2ND AMENDMENT

The Founding Fathers and their generation understood the importance of defending liberty.  This understanding is what inspired them to include the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights.  Despite the claims of gun control advocates, the Second Amendment remains a vital tool for the protection of individual liberties and security.

The Second Amendment was not about protecting hunting rights.  The right to keep and bear arms to defend your life against unjust aggression, is a natural right.

During my service as a state delegate I have received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, the Gun Owners of America, and the Virginia Citizens Defense League.

Recently a 17-year-old Osbourn Park HS student was arrested by federal agents for helping a man travel to Syria to fight with the Islamic State.   He was sentenced to 11 plus years in prison in August 2015.  The student was identified by the Washington Post (3/4/15) as Muslim, intelligent, a good writer and competent with science/technology.

FBI Director James Comey revealed (2-25-15) that his agency is investigating suspected supporters of the Islamic State in all 50 states, and all 56 FBI Field offices are investigating ISIS recruitment in the US.  On May 7, Comey said that “hundreds, maybe thousands” of people inside the United States are being asked to help ISIS carry out attacks in the United States.

A Georgetown University terror expert stated that ISIL’s outreach and use ofsocial media now threatens to “outpace the government’s capabilities across the intelligence community.”  (USA Today 5/7/15)

Last December, 132 school children, 10 school staff and 3 others were killed by Islamic militants in at a school in Pakistan.  ISIS threats have been issued against public buildings inside the US.

Disarming law-abiding citizens does not enhance public safety.   To help protect our students, I introduced HB 1467 (2015) to authorize a public school board or private school administrator to designate one or more persons who may carry a concealed handgun on school property if they are trained and certified by the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety or the National Rifle Association in the use and handling of a concealed handgun as well as what to do in an active shooter situation.   HB 1467 requires the VA Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish training requirements.

I introduced HB 1411, which would allow full-time faculty members of Virginia public colleges or universities who possess a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun on campus.  Most Boards of Visitors have banned concealed carry by college teachers, including at Virginia Tech where a deranged mass murderer killed 32 and wounded 17 others against unarmed students and teachers.   The need for this legislation was called to my attention by a George Mason college professor and a George Mason Campus Security guard.

Unfortunately, my measure was defeated in a special subcommittee formed to kill my bill and similar measures.

A January, 2013 NBC TV report notes that eighteen states provide for teachers to have concealed carry ability during the school day in some form or other with no detrimental incidents. See the source here: NBC.

As your Representative, I will work tirelessly to protect our Second Amendment right to own firearms, and will join with my colleagues to be vigilant in the face of the never-ending assault on our constitutional rights.

From Columbine to Newtown, those who would like to undo our Second Amendment rights use firearms deaths to paint all gun owners with a negative brush.  The most recent exploitation of gun crime almost resulted in a national database on gun ownership in 2013, which would not only have interfered with our constitutional right to own a firearm, but also served as a wealth of information just waiting to be abused by our federal government.

I also introduced a bill, HB 2340, which passed the House Militia and Police Committee 15-7 in January of 2013.  It would have prevented Virginia from complying with any federal gun grab legislation.  The federal government is not empowered to restrict gun rights in the states. Unfortunately, without any evidence, members of the General Assembly said my bill might threaten federal grant money.  Natural rights which are recognized by our Second Amendment should not be “for sale.”

When legitimate gun ownership is restricted, gun crime and gun violence skyrocket.  This is because law-abiding, hard-working Americans obey gun laws, while criminals do not, and criminals always know where to find illegal firearms.  States that have recognized this reality have seen a precipitous drop in gun crime because they empower their law-abiding gun owners, especially concealed carry permit holders, to own responsibly.  It is common sense to understand that police cannot be everywhere to protect every citizen at all times.