Action | Promulgation of new regulation banning concealed firearms in executive branch agency offices |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 10/21/2016 |
This proposal is a solution in search of a problem. There is no more law-abiding group in the Commonwealth than concealed carriers. Creating more "gun free" zones does nothing to reduce the potential for violent criminal acts, rather it creates opportunity for criminals to operate without fear of resistance or retaliation from the lawfully-armed citizen.
Furthermore, the Governor does not have the authority to unlateratlly "ban" anything and has been frequently taken to task by the General Assembly for such. Last session a bill was passed by both houses of the Assembly which would have provided a form of state-agency preemption (much like 15.2-915 for local municipalities) which the Governor vetoed as a matter of political extortion, ignoring the very will of people he was elected to serve.