West Virginia is continuing its reform of archaic weapons laws. On Friday, the House passed HB 2679. From theet.com:
The House also approved House Bill 2679 by a vote of 94-4. The measure would allow firearms to be carried in state and county parks for self-defense, and it would prohibit county parks from banning guns.
Coonskin Park in Kanawha County is apparently the only county park in the state to prohibit guns. Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, argued that county officials should be allowed to restrict guns in the park because it is next to Yeager Airport and state National Guard facilities, but the park was home to a skeet range for several years.
In 2016, West Virgina reformed its weapons carry laws to a form of Constitutional Carry. No permit is required for either open or concealed carry.
As with all the states that have moved from a shall issue law to Constitutional Carry, West Virginia maintained their carry permit for the convenience of legal gun owners.
HB 2679 removes bans on the exercise of Second Amendment rights in state or local parks and recreation areas. Here is the summation from HB 2679:
A BILL to amend and reenact §7-11-5 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §20-2-5 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to the possession of firearms in parks and park facilities generally; prohibiting county parks and recreation commissions from promulgating or enforcing rules which prohibit possession of firearms; providing magistrate courts with concurrent jurisdiction; carrying a firearm for self-defense in state parks and state forests; providing exceptions; and clarifying that nothing in the section authorizes counties or municipalities to limit a person’s ability to possess, transfer over, carry or transport a firearm or ammunition in a state park, state forest, or recreational areas in state wildlife management areas under the Division of Natural Resources, provided that such person is not otherwise prohibited from possessing firearms.
The bill has been heard and passed in the Senate. It passed with a vote of 30-3 on 1 April, with amendment. Because of the amendment, it’s been sent back to the House for concurrence, which seems quite likely. Then it will be sent to the new Governor (D) Jim Justice.
It will either be signed or vetoed . Former Governor (D) Ray Tomblin vetoed the Constitutional Carry bill, but the veto was overridden.
The reform follows a trend in the United States to reduce and eliminate “gun free” zones. President Trump made reduction and elimination of gun free zones one of his campaign promises in 2016.
©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch
I don’t give a flip about West Virginia. What about California, Illinois and Texas???
Forget the Peoples Socialist Republic of California and the Progressive juggernaut of Illinois , and concentrate your efforts on Texas and you should give a flip about WV because it’s where 60 % of all new baby’s come from . We make them and then send them out all over the country , Texas is plum full of West Virginian’s , as is Ohio , the Carolina’s , Florida and Colorado .
I tend not to use the “/sarc” thing. Funner that way.
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The only remotely plausible arguments in favor of banning guns in particular places is that their presence would increase the number of negligent discharges or attacks motivated by sudden passion. Both of these are exceedingly weak arguments on their own, and thoroughly demolished by any one of multiple counterarguments.
Sign the bill and stop infringing on the splendid alignment of people’s rights and the will of the people.
Jonathan – Houston,
I agree emphatically.
No snark here … please share some of your counterarguments. Don’t worry about going into detail since we (the Armed Intelligentsia) will have no trouble supplying the details ourselves.
I have heard those two arguments repeatedly and I sincerely want us to have the best counterarguments available.
This bill will end up on the Governors desk and Big Jim the tax raise man , Democrat that he is , will veto it and the veto will be over ruled by a simple majority in the WV Congress and all West Virginian’s will taste a little bit more freedom the day it becomes law .
Um, we’re 500 million in the hole, brother, and believe me I well know every effing part of this state government with the exception of the bloodsuckers in Charleston all run on a skeleton crew. There are no cuts to be made. Taxes are it.
There are always cuts that can be made , always . They will hurt people , many people who don’t deserve to be hurt and more often than not it’s the children that end up on the sour end of the candy story , but cuts can be made . Freezing wages and benefits , cutting wages and benefits , letting secondary roads fall in disrepair , reducing state funding to multiple programs from conservation to environmental protection , reducing regulations and regulators , public broadcasting , WVCOE , elimination of certain agencies and a reduction in all , reduction in the states input into Medicaid , the fraud associated with the EBT card and the whole program , WV workforce programs , Pre-Employment Services racket , reduction in state road employment , eliminate the over-layering of administration in the consolidated schools system , bigger cuts to state universities and educators , reducing and eliminating regulations on WV Natural Resources will bring in dollars , eliminate the new House Bill 2811 , it’s over kill and should be revised with common sense . Reduce timber regulations and the burdensome Workers Comp premiums on these industries , collect taxes , MSV fines and penalties owed the state by companies that have already benefitted from our resources , like Kentucky Fuel Corp. owned by Big Jim .I am not against all taxes , as long as we have governments , local , state and national , that are NON-Producers , which all governments are , then you will need to support their existence , but taxes MUST be fair and should be coupled to cuts ( across the board ) for instance , the tax being hotly debated right now in WV is the one on professional services , common sense approaches here abide , since WV competes with other states that do not tax many professional services and many of these services can be found and allocated at the keyboard now , one must consider this , but hair , skin and manicure service , funeral embalming , summer camp , health club memberships , music instruction , and artistic performance services ? Law services exempt , really ? Reduction in the numbers of lawyers in WV can only be a plus no matter what you have to do to achieve it . Fast track oil and gas pipeline construction , fast track permit processes for coal , oil and gas production , fast track fracking of our vast oil and gas resources . Incentivize wood manufacturing companies , reduce corporate tax and regulation . I know this state cannot reduce a half billion dollar short fall with cuts only , but Big Jim is tax-tax-tax . Let Tim Armstead and Mitch Carmichael know we have their back and demand that they dish out a little hurt along with a little hurt , I only wish Bill Cole had been given the opportunity to lead the charge .
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