Today in Richmond the Senate defeated bill SB 48, introduced by Dick Black, which would have allowed anyone who is legally eligible to carry a gun to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. The vote was strictly on party lines, except for Emmett Hanger who crossed over to vote with the democrats (as he often does) which resulted in a tie vote. LG Ralph Northam as chair broke the tie, defeating the bill.
Senator Black referred to the bill as “Constitutional carry”, saying,
“It’s based on the idea that the Second Amendment is a constitutional right and that citizens have a right to carry firearms without permission of the government,” Black explained recently. “It’s analogous to the First Amendment, where you don’t need a government permit to tell you what you can say and what you can’t.”
Makes sense to me, but of course Democrats will never support any bill that supports our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Anti Second Amendment Democrats across the state are still very angry over the deal McAuliffe made last with week with Republicans to restore reciprocity with other states honoring their concealed carry permits.
