To Our Lawmakers and My Fellow Citizens of Virginia,

Whether one talks about the right to carry firearms in cities or towns, in the suburbs, or in the forest, the basic principle is the same.  Law abiding citizens should always have the right to carry a firearm, should they chose to do so, for any lawful purpose, and in any manner they choose.  Criminals always carry their weapons everywhere they go and in any way they choose, regardless of any laws to the contrary.  The lawfully-permitted concealed weapon carrier has been investigated by police and FBI and has no criminal history.  It is that concealed weapon carrier who has made the choice to stand up for his rights and for the rights of others, even if they choose not to. 

No rational person can logically reason that he has anything to fear from any person who is a law abiding citizen, regardless of what firearm he may or may not be carrying.  For anyone to say that he does not fear someone with a rifle or a shotgun in the forest because they might be hunting, but he does fear someone who may be lawfully carrying a handgun, is absurd and shows a clear lack of firearms knowledge and common sense. 

As for crime in the forests, there are, in fact, some crimes committed in the National and state forests and they are not committed by law abiding citizens.  The mere presence of more armed citizens in the forests of Virginia will, in fact, reduce what crimes there are.  The increased presence of armed citizens has, in fact, reduced crime in every area of the United States in which it has again been permitted.

Men and women of this state, who live and work in the real world, who don't live in some Disneyesque fairytale world, understand that the criminal element is always among us, whether a terrorist, a homegrown dirt bag, or a deranged, serial killer.  Law abiding citizens have the right to choose to be prepared, while hoping that they never need to use that preparation.  In the same way that many people own life insurance while not planning to die any time soon, the person who carries a concealed weapon realizes that he probably will never need it but he chooses to be prepared in the rare event that he does.

As Virginia becomes a more urbanized state and as fewer young people grow up on farms and in the "country," normal exposure to firearms and training in their safe and proper use becomes more rare.  Fewer people are educated about firearms nowadays and more well-meaning people are unreasonably fearful of the mere presence of firearms.  These people and, indeed, all citizens of Virginia should be glad that there are still men and women who will educate themselves in the safe and proper use of firearms and will, in fact, carry them and use them lawfully, if necessary, to protect themselves and others.  These people are, in fact, and by design, the very "we the people" to which the writers of our Constitution and Bill of Rights referred.  

We still live in a free country, where we have the right to defend our life, our liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  The issue is simple and that is why the founding fathers discussed the second amendment at greater length than any other.  They worded it very precisely to express exactly their thoughts and feelings.  They knew that decent citizens, well-armed, spread among us, on farms, in towns and, yes, in the woods, are the cornerstone of our free society.

Firearms should never have been restricted from our National or state forests or parks in the first place.  I urge all citizens to support this petition and any others which support the safe and sane use of firearms by responsible citizens in the Commonwealth.