I live in Missouri but I have traveled to Virginia a number of times and have always enjoyed the state's beauty and opportunity.  I am an ordained minister.  My dad was a WWII veteran, I am a Civil Air Patrol Chaplain, and my oldest child currently serves in the US Air Force.  I hold a master of divinity degree and a master of business administration degree and 90% of a doctorate degree. I urge the adoption of legislation that would allow law-abiding citizens to conceal and carry a handgun in Virginia parks.  Self-defense is a fundamental right congruent with the Second Amendment.  When any organization restricts weapons on its property, a horribly evil dynamic occurs: Law-abiding citizens dutifully obey the law and do not carry any weapons for self-defense.  Simultaneously, criminals (who don't care one ounce about the law anyway) view these properties as "red meat," understanding that they have the opportunity to assault the law-abiding citizens freely because they are unarmed.  Please remember: criminals instrinsically, by default, are not going to obey the law.  Therefore, the solution is to allow law-abiding citizens to conceal and carry a handgun at all times.  Repeatedly, as increasing numbers of law-abiding citizens conceal and carry a handgun, crime rates decrease.  Stop and think about it---if I am a criminal, and I know that my intended victim might be carrying a handgun, I will be less likely to commit the crime.  Thank you for allowing me to express my opinion on this subject matter.