A Common Fight for Personal Freedom

I am often struck by the audacious attacks on personal freedom from those who seek to interfere with the pleasures and rights of others. The anti-gun crowd in the United States is vocal, intrusive, violent and sadly, out of touch with reality and rational thought. Our 2nd Amendment fight has many parallels in the cigar world. I read the following recently in "The Ultimate Cigar Book," by Richard Carleton Hacker,

But these growing numbers of smoking enclaves aside, there are also subtle ways to win an anti-cigar war fueled by ignorance and prejudice – the two things that cannot be swayed. Rather than pointlessly argue with militant anti-smokers, we must try to win the nonsmokers over to our side. There are people who are neither anti- nor pro-cigars. They are the middle ground and comprise the largest percentage of the American populace. If we can show them that we are more civilized that the radical anti-cigar thugs, we will have made our point. We must convince them with kindness. And courtesy. It does no good to force ourselves upon others, for we only aggravate the situation.

I get as much pleasure from the shooting sports as I do a good cigar. Although my life would not be under threat if I lost the right to smoke a cigar, replace "cigar" with "gun" and the paragraph still rings true. It's a fight we must take on. I know I have successfully explained gun rights to more people who are "neutral" on guns, than people who are already ignorantly "anti-gun." With the Governor of Virginia actively trying to negate the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution, our rights are again under a direct threat.

As with the gun grabbers, the anti-smokers are unabashed in their intrusiveness. Not too long ago I was sitting in the outdoor cigar lounge area at a local brewery. A group of people moved from where they had been sitting to sit in the smoking area, ostensibly to find seats in the sun. A woman in the group promptly asked me to put out my cigar. My one word answer was a very polite but emphatic, "No."

All of these intrusions have as their basis a claim of "for your own good." Americans once appeared to have learned a lesson during Prohibition. Yet, I don't for a minute think that fight will not be fought again. The nanny state and prohibitionists of any ilk are unrelenting. The next time we lose a freedom, it may not be won back.

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” -- William Pitt the Younger

Beware the Thought Police

A New York (of course) democrat (of course) wants to require a review of your internet browsing history as part of the background check to buy a gun.

People applying for a pistol permit or renewing a license could have their social media accounts and internet history reviewed. It's part of a newly proposed bill in the New York State Senate.

State Senator Kevin Parker of the 21st District introduced Senate Bill 9191 in attempts to keep firearms out the hands of people who may be violent.

The measure requires, "social media and search engine reviews prior to the approval of an application or renewal of a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver; requires a person applying for a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver or a renewal of such license to consent to having his or her social media accounts and search engine history reviewed and investigated for certain posts and/or searches over a period of 1-3 years prior to the approval of such application or renewal; defines terms."

In order to facilitate this dismantling of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, the state would demand your passwords to online accounts. What shouldn't be overlooked, is that having your private account information also will allow government agents to control and alter your accounts at their will.

Related news from another part of the world, ironically posted the same day, offers a clue as to where the leftists in this country draw their inspiration. China is moving forward with a plan to rank citizens by their social behavior.

China’s plan to judge each of its 1.3 billion people based on their social behavior is moving a step closer to reality, with Beijing set to adopt a lifelong points program by 2021 that assigns personalized ratings for each resident.

The capital city will pool data from several departments to reward and punish some 22 million citizens based on their actions and reputations by the end of 2020, according to a plan posted on the Beijing municipal government’s website on Monday. Those with better so-called social credit will get “green channel” benefits while those who violate laws will find life more difficult.

How long before democrats demand we be chipped?

See "NY State bill would review social media, internet history as part of background checks" and "Beijing to Judge Every Resident Based on Behavior by End of 2020."

Bullets and Beans. And Lingerie.

Last month, we reported on the "Controversy Over Guns and Coffee" in Loudon County, Va. The local government was resisting allowing the owners of Bullets and Beans gun shop to sell coffee to its customers. It appeared promising that the shop would finally be able to sell caffeinated beverages.
Alas, it was not to be.

After more than two months of meetings, rescheduled votes and anticipation, the Bullets & Beans gun shop in Hamilton is officially prohibited from selling coffee.

The Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to deny shop owner Kevin Jones the special use permit he applied for in August 2017 that would have allowed him to sell coffee in the Retail Sales and Service Commercial District, since town zoning for that district prohibits food sales in buildings adjacent to residences.

Although the council previously announced that it would vote on a trial period that would have allowed Jones to sell coffee for six months while town staff assessed the impact it had on the town, the council voted to end the coffee selling idea altogether.

In a not-so-shocking admission, one of the Councilman who voted against the shop, confesses that the opposition was based on guns not coffee,

Councilman Craig Green said that the pushback wasn’t necessarily because of opposition to a coffee shop, but because of opposition to a gun shop.

That admission is especially onerous and proves the gun-grabbers will resort to any tactic in their fight against legal gun ownership.

The outcome doesn't surprise me though. I had the opportunity to drive through Loudon County before the recent elections. Based on the content of the the prolific political signs I saw, the area is home to a large population leftists.

Since the residents got their panties in a wad over guns, it's only fitting that the shop owners will get the last laugh.

Jones and his wife, Tammy, said that they’re now going to work on a plan to sell lingerie in the 108-year-old bank building, which they can do without special approval from the council.

See "Hamilton Council Denies Bullets & Beans Coffee Sales; Owners Opt to Sell Lingerie" for the story.

Controversy Over Guns and Coffee

Who knew that selling coffee could be so controversial?

WASHINGTON (WMAL) – For two years the owner of a gun shop in Hamilton, Virginia has been fighting to sell coffee, and Monday he may finally get approval to do it.

Zoning restrictions have prevented the owner of Bullets and Beans from selling coffee at his shop to people who are waiting for background checks or doing other business. Monday the Hamilton Town Council is scheduled to take up a proposal that would allow Kevin Jones to sell coffee for a 6-month trial period.

They must be selling some really good coffee, as one of the community's concerns is "coffee sales could snarl up traffic in the area." Frankly, a two year battle to sell coffee seems more like a path of obstruction by the gun grabbers than anything else.

See "VA Gun Shop Owner Continues Fight To Sell Coffee" for more.

Open Carry is Constitutional

So says the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment guarantees a right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense, finding that Hawaii overstepped its authority to regulate firearms possession outside the home.

The ruling by a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, makes the San Francisco-based court the sixth U.S. circuit court to interpret the Second Amendment that way and could set the issue on a path toward the U.S. Supreme Court, which has not taken up a major gun rights case since 2010.

The fact that this comes from one of the most liberal and anti-rights Appeals Court in the nation must have the leftists breaking out in hives.

Wouldn't it be funny if this ruling was upheld by SCOTUS and the snowflakes started demanding we carry concealed because seeing a gun scared them so much?  Sweet, sweet, schadenfreude.

See "U.S. appeals court upholds right to carry gun in public."

"Gun Violence" License Plates

Virginia probably offers more vanity license plate options than any other state, with well over 300 options available for purchase. Starting July 1, naive or willfully ignorant residents can order a Stop "Gun Violence" plate for their vehicle. The plates a offer drivers the ability to display their cluelessness to the world, much like those Hillary presidential bumper stickers are doing.

I've never seen a gun become "violent." A person applying sentient behavior to an inanimate object would seem to be lacking a connection with reality. It's fitting that the bill authorizing the special plates provides for $15 of the fee for the plate to go be used to provide treatment "to individuals receiving public mental" treatment. The special funding would go into effect in 2020.

Of course, the phrase "gun violence" actually has no meaning. It's simply a catch phrase made up by leftists to influence the naive into supporting their disarmament agenda. Frankly, if I ever see a firearm committing violence on its own, I'll be inclined to call to an exorcist.

There is a requirement that 1,000 of the plates be purchased by the end of the year in order for it to be a permanent offering. Sadly, if the number of faded Obama bumpers stickers I still see is any indication, they might just make that number.

The "School Shooting" Problem

Seen over over on Rough Seas...

Very astute.

The Derp Runs Deep With This One

This might possibly be the most inane thing I've read online all week, if not all year. In a Letter to the Editor in our local bird cage liner, entitled "Police need more clearly defined rules of engagement"...

All police departments should have very clearly defined rules of engagement, with an emphasis on the use of non-lethal devices, i.e., Tasers and rubber bullets, before guns are discharged. And they should all have their body cameras turned on.

Perhaps you remember a time when the police always fired a shot in the air and shouted “Stop! Police!” before they shot at someone. What has happened to this idea? I haven’t heard it mentioned for years, nor have I seen it used in any of the videos showing police shootings.

Is “protect and serve” still in effect as police forces become more militarized?

It's distressing that people who are incapable of telling the difference between TV and real life walk free in the streets. Such a disconnect with realty can be a dangerous thing. Sadly, this is just the sort of failed logic we see from those most vocal about "gun control." Gun control and anti-police sentiments walk hand in hand these days. These people have absolutely no idea about guns or self-defense yet seek to place restrictions on the rights of others. In their distorted reality they think that defending yourself denies "due process" to criminals. As is typical of the left, they have greater concern for thugs than for innocent people. This letter writer seems to care little about innocent bystanders who may be injured or killed by the falling bullets from those "shots in the air."

This is why it's generally better to ignore arguments from the left, you can't argue using logic when the concept is lost on them.

Killer Technology

Well, not quite, but to read the hype one would think killer robots were walking the streets shooting their human creators. Some guy hooked up an airsoft gun and a solenoid to a Google Home and shot an apple off a pedestal. I'm hardly impressed.

This crude robotic William Tell provides, in the words of the CNET reporter, "A glimpse into a future, maybe, where autonomous weapons could theoretically mow people down."

Liberal heads exploding in three, two, one...

Maybe I Should Apply

LinkedIn sent me an email suggesting "Top job picks" for me. One in particular caught my attention...

I'm not actually looking for a new job, but this could present an interesting opportunity.

Bill Whittle: Guns For Children

Bill Whittle dissects the childish naïveté of the anti-gun "progressives."

The Truth About Gun Control

The folks at Ammunition Depot put together a nice infographic in so-called "gun control." It's not of size I can post clearly here. Click on the graphic to view the original.

From their post...

All of us want a peaceful America—a safe America—not just for us but for our children and our children’s children. But how can we realize this dream if we can’t agree on how to protect ourselves—if we can’t agree on what our gun laws should be?

The argument for stricter gun policies continues to rage back and forth yet strays further away from an end. To make matters worse, a lot of media companies sensationalize stories, fabricate news, and shift the spotlight from a criminal’s sin to the criminal’s gun in order to increase their viewership ratings.

Incomplete and incorrect news leads to ill-informed individuals, whose voices will just distort the debate. We don’t want that, and you shouldn’t either.

That’s why we’ve created this infographic, to educate Americans on the truth about gun control. There are plenty of misconceptions out there and we want to cut straight through the lies with cold hard facts. After all, would you rather rely on fake news or federal statistics?

 See the full graphic here.

It's Not "Gun" Control They Want

This list about the Maryland school shooting has been making the rounds of social media, and it gets right to the heart of the matter.

• What didn’t stop the Maryland school shooting

• Maryland’s assault weapon ban

• Maryland’s 10-round magazine limit

• Maryland’s universal background check requirement

• Maryland’s law requiring an extensive application process to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun

• Maryland’s law prohibiting purchase of more than one firearm a month

• Maryland’s law requiring handgun registration

• Maryland’s law requiring licensing of handgun owners

• Maryland’s extremely limited approval of conceal carry permits

• Maryland’s refusal to honor any concealed carry permit from another state

• Federal law prohibiting handgun possession for people under 21

• Laws against carrying without a permit

• Gun free school zones

• Laws against discharging a firearm in public

• Laws against attempted murder

• What did stop the Maryland school shooting

• An armed person at the scene who engaged the shooter in less than a minute

The "do something" laws and restrictions around gun ownership that the left has been crying for are already in place. Honest and intelligent people know these laws do nothing to stop evil people from committing acts of violence. Regulations and processes that could actually serve to keep people safe are routinely ignored by those charged with enforcing them. Our leftist antagonists have but one goal with their calls for "gun control." They are not interested in the safety of children, children are mere pawns to them, a means to an end. Their motive is a compliant, defenseless and submissive citizenry.

The despicable people pushing for "gun control" are in my opinion, no different than the tyrants throughout history who cruelly clamped down on the freedom and lives of others. Whether willful participants or useful idiots, they should be met with utter disdain and contempt. They've already proven how they feel about us.

The violence in Maryland will soon fade from the headlines. Unlike the Parkland, Florida mass killing, the outcome in this case doesn't fit the agenda. The leftist narrative must be maintained, facts be damned.

"Gun Free Zone" Hypocrisy

The irony runs deep.

The anti-gun "elite" hypocritically require men with guns to defend them, while the children are left to rely on men guns who refuse to help them.

H/T to The Miller for posting the meme.

Gun Grabber Logic

I got pulled into a discussion recently on the "gun problem" and the usual "something must be done." Someone posited the problem was keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. The liberal in the crowd responded, "Who's going to determine that another person is a danger to society? You could possibly violate someone's rights by declaring they are dangerous."

I was hopeful for a moment. Then she added, "We just need to take guns away from everyone."

Face. Palm.

VCDL ALERT: Well Funded Attack On Gun Rights Leaders

I'm posting this alert from VCDL in its entirety. Forewarned is forewarned. Ignorance, hysteria and outright lying is part and parcel of the leftist psyche, and the "gun control" actors have it down to a science.

February 20, 2018

Last weekend, while doing what seemed to be a regular interview, I discovered that a movie is being made with the intent to discredit gun-rights leaders across the country.

No, this is not a joke, it is real and we need to get the word out to other gun-rights organizations, gun-rights leaders, and prominent firearms trainers across the country and we need to do this FAST.

Back in 2014, alleged Hollywood sexual predator Harvey Weinstein said he was going to make a movie “that would make the NRA wish they weren’t alive.”  (All gun organizations are the NRA in his mind.)  And he was dead serious.  Michael Moore has been attempting to discredit gun owners and leaders for years by tricking people and using creative editing techniques to make them look foolish or idiotic.

Who’s behind this effort isn’t clear, but they are EXTREMELY WELL FUNDED PROFESSIONALS.  For example, to reel me in and to try to make me feel beholden to them, they laid out the red carpet, by providing luxury accommodations, limousine service, and providing a generous monetary allowance to cover meals and other expenses for two days.

They use psychological manipulation, as well as lies and tricks to put their victim into comedic situations that subject them to public shame, embarrassment, and ridicule.  I believe the intent is to destroy reputations and even lives.

I did some detective work in the days immediately following the “interview,” and I managed to find out they had targeted at least one nationally known firearms trainer and I know there are more.  They appear to be setting up near gun shows.  I also found out they covered their tracks carefully to avoid revealing their true identity.

It started when VCDL received an email last week from a company called “First Freedom Television” to do an interview with an “Israeli security expert” on the “shared security interests of like-minded countries, such as the U.S. and Israel.”  It went on, “Unlike the misguided position of American liberals, who aim to eradicate guns altogether, Israel has proven that universal gun training and widespread gun ownership actually leads to a safer society.”

I do interviews all the time, and this one didn’t seem to be all that much out of the ordinary.

On Sunday, February 11, 2018, I did the interview in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  About 5 minutes into the interview, my radar turned on big time when the interviewer was making claims about Israeli schools training selected children to use firearms from age 17 down to age 4 (!) as a last ditch effort in stopping a terrorist attack on a school if the teachers and security staff had been killed.  The children would have codes to unlock secured firearms in such a case.

When I balked at 4-year-olds being able to do that, he showed me an alleged newscast video on his iPad.  The text was in Hebrew, but with an English-speaking narration, talking about how a 4-year-old boy had indeed stopped a terrorist attack at his school.  The newscast said that he killed two terrorists using his dad’s gun, which he had brought to school in his backpack to show a friend, in violation of school rules.  Israeli Premier Netanyahu was touting him as a hero in the video.

While I’ve never been to Israel, I do know they have some serious terrorism concerns, especially at schools and other public gatherings.  The way they handle some of their security can be very different from what we have in the U.S.  But that news story just didn’t look right, and 4-year-olds can hold a gun and fire it with supervision, but not take on terrorists, and especially manage to shoot and kill two of them.

Because of this and various other odd things I noticed during the interview, I was now convinced that something wasn’t right.  This wasn’t real and probably some sort of a set up.

I could only think of Hollywood’s threat.  At a minimum, it could be a comedy which would play only in Israel, but it could be a more damaging attempt to make a “mocumentary,” by someone like Michael Moore, or, even worse, a Sacha Baron Cohen-esq “Borat”-type of shock comedy meant to be devastatingly embarrassing and humiliating to the victim in the crosshairs.

As the 15-minute interview terminated, the interviewer asked me if I, as an English-speaking firearms trainer, would help him make a “gun safety” training video for children of various ages.  This had to be the “kicker,” I thought.

For better or for worse, I decided that I would play along with the scheme so I could find out who was behind this and where this was going.   I figured if I was right about this being a set up, I could blow the whistle and get a warning out to the gun-rights community across the country to protect as many people as possible and maybe derail this attack.  If it turned out to be nothing, then no harm, no foul.

We recorded for almost 3 hours using Airsoft guns as props.  They even had a teleprompter!

I was right – it was a set up - and it was much worse than I could have imagined.  If you’ve seen the 70’s movie, “The Sting,” it was much like that.  It was a well-orchestrated, well-choreographed, psychological manipulation, with a production cast of at least 10 people, to slowly lead a person down the primrose path.

We went step-by-step with a ready, and seemingly logical, answer every time I balked at some crazy part of the training.  They seemed to have thought of every thing that a person might question.  All I can say is that these people were extremely good at deception and manipulation.  And no matter how stupid the things the interviewer and I were doing (we were side-by-side the whole time), no one else cracked a smile or laughed once, and I was watching.  The professional actors were keeping up the appearance that this was a serious project.

The end goal was to get the victim to make a “training film” teaching 3 and 4-year-olds how to shoot guns hidden in toy animals at  “bad” people, to sing little songs and make gun noises during the training to make it “fun for children,” and even teach little kids how to shoot a rocket-propelled-grenade or a squad automatic weapon at an approaching suicide bomber vehicle!  

It all sounds unbelievable.  But everything was elaborately and expensively staged; every contingency planned for, with explanations that make unbelievable things seem plausible (fake documents and videos about how Israel handles security in their schools, for example). The interview moved along at a pace, designed not to give the “mark” time to reflect on where things are going.  The craziness factor very gradually got more extreme, like cooking a frog by slowly heating up the water so he doesn’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late.  It’s a con game, a sting, plain and simple.

I don’t know if they have other scenarios or they will use other company names to continue concealing their identity, but anyone doing an interview dealing with gun rights where they sense something odd should terminate that interview.  Or, better, bring a recorder and tell the other party you are going to make your own recording of the interview.  If they say “no,” then walk out.  I am going to make that my own policy going forward to protect against any future fake interviews.  BTW, they had me leave my cellphone in an office “because it might interfere with the recording devices,” but I think it was so I couldn’t take any photos of them or make any video or audio recordings on that phone.

In the end we played each other and I confirmed what I feared this was all about.  Sadly for me, I’m sure I’m going to be in whatever crazy film finally comes out, looking really stupid and, just as sadly, I’ll probably be in good company.  A few of us will no doubt get hammered, but if we can get the word out IMMEDIATELY, we might be able to save the reputations of many other good people. 

Finally, looking at the possibilities and what I saw while making the “training film,” I’m betting this is going to end up being a “Borat”-style film and it’s going to be vicious on the victims.

Please share this alert far and wide.

Philip Van Cleave
President
Virginia Citizens Defense League

Reports from other freedom advocates are starting to come in as well. If you have access to Facebook, read Rob Pincus' account here.

Preventing Flamethrower Violence

Loudon County Delegate John Bell must find it hard to sleep at night. How could anyone, with all those grenade launchers and flamethrowers on the streets?

He proudly, and with a straight face, states, "I support measures like universal background checks, and oppose bills that would make it easier to access military-style weapons like flamethrowers."

Wow. Fear monger much?

It's All About Responsibility

I've written on the subject of beer and firearms together previously, and it's not an uncommon topic of discussion among friends and acquaintances. In my opinion, nothing beats a good beer after a fun day at the range. Quite often I have to make a decision between the two activities. The enjoyment of firearms, like the enjoyment of alcoholic beverages, requires a high level of responsibility and respect on the part of the participants.

I've often stated that if a person can't be trusted to walk in public with a gun, that person probably shouldn't be out on the streets unsupervised. If someone fails a background check because they were deemed too dangerous to own a gun, why should we allow them to walk around free to find other ways to do harm?

Recently I saw an online comment posted in response to article touting the typical anti-gun screed which raised the same discussion. (I won't dignify that article with a link.) The commenter pontificated thusly:

But, all that said? I truly am on board with the rest of it. I recently decided against buying a handgun for one of her reasons. I drink fairly often. Should I have a gun on me, or even in the house, when I've had three beers? No. So I have finally decided that a gun is simply not for me.

That statement elicited a migraine salute from me. Sadly this is not uncommon "logic" as exhibited by people who have little experience with firearms. What I read in the statement is an admission, that after three beers, this person feels they may become a danger to himself or others. Seriously, if you can't be trusted to have a locked up gun in your house after three beers, perhaps you really ought to skip those three beers.

In other words, if you know that doing something could cause you to act irresponsibly, don't do that thing.

Dangerous Anti-Gun Legislation Introduced

By "republicans." Though that's not really surprising.

Read the bill here: https://curbelo.house.gov/uploadedfiles/finalbumpstockban.pdf

Unfortunately these weasels are more interested in doing something than they are in doing something. This cannot be allowed to stand.

BTW, the NRA opposes the proposed legislation.

Virginia Gun Legislation Update

A lot of good gun legislation was passed in Virginia this year. Here's a summary provided by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, the pro-rights group which had been instrumental in protecting the rights of gun owning Virginians.

19 gun-rights bills will hit the Governor's desk this year!  4 signed into law already, 2 vetoed (but could be overridden on April 5), and 13 have not been acted on by the Governor yet (he has until March 27).

Number of gun-control bills hitting the Governor's desk: 0

1. Bills signed into law (effective July 1)
2. Vetoed bills that could be overridden on April 5
3. Bills awaiting the Governor's signature or veto by March 27

*************************************************************
1. Bills signed into law (effective July 1)
*************************************************************

* HB 1466, Delegate Fowler, allows Circuit Court Clerks to send email reminders when a CHP is going to expire in at least 90 days

* HB 1849, Delegate Gilbert, allows Circuit Court Clerks to create laminated or plastic CHPs if they choose to do so

* HB 2325, Delegate Fariss, CHP applicants must be provide photo identification, but no long will need to have the application notarized

* HB 2369, Delegate Pogge, CHP holders will no longer be required to provide proof of address when changing the address on their CHP

*************************************************************
2. Vetoed bills that could be overridden on April 5
*************************************************************

* HB 1582, Delegate Campbell, allows an active-duty or honorably-discharged member of the military to get a concealed handgun permit if they are at least 18 years old.  It also fixes reciprocity with Georgia

* HB 1432, Delegate Lee Ware, legalizes switchblade knives (the Senate version of this bill is still working through the General Assembly)

*************************************************************
3. Bills awaiting the Governor's signature or veto by March 27
*************************************************************

* SB 1023, Senator Stuart, prohibits the Virginia State Police from providing Virginia concealed handgun permittee information to law enforcement in states that do not recognize Virginia concealed handgun permits

* HB 2077, Delegate Wilt, prohibits the Governor from disarming citizens in emergency shelters.  This bill is on McAuliffe's desk but has not yet been formally vetoed.  McAuliffe has told the Roanoke Times that he is going to veto it.

* SB 1299, Senator Vogel, makes a protective order a temporary concealed handgun permit

* SB 1300, Senator Vogel, makes firearms safety training free to victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, etc.

* HB 1852, Delegate Gilbert, similar to SB 1299, Senator Vogel, which makes a protective order a temporary concealed handgun permit

* HB 1853, Delegate Gilbert, similar to SB 1300, Senator Vogel, makes firearms safety training free to victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, etc.

* HB 2429, Delegate O'Quinn, provides a mechanism to restore gun-rights for a person who had their gun rights removed for a mental health commitment, but now lives out of state

* SB 1315, Senator Carrico, allows foster parents to carry a firearm on their person, otherwise it is to be locked in a closet or cabinet, with the key out of reach of the children

* SB 1347, Senator Reeves, makes switchblades legal

* SB 1362, Senator Black, allows active duty members of the Virginia National Guard, Armed Forces of the United States, and Armed Forces Reserves of the United States to carry concealed without a permit and wherever they go in Virginia, including schools, courthouses, etc.

* SB 1533, Senator Obenshain, allows non-violent felons to possess, transport, and carry either an antique firearm or a back powder firearm for sporting, recreational, or cultural purposes

* HB 1392, Delegate Lingamfelter, authorizes a school security officer to carry a firearm on school property. Such an officer is a retired police officer and the local school board has given him authority to carry a firearm.

* SB 865, Senator Stuart, allows family members to transfer various knives to minor family members for the purpose of engaging in a sporting event or activity

Many of those bills will likely be vetoed by our carpetbagger governor, who's generally more interested in protecting criminals and illegal immigrants than he is in defending the rights of law-abiding citizens. The governor's actions on the bills on his desk will provide a clear picture of his feelings regarding the Constitution and the right to self defense.