West VA brings it back to the constitution
House bill 4145 went through the last step in the process to make it a legitimate law today, Saturday March the 5th.
The bill allows for the concealed carry of a firearm in West Virginia without a permit by people who are 21 and older. Adults 18 to 21 must still receive training and a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
It was introduced in the House of Delegates on Jan. 19. After passing both chambers it went to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D-WV) who vetoed the bill on March 3, 2016. The House of Delegates voted to override the veto on Friday, March 4. The West Virginia Senate supported the house’s override on Saturday March 5.
This is a bill that has caused some concern for law enforcement officers. Deputies in Mercer County said one of the biggest concerns they had was the lack of training. Their concerns and those of other law enforcement officers in southern West Virginia can be viewed here.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued the following statement after the final vote overriding his veto:
“West Virginia’s law enforcement officers have dedicated their lives to keeping us safe and helping us in times of need, and it’s disheartening that the members of the Legislature have chosen not to stand with these brave men and women – putting their safety and the safety of West Virginians at risk. It’s unfortunate that the concerns of officers from every law enforcement branch in the state, including the West Virginia State Police and university campus police officers, have been ignored by today’s action.”
West Virginia Senate President Bill Cole (R) gave this statement:
“The Senate today, in a broad bipartisan vote, defended the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding West Virginia citizens by overriding Governor Tomblin’s veto of House Bill 4145.
“This bill allows West Virginians to protect themselves without the government’s permission. It has been improved from the bill vetoed last year by creating three new criminal offenses. The new felony offenses come with tough penalties for using a concealed deadly weapon during the commission of a crime, and for carrying a concealed firearm if you are not legally permitted to do so. We are also creating an incentive for training courses, which I believe will go a long way to encourage people to be properly trained on the safe use of their weapons.
“I am proud of this version, and I am pleased that today we were able to stand up for the constitutional rights our citizens hold so dear.”
I agree with the Senate President on this one, this is not a matter of opinion: it’s an actual constitutional right to bear arms, with or without a permit.
Many police officers would understand that there is a crucial time period when someone calls 911 before they can arrive to help. Although I understand training is vital and gun safety training leads to an overall safer society, we all have a right to protect ourselves.
Gov. Earl Tomblin’s statement made it look like the only thing this new law succeeded in was endangering the lives of police officers. That automatically points to guns as “unsafe.” This is where he is wrong.
A safe society is an armed society, we know that defensive gun use saves countless lives every day.
I think it is intelligent that the law still requires those from 18-21 to have training in order to get a permit, but training or no, our constitutional right is to bear arms. Plain and simple we all have that law.
Do you think no longer requiring the permit and training for those above 21 is wise? We would love to hear your viewpoint in the comments.
