Good: (But the story is not yet up on the paper's July 18 link)
http://www.winchesterstar.com/
http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/pentagram/9_29/commentary/30198-1.html
http://www.winchesterstar.com/
Flak (Flake?):Virginia Tops Nation in New Pro-Gun Laws
By Michael N. Graff
The Winchester Star
Though none were earth-moving adjustments, Virginia passed more
pro-gun laws than any other state this spring - a statistic local
lawmakers say verifies the commonwealth's commitment to protecting
the rights of its law-abiding gun owners.
Legislators approved 15 pro-gun laws, spurring shouts of praise from
the National Rifle Association.
"This year was definitely a very good year for the Second Amendment
in Virginia," said NRA spokesperson Kelly Hobbs, noting the 15 new
laws.
The movement away from tightening gun-control laws is a reflection of
the state's stance on firearms, according to the area legislators.
"I'm pretty cut and dry on this," said Del. Beverly J. Sherwood,
R-Frederick County. "That's an example of preserving the rights of
law-abiding citizens. We're going to continue to do that. The members
of the General Assembly will be putting bills in to make sure we're
not injuring those law-abiding citizens."
Added Del. Clifford L. "Clay" Athey Jr., R-Front Royal: "We hold very
important that people have a right to keep and bear arms. Virginia
sort of leads to protecting that right."
Among the laws, which Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner signed, the
General Assembly approved a bill that excludes valid concealed-carry
owners - people who have been approved by a court to carry a
concealed firearm - from the one-handgun-per-month limitation.
The law also allows gun collectors to purchase more than one gun per
month through private sales to improve their collections.
"What we were trying to do with the one-handgun-per-month law was
prevent people that were buying huge amounts of them and reselling
them to people," Athey said. "But these are people, they've been
vetted through our court process and found to be law-abiding
citizens."
Athey sponsored one of the new laws dealing with reciprocity. It
increases the number of states with which Virginia's concealed-carry
laws comply.
Now, concealed-carry owners in several other states - including West
Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida - will have their permits recognized
in Virginia and vice-versa.
The law also grants the Virginia State Police office in Richmond the
right to issue temporary concealed-carry permits to people who have
court-authorized permits in other states that have reached
reciprocity with Virginia.
"If people travel in the Southeast, they should now be able to carry
concealed weapons," Athey said.
Added Del. Joe T. May, R-Leesburg: "If I'm checking your background
in Pennsylvania, then I'm sure it's the same record in Virginia."
The reciprocity law does not cross over into Maryland, Athey said.
http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/pentagram/9_29/commentary/30198-1.html
No need to check guns in Virginia
by Dennis Ryan
Pentagram staff writer
"Virginia is for Lovers" the old tourist ads for the state used to read. The Old Dominion, The Mother of Presidents and the Mother of States are all well-known monikers for the 36th largest state in the nation.
There is soon to be a new appellation for this old and historic place, "Guns are Us." The Washington Post reported yesterday some gun owners in Virginia were beginning to exercise a legal right in public.
The right is to openly wear a firearm in public, and is guaranteed by a new law which went into effect July 1. Virginia prohibits any locality from enacting their own laws regulating the ownership, carrying, storage or purchase of guns, except in the workplace.
Ssiiiiggghhhhhhhhh. That's bosses exhaling across the commonwealth.
Dangerous venues such as local restaurants and coffee shops are now the scene of gun enthusiasts quietly sipping their low fat latte with a fully loaded pistol.
Now, certainly people's rights to keep and bear arms are rightfully guaranteed by the constitution and now it is legal in the "Quick Draw McGraw State." The birthplace of Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, Madison, Lee and Jackson is now a place, which encourages one to pack a piece in public.
It may be legal, but it is insane. Is it really wise for people to tote a firearm around? It is necessary to have a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Virginia and most other states.
This law obviates the need for a permit as long as one straps the weapon on and wears it openly. If a person works in a convenience store late at night in a dangerous area, perhaps the sight of a holstered weapon might deter malefactors.
Do we want people openly carrying guns just because they can and want to stick their noses at people who believe otherwise? If workplaces are the only locales where holstered guns are limited, does it mean one can wear a gun to church?
Hallelujah, pass the Lord and praise the ammunition. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil -- for thou Smith and Wesson is with me.
How about completing an ensemble with a Colt 45 for a trip to the bank? Tellers would love to have customers walking in armed to the teeth.
Bar rooms would be excellent places to display one's right to carry and to be carried out on a stretcher.
Guns are perfectly fine tools for assigned purposes. They have a long and valued history in this country. But they are also responsible for thousands of deaths every year. The NRA and other sportsmen's groups stress responsible gun ownership. It is completely irresponsible to wear a gun simply because one can. In fact, never was there a more perfect advertisement for gun control than the sight of a group of nattering Neanderthals with small members, infinitesimal IQs and large bore hand guns walking into a quiet suburban restaurant. Let's not allow Virginia to be known as the land of the quick draw, the slow wit and the dead.
Guns are for self-defense, hunting, the disposal of rodents and other practical uses. They should not be used by showoffs to make an ill-considered political point.
