Supervisors and Council Members…

                    Let me introduce myself as a life long citizen of Colonial Heights, Virginia. I have been a gun owner for over 60 years and I have never been arrested and I don’t have a criminal record of any sort. I am a machinist by trade and am 67 years old.

          In order for me to get a concealed carry permit; I had to take an 8-hour handgun safety course at cost of $75. I first had to apply to my Commonwealth Attorney to start the procedure. I next had to pay my local police department $ 50 to conduct an investigation to see if I qualify as a responsible citizen for such a permit. The Circuit then awarded me with a permit that has to be renewed in 5 years and then I have to go thru the whole procedure again to renew. I have no problem with this procedure because I have qualified with our society as a good standing citizen.

          My wife of 46 years and I have white hair and that often causes disrespectful occurrences and tests us from the general public. A retired coupled in our city was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat this year by a young neighbor. People no longer give traffic signals or show any curiosity while allowed to drive a vehicle that is far more dangerous than a handgun.

I feel that I have qualified as a law-abiding citizen with my perfect driving and no criminal record.

          I feel I have qualified as a responsible citizen and deserve to carry my handgun to protect my wife and family.

          Now I ask you to question my opponents reasoning to see if it is valid enough for him to deprive me of owning a tangible object, which expresses a person’s ingenuity and workmanship of a humans mind.

                                       Royce E. Nevetral