Action | Promulgation of new regulation banning concealed firearms in executive branch agency offices |
Stage | Emergency/NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 1/27/2016 |
This proposed regulation will have the opposite of the intended affect by playing into the hands of terrorists, violent criminals, and the criminally insane. We have had no shootings in state agencies and this prohibition on those with a concealed handgun permit, some of whom have active and ongoing threats to their lives, is entirely without any justification and needlessly and recklessly endangers innocent lives. Who is this proposed regulation intended to protect? It does nothing to protect law abiding citizens, and only serves to hinder them in being able to defend themselves should the unspeakable happen; therefore, the only person it would protect is the perpetrator of a heinous crime by allowing him/her to continue unchallenged for a longer period. When has a "No Guns" sign or prohibition ever prevented a criminal from carrying out his crime? Has a criminal EVER seen such a sign and turned around and selected another location?
This proposal would only criminalize something that has never been a problem in the past. It is simply being proposed to allay the irrational fears of people who have never had any justification of those fears, and to pander to the political interest of anti-gun groups and individuals. Punishing one group of people (law abiding gun owners) for the actions of another group (criminals, terrorists, etc) accomplishes nothing. Disarming good citizens (who are the only ones likely to obey the prohibition) does not make them safer. The Supreme Court has ruled, the police have no duty to protect the citizens. Therefore, I have the God given right and duty to protect myself, and it is abhorrent that the State would attempt to take that right from me.
Importantly, the Governor has no authority for this regulation. If the General Assembly wanted the Governor to have such power, they would have granted it to him explicitly, as is required constitutionally. I recognize that the Governor would ban guns everywhere if not for the "pesky" Second Amendment standing in his way. It is very disappointing to see Virginia trying to go the way of anti-gun states such as MD, CT, CA, NY, etc. It disheartens me to see the government constantly taking away and/or limiting freedoms that are Constitutionally guaranteed.
This proposed regulation is a solution for which there is no problem. It endangers state employees, law abiding citizens, and the innocent by making state buildings a safe zone for terrorists, criminals, and the criminally insane to conduct their evil and savage actions. It is an emeregency regulation for which there is no emergency.
This regulations should not be approved and the emergency regulation withdrawn.
Please extended the comment period for another 30 days.