The Virginia Pilot reported today (http://hamptonroads.com/node/546409) that the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police have asked Governor McDonnell to veto SB334, Senator Hanger's bill to repeal the ban on carrying concealed in restaurant like Applebees and Olive Garden that serve alcohol in addition to food.Governor McDonnell's Office reaffirm...

CQ Politics ran a front page article this morning on the 9th Congressional District seat currently held by Rick Boucher (D). Until today, CQ Politics had rated the race as a Safe Democratic seat but with all of the attention House of Delegates Majority Leader Morgan Griffith has received in the last couple of weeks after announcing he would challen...

This is the second segment of the WRIC Channel 8 story on women and concealed carry. I had problems getting both video segments in one post. And Part II: Hat tip to VA-Alert...

ABC affiliate WRIC Channel 8 ran a couple of stories on the increasing numbers of women in the Richmond area that have applied for and received concealed carry permits. Part 1 is below. Hat tip to VA-Alert...

Most gun owners know that the New York Times is no friend. So imagine my surprised when I found this article while reading Snowflakes in Hell. It is one more article that has focused on open carry since the Starbucks issue first surfaced last week.I agree with Sebastian that it is a pretty balanced article. And, you have to hand it to Alan Gotli...

The Senate Courts Special Subcommittee reported five bills to the full committee today and recommended to Pass By Indefinitely (PBI) the rest. Below is the action taken on each bill. H.B. 49. PBIPurchase of handguns; repeal one-gun-a-month limitation. Repeals the prohibition against purchasing more than one handgun in a 30-day period. H.B. 52 PBIF...

The Senate Courts Special Subcommittee reported five bills to the full committee today and recommended to Pass By Indefinitely (PBI) the rest. Below is the action taken on each bill. H.B. 49. PBI Purchase of handguns; repeal one-gun-a-month limitation.  Repeals the prohibition against purchasing more than one handgun in a 30-day period.H.B. 5...

The Senate Courts Special Subcommittee reported five bills to the full committee today and recommended to Pass By Indefinitely (PBI) the rest. Below is the action taken on each bill. H.B. 49. PBI Purchase of handguns; repeal one-gun-a-month limitation.  Repeals the prohibition against purchasing more than one handgun in a 30-day period.H.B. 5...

We are just the Governor's signature away from celebrating a victory 14 years in the making. Today, the House of Delegates approved by a wide margin Senator Hanger's SB334. The bill repeals the ban on carrying concealed in restaurants that serve alcohol like Applebees and Olive Garden.Also passing today was SB408, Senator Vogels bill that allows no...

That's the analysis of Lyle Denniston at ScotusBlog earlier today.The dominant sentiment on the Court was to extend the Amendment beyond the federal level, based on the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “due process,” since doing so through another part of the 14th Amendment would raise too many questions about what other rights might emerge.Acco...

Oral arguments are behing heard in the McDonald vs. Chicago gun ban case today at 11:00AM. VSSA joined our sister state associations in filing an amicus brief supporting McDonald last fall. You can get live updates at Noon and 3:00PM at NRANews.com.The Wall Street Journal had this report earlier today....

Do a Google search for "Starbucks and Gun Control" you will find dozens of newspapers that have picked up this AP article on people exercising their right to bear arms in local Starbucks, and the coffee company actually letting them.Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappucc...

The General Assembly is winding down and there are a number of pro-rights House bills still to be heard in Senate Courts of Justice. Among them are repeal of handgun rationing (one gun-a-month), and the Castle Doctrine. But this morning, anti-rights Richmond Senator and Chairman of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, Senator Henry Marsh (D-16) ...

Roanoke NBC affiliate WDBJ and others are reporting that House of Delegates Majority Leader Morgan Griffith plans to challenge Congressman Rick Boucher for his 9th District seat in Congress. The day after the announcment came out, the NRA endorsed Boucher for re-election. The endorsement was not unexpected given that Boucher is an incumbant, thou...

As I was writing my earlier post this morning, the House Militia, Police and Public Safety fullcommittee met and reported SB334 (repeal of the restaurant ban) , SB408 (storage of a firearm by a non CHP holder) and SB3, (renewal of CHPs by mail). These bills now head to the full House and if they pass unchanged from their current form (which they sh...

Late yesterday afternoon, the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee #1 recommended reporting SB334 (Senator Hanger's version of the "Restaurant Ban" repeal) and SB408 (Senator Vogel's bill allowing individuals that do not hold Concealed Handgun Permits -CHPs to carry firearms in locked containers in their car or boat) without amendme...

Today, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee voted to approve four firearm related bills. These bills will now go to the full Senate. Please contact your Senator and respectfully urge them to support the following bills. Approved by a vote of 8-7 House Bill 8, would allow the renewal of concealed carry permits by mail. The Senate version, SB3 ...

The Senate Courts of Justice docket for Wednesday's meeting has been posted and the following bills are scheduled to be heard:HB 8 - Allows a person who previously has been issued a Virginia concealed handgun permit to submit an application to renew the permit via the United States mail.HB 871 - Provides that upon denial of an application for a con...

VSSA has been informed that two bills originally referred to the Senate Local Government Committee will be rereferred to Courts of Justice. The bills are HB 108 and HB 109. It is not known whether this is an attempt to kill the bills, as at least one of the bills (HB 108) was reported out of Local Government when it was passed in 2009 before bei...

A number of bills were acted on in this last day before "Crossover." A list of bills follows.HB 490, a bill requiring the State Police to develop a plan for lifetime concealed handgun permits passes House 78-20.HB 236, Delegate Janis' bill that protects hunting near subdivisions in rural areas passes the House 79-19.HB 854, Castle Doctrine, passed ...

Repeal of one handgun-a-month passed the House by a vote of 61 -37Delegate Ken Plum got up to speak to the bill, made the tried and true statement that Virginia would once again become the "gun running capital of the nation." He also said it would send the wrong message to companies considering moving to Virginia.Delegate Marshall stood up to repl...

HB 8 passed the House by a vote of 85 - 14...

HB 854 passed the House 75 to 24...

Repeal of the Restaurant Ban passes the Senate on a vote of 22-18....

Live blogging debate on the bill.The Senate is now debating repeal of the restaurant ban. Senator Hanger, the patron, is now speaking for the bill.Senator Dave Marsden is now opposing the bill, stating that he "was originally going to support it but now that we have adopted SB 408, we no longer need to allow this." (That seems to be some screwy log...

SB 3, Senator Ralph Smith's bill to allow for the renewal of concealed handgun permits by mail, passed the Senate on a vote of 29-11....

The Senate has passed by temporarily consideration of the repeal of the restaurant ban (SB 334)....

SB 533 passed 32 - 8. SB 533 provides for an oral hearing when an application for a concealed handgun permit is denied....

SB 408 passes 24 - 16....

The Senate now considering SB 408 - Senator Vogel's bill to allow individuals to carry firearms in locked containers without possessing a concealed handgun permit (CHP). Senator Dave Marsden tried to say allowing firearms to be left in cars allows kids that steal guns access to the gun.Interesting the senator thinks it's okay for CHP holders to to...

In the final day to act before Crossover, both the House and the Senate will be taking up important legislation on the floor Tuesday ("Crossover" is the day that both houses must act on legislation that originated in the respective body of the legislature and send it to the other house for action).In the House of Delegates, the chamber will decide ...

Yesterday, the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee voted to report repeal of one gun-a-month to the full House. VSSA had the opportunity to comment on the vote on the local CBS affiliate....

Senate Bill 595 was carried over to next year. SB595 was the so-called gun show loophole bill. Being carried over puts the bill on life support but it will not move this year. There did not seem to be much appetite to deal with the bill, even among some of its previous supporters. Of note, one of the members voting to carry it over was Senator Crei...

Senator Jill Vogel's SB 408 was reported out of Senate Courts. SB 408 creates a new exemption to the general prohibition against carrying concealed weapons by allowing a person who may lawfully possess a firearm to carry a handgun in a private motor vehicle or vessel if the handgun is locked in a container or compartment....

Senate Courts of Justice has reported SB 334 on an 8-7 vote. More updates will be coming as the committee takes up the other firearm related bills but this is good news. We have cleared the first hurdle in finally repealing this ridiculous rule banning the carrying of concealed firearms in restaurants like Applebees and Olive Garden that serve alco...