The petition only asks that the rights of Virginia Citizens be protected.  Bad people intent on doing harm will not obey the current rule, only law abiding citizen's obey it.  The Commonwealth is not obligated to defend the individual in a State Forest.  The current rule severely limits the ability of the individual to defend themselves.

The current gun free zone could also be called a victim disarmament zone.  We know the budget is not going to increase to put significantly more armed law enforsement in the forests. End the prohibition.  Let citizens defend themselves when needed. 

When and where a loosening of gun control is enacted in this nation we have seen significant decreases in the level of violent crime.  Permitting citizens to arm themselves reduces crime.