Next Monday, Virginia lawmakers can start pre-filing bills for the 2026 session, and there are likely going to be some extremely offensive measures introduced to infringe on our right to keep and bear arms. I'll be taking a closer look at what we can expect over the weekend, but one lawmakers in neighboring West Virginia isn't waiting for the gory details to pitch his idea of an exit strategy for more than two dozen counties in the Old Dominion.
West Virginia state Senator Chris Rose has introduced a resolution inviting 27 Virginia counties (and three in Maryland) to leave their states and become a part of the Mountaineer State instead.
Rose cited West Virginia’s secession from Virginia in 1863 over the question of slavery as a precedent. Residents in Virginia’s western counties were largely anti-slavery.
In this resolution, Rose suggested that the counties he’d be inviting share West Virginia’s cultural values — such as a strong Appalachian heritage, rural lifestyle.
He also said that the counties being invited often have values that conflict with those of their state governments — such as Second Amendment rights, economic development, and rural representation.
"West Virginia was born from the spirit of self-determination, and we're extending that invitation to our neighbors who share our way of life. By uniting, we can foster economic growth, better infrastructure, and a stronger voice for Appalachia,” Rose said.
The Virginia counties invited to join West Virginia were Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Clarke, Craig, Dickenson, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Highland, Lee, Page, Patrick, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, and Wythe.
Honestly, it's not the worst idea in the world, though I doubt it's going to go anywhere. In order for any or all of these counties to become part of West Virginia, the Virginia legislature and governor would have to sign off. Some Democrats might actually prefer to cut these rural counties loose, but I suspect that most Democrats in the legislature are salivating over the prospect of forcing rural Virginians to live under their rule.
Some of the counties in Rose's resolution are much closer to Charleston, West Virginia than Richmond. Wise, Virginia, for instance, is almost six hours from Virginia's capital by car, but is less than three hours away from West Virginia's capital city.
Geography, though, is only one consideration. Augusta County, for instance, is only about two hours from Richmond and more than three hours from Charleston, but with 72% of Augusta County voters picking Republican Winsome Earle Sears over Democrat Abigail Spanberger, it's pretty clear that the values and mindset of most Augusta County residents is far more aligned with the politics of West Virginia than a Virginia dominated by liberals in the D.C. suburbs and cities like Richmond.
As I wrote after it became clear that Democrats captured every statewide office in Virginia and gained a supermajority in the House of Delegates, my guns and I are still staying put. I have to say, though, I wouldn't mind if my county chose to be annexed by West Virginia, but given that I live just a few miles from the geographic center of the state that's not an option, even if by some miracle Rose's Vexit strategy actually came to pass.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey, meanwhile, has been encouraging Virginians to pack up and move west, and I do wonder if some folks will take him up on the offer. The thin eastern panhandle that borders Maryland and Virginia has already seen explosive growth in recent years as the cost of living in D.C. and the surrounding suburbs have priced a lot of people of out buying homes there. I have a friend who lives not far from Harper's Ferry who commutes almost two hours each way by train to downtown D.C. several days a week, and he's got plenty of company on his travels.
Could we see a similar exodus in Appalachia? It's not inconceivable. Some of these counties are already losing population, and when Democrats in Richmond try to turn the state into East California, I won't be surprised if some folks beyond the Blue Ridge decide to move to their neighboring county across the West Virginia border. Rose's Vexit plan isn't going anywhere, but that doesn't mean every Virginian will stay put once Democrats start cracking down on our Second Amendment rights.
