A MAJOR FEDERAL CAMPAIGN BEGINS NOW!
On occasion VCDL will get involved at the federal level. Now is one of those times.
We need to pull out all of the stops and push Congress for national reciprocity!
The horrific assassination attempt of Congressmen at a ballpark in Alexandria is a strong catalyst that will hopefully get Congress off their collective behinds and make national reciprocity a reality. BUT, we need to move now and we need to move decisively.
Why?
Because, for example, a bill was just introduced that would ONLY ALLOW MEMBERS OF CONGRESS with CHPs the ability to carry in DC and not the rest of us!
I refer to that as the "Oh, HELL no!" bill. We need to make sure Congress understands that such a bill is a NON-STARTER and WE WILL, as part of the national reciprocity campaign.
THE BILLS VCDL WILL BE FIGHTING FOR AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL
There are THREE excellent bills that we need to fight for:
OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY: H.R. 38. H.R. 38, called "The Concealed Carry Act of 2017," was introduced by Congressman Richard Hudson of North Carolina. It makes CHPs good in all states, clarifies that the federal Gun Free School Zone law does not apply to CHP holders, and allows CHP holders to carry on all federally owned lands that are open to the public. CHP holders will have to obey the "no carry" limitations of the host state, but as I read the law, CHP holders might be exempted from any ammunition or magazine limitations imposed by the host state.
This bill is currently sitting in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is headed up by Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte! The people living in Congressman Goodlatte's district are going to be critical to our success. The bill has 99 cosponsors as I write this.
The following Virginia members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors, and we will thank them as part of the campaign: Dave Bratt, Scott Taylor, Barbara Comstock, Tom Garrett, and Rob Wittman.
The following Virginia members of the House should be signed on, but have NOT done so yet. VCDL members in their districts will be contacting them in due course: Bob Goodlatte and Morgan Griffith.
The usual suspects from Virginia have not signed on, but they, most of all, need to hear from constituents: Bobby Scott, Don McEachin, Don Beyer, and Gerry Connally.
SECOND PRIORITY is H.R. 1537, called the "Second Amendment Enforcement Act of 2017," was introduced by our own Congressman Tom Garrett. This bill makes DC "shall issue" for resident and non-resident CHPs, has training requirements similar to Virginia's requirements, has a 21-day turnaround, and a $75 cap on cost. The bill also allows DC residents to buy guns in Virginia or Maryland and removes DC's ammunition and magazine restrictions.
The bill is currently in the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.
The only other Virginia Congressman signed on is Rob Wittman. Hopefully we can bring many more on board.
THIRD PRIORITY is H.R. 2909, called the "D.C. Personal Protection Reciprocity Act," was introduced by Congressman Thomas Massie of Tennessee. This makes makes DC honor CHPs from all other states.
The bill is currently in the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.
This is a new bill and no one from Virginia has signed on as a co-sponsor yet.
The need for legislation "allowing" the exercise of rights that are already protected by the Constitution shows the absurdity of our nation's laws regarding self defense. I don't believe for a moment that we should need to rely on elected officials "granting" us rights that we already have, and which are not the government's to give (or take.) However, this is where we find ourselves so we must fight on all fronts. VCDL will be organizing a campaign to encourage citizens to contact their legislators in support of these bills. I'll post more info as it becomes available.
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