Virginia’s Gun Legislation Sucks

Second Amendment madness in the late great US of A.

    While my heart goes out to the friends and families of the shooting victims at Virginia Tech, I cannot help thinking that you reap what you sow.  How many more shootings will it take to make Americans realize that free and easy access to deadly weapons no longer has a place in enlightened societies.  A nut with a baseball bat is one thing; a nut with an assault weapon is quite another.
    Virginia has some of the weakest gun legislation in America.  Here is a summary of Virginia gun laws from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence website:

• Anti-Trafficking 
Is there a one-handgun-per-month limit on gun sales?    Yes
• Assault Weapons 
Are there limitations on assault weapons and magazines?    No
• Attorney General Regulations 
May Attorney General regulate guns?    No
• Background Check At State Level 
Do state police perform a background check in addition to federal NICS check?    Yes
• Ballistic Fingerprinting 
Must handguns be ballistic fingerprinted prior to sale?    No 
• CCW Limits 
May police limit carrying concealed handguns?    No 
• Child Access Prevention - CAP 
Are gun owners held accountable for leaving guns accessible to kids?    Yes 
• Child-Safety Locks 
Must locking devices be sold with guns?    No 
• Gun Manufacturer Accountability 
Do cities have authority to hold gun makers legally liable?    No
• Gun Show Checks 
Are background checks required at gun shows?    No
• Juvenile Possession 
Are minors restricted from possessing guns?    Partial
• Juvenile Sale 
Is it illegal to sell guns to kids?    Partial 
• License or Permit to Purchase 
Is a license/permit required to buy handguns?    No 
• Local Gun Laws - Preemption 
May cities enact laws stronger than the state's?    No 
• Record Keeping 
May police maintain gun sale records?    Partial 
• Registration 
Are all guns registered with law enforcement?    No 
• Safety Standards 
Are there consumer safety standards on guns?    No 
• Safety Training 
Is safety training required for handgun buyers?    No
• Saturday Night Specials 
Are there limitations on 'junk' handguns?    No
• School Zones 
Is it illegal for CCW permit holders to carry guns into schools?    Yes 
• Secondary Sales 
Are background checks required on 'private' gun sales?    No 
• Waiting Period 
Is there a waiting period on gun sales?    No

 

    Lets see what the next few weeks brings but my bet is that the NRA is already preparing vigorous action to counteract and move to change the existing gun laws.  Sad.

    Oh, and just one more thing.  I just watched a CNN interview with the governor of Virginia, Timothy Kaine, who said Virginia is a leader in gun legislation.  He said he's particularly proud of the fact that you are limited to one handgun purchase a month in his state.  Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate (You know, the one who said he didn't know the answer when asked by a reporter if condoms prevented the transmission of AIDS.) said, “This brutal attack was not caused by nor should it lead to restrictions on the Second Amendment, which guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms.” Is it just me or is this fucking nuts.

Joseph Froncioni

Comments

[John S]

Julie,

Thank you for your reply and an international perspective, and your English is better than my own, let alone my French.

The "Old West" was actually a relatively peaceful place. Democracy and social contract were absolutely in existence. Defending yourself, or another isn't personal justice or an eye for an eye. That is when you go for revenge i.e. when a father hunts down and kills the rapist of his daughter. I can understand that even if it may be wrong, but it isn't what I'm describing. I'm talking about the ability for someone to stop a bad thing from happening. My state of mind in a situation like that would be frightened, but that doesn't mean that my actions have to be rash. I am trained as a Military Police Officer in the United States Marine Corps so I'm aware of the value of training, but I don't think it's right to be an elitest about who has the responsibility and morales to be able to protect themselves. Police make bad decisions as well even with their training because there still is fear. It's just a human reality. (I do completely favor training for anyone who is going to carry)The responsibility we speak of is our bond as human beings. Some violate that bond and there are those that are less aware of it than you or I, but for a government to step in and take away that responsibility doesn't make our society a better place.

Defending yourself from crime through legislative, executive, and judicial matters doesn't actually stop crime. If someone is trying to hurt my family, I can't wait for the police to get there after I find a phone to call them. By then my family is all ready hurt or killed and no amount of judicial punishment or laws will bring them back.

Yes, countries like France have fewer murders and mass casualty incidents than the U.S. but those are different cultures. Over here, the cities with the strictest gun control laws are the ones with the highest crime/ murder rates. Meanwhile cities that have concealed carry permits or even open carry permits have much lower crime rates. You can argue the cause/ effect relationship, but these laws haven't done much to deter the violence.

Men have done plenty of good things with guns. They have stopped bad men with guns. Maybe if the guns were never there, it would be a different story, but as long as there are bad men out there, we need normal good people with the ability to counter them.

Cheers,
John

[Joseph Froncioni]

Julie,

Merci pour ce commentaire excellent. Je suis complètement d’accord avec vous et je vous remercie d’avoir visiter mon site.

[Goldmund]

Hello,
I am French: sorry for my english.

I just wanted to give you my feeling, from far away, and from a country where free weapon carrying is not allowed. For us, it is unbelievable that a modern society like USA still allows it...it's a sort of mystery. And the arguments developped by John S are really frightening! That sounds like Far West, or, to compare with a european period, to middle age, when justice was a personal affair, and democracy and social contract did not exist. An eye for an eye. Personal justice.
But I ask John S, who are we to decide to kill someone? Who are you, John S, when you decide to shoot? And in which state of mine are you at this moment? Panicked? Frightened? When you buy the gun, are you following the same coaching than a policeman who is educated to act coldly in stressful situation? Are you obliged to follow the coaching? And if you did, can you guarantee that every people who buy one have the same sens of responsability than you? And what is the definition of "responsability" in this case? Because we are talking about a general legislation. Not only your single appreciation or mine.

Crime belongs to human nature, ok. And we need to defend ourselves against it, ok. But in my country, this is mostly the work of legislative, executive and judicial powers. We also believe that our liberties as individuals finish were someone else liberties begin. And to possess a deathful weapon as an individual person, not a state representant, is against the right to live. Thanx Rousseau. And, to speak of real life, there are far less big incidents in these countries where the gun legislation is strict (at least, in France & around)), than what was descrided in Bowling for Colombine. And I also believe that you, and all the people who were a weapon are a danger for everybody, no matter if you have or not a criminal intention.

But perhaps you are more confident in the human nature, John S, and believe we live in a world where everybody take its responsability and act very wise when having a deadful toy in the hands. I do not. And History prove I am right. Men never did good things with a gun.

Julie

[John S]

Andy, what you do, is take a second to evaluate the situation. If the shooter is aiming at multiple targets or fireing indescriminately, you then determine if you have a clear shot and ensure that there is no one behind that indidual incase you miss or if your round passes through the perp. If it's a bad guy and you have a shot, you take it.

If you can't determine the situation, you don't draw your weapon and you run away.

Having a weapon at least gives you an option as well as additional responsiblity. I would rather have that option and take on that responsibility than have to be a victim and wait for/ rely soley on the police.

[AndyF]

For John S:

Hey, John, here's a scenario and I'd like you to tell me what to do with my gun:

Shots are heard at VA Tech and people are running everywhere. I see a shooter taking shots at someone. Do I shoot him? Is he the original shooter, or is he just someone like me who is shooting back?

I'd really like to know what you'd do...

Andy

[John S]

I propose that the problem isn't that the psycho had the gun, it was that no one else did. If someone else (or everyone else) was armed, someone could have stopped him. The answer isn't more gun restrictions (look at D.C., N.Y, and L.A.) it is more guns.

[Mikey]

Hey bro,

Right on! You must have received lots of hits on this one from all of the Google adds ....Holsters, Firearm training.

I'm so glad I live in a little naive city called Montreal.

Cheers

[Sarah Touchie]

You're not nuts. The Governor was also quoted as saying that this is not the time to open up the debate on gun control. May I politely ask, then, when would be a good time? madness.