractive as an economic success story and a freedom-loving refuge by the day.”