I am a CCP (Carry Conceal Permit ) holder and NRA Training Couselor, Why should I not be allowed to carry a fire arm in to a Virginia State Park or a  National Forest.?  Though I am not allowed to apprehend (and this is not my intention ) I can act as a second pair of eyes for your law enforcement.  Take this a step farther, you now have over a thousand set of eyes in your jurisdiction almost at any one time.    We with CCP know our legal; limitations and our legal boundarys, this is what we teach in our classes.   In our classes we temphasize alertness, what to look for, what to aviod,  This applies to the home, walking down the street, or hiking through a park.

National Guard was set up  to empliment and ensure, the welfare of the State of  Virginia, secondly,  as a back up  to the active duty cadre.  The State assetts, with the Carry Concealed Permit holders, provide you with a pool of talents, most of these people have gone through  extensive firearms training and each have had a thorough criminal background check. Who can you call on  for immediate assistance without going through a lot of beaucratic BS to provide this assistance and they willing to do this free of charge?  When push comes to shove and the time line approaches zero, who else is better qualified to assist?  This point, to date, is not only poorly understood ,but is poorly under estimated,  We can be a backup to your cadre, and assist  if and when  you would so desire. 

The Virginia State services are so under funded, especially in this time of economic crisis, that a voluntere organiztion such as ;your Carry Conceled Permit holders and your Virginina Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Volunteer Instructors could and would be a valuable assest.  As far as Inland security, this would make one thousand eyes available to your endeavours.

The bottom line is don't lock the law abiding citizens of this state from your (Our) parks.  Let them help you.  They have taken the time , training, and effort to prove that they are legally qualified to Carry Concealed firearms.  What makes them so different if they are day hiking in a State Prak of taking a multi day canoe trip which happens to go through a State Park?.  Do they instantly mutate from a law abiding Virginina Ctitizen to a state or national threat?  I doubt that.

This is food for thought which I hope will nourish your minds to the potental that at is available to this State.

John Strauss  HMCM USNR RET

NRA Training Counselor

Master Instructor Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries.