Virginia Attorney General Unilaterally Eliminates Concealed Carry Reciprocity
A pen and a phone, baby.
“To ensure Virginia’s law and safety standards for concealed handgun permits are applied evenly, consistently, and fairly, I have recommended the State Police terminate the reciprocity agreements with 25 states whose laws are not adequate to prevent issuance of a concealed handgun permit to individuals that Virginia would disqualify,” Herring said. “The State Police has accepted that recommendation and has begun sending letters to the 25 states informing them that as of February 1, their permits will no longer be recognized by Virginia.”
He called the move a “commonsense step” and said it would make Virginia police safer. “To me, this is a commonsense step that can help make Virginians and our law enforcement officers safer by ensuring that our concealed carry laws and safety standards apply to everyone in Virginia, whether they are a resident or a visitor,” he said. “Strong, consistent enforcement of Virginia’s laws and safety standards can prevent disqualified people who may be dangerous or irresponsible from utilizing a concealed handgun permit, and it’s what the law requires.”
There appears to be some question as to the logical – as opposed to the ‘commonsense,’ which is of course not in doubt – basis for this move, since neither the AG nor any of his staff offered even a hint of statistical justification.
The attorney general did not provide examples of those with out of state gun carry permits who have committed gun crimes in the Commonwealth.
Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said the department doesn’t have any statistics on such crimes.
“That’s not something we readily track,” she said.
But it is clear that the danger of state-sponsored violence against any out-of-staters who dare to assume Virginia still offers reciprocity to their state’s CC permit is greatly increased, more-or-less by design.
Geller said the State Police had no specific plan beyond information posted on their website and media reports to inform Virginia residents or the residents of the 25 states in question about the change.
This seems to come under the heading of “why are gungrabbers so violent?” It creates a whole new class of criminals who thought they’d gone to considerable lengths to ensure that they were legal, quite out of the blue, with no notice and for no discernible reason.
Somewhere, though certainly not in heaven, Ayn Rand is patting herself on the back for having gotten it right.
The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.
All this sort of thing does is make the case for people who would normally be law abiding to practice “Irish Democracy.”
Indeed, MJR, and I sometimes wonder if for that reason it isn’t a subversive sort of Good Thing. How many placidly law-abiding citizens turned sensible scofflaw during Prohibition?
Of course booze doesn’t make so damn much noise when you use it…
My question since I first saw this, and which I have yet to see an answer to, is “What has changed since these states were originally given reciprocity, that makes so many suddenly unacceptable?”
I mean, I know the REAL reason, but how are they trying to make it fit with their stated reasons?
Jake, Jake, Jake. Don’t you realize these are superior beings here? It is not for Us The Unwashed to question them–especially when they clearly feel no need to justify their actions beyond strokeadapen, lawadaland.
They aren’t even trying to make it fit with their stated reasons because they clearly don’t think they need to. “Hurr der schmurr public safety yer der schlurr” goes on the glossy trifold and the website, and that is all that is required for the self-evidently superior to have Made Their World…A Better Place.
And his name is Herring? With a middle initial of R?
If his nickname isn’t already “Red”, it is now.
(I’m a sucker for multi-entendre jokes.)
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