The dominoes keep falling.  Virginia has dropped its “one gun a month” law, as seen here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/handgun-ban-lifted-in-virginia/2012/02/03/gIQAfHYNuQ_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_buzz

Back when they passed it, one of my graduates in Virginia called me to share his misery. He asked, “Mas, how would YOU feel if they passed a ‘one-gun-a-month’ law in the free state where YOU live?!?”

I replied, “Hell, I’d find the money somehow…”

He was not amused.

I don’t blame him. He was right and I was wrong. Arbitrary restrictions on productive members of society are nothing to joke about.

I don’t care how many firearms responsible, law abiding citizens own.  I care that evil people don’t have access to them.  And, more important, I care that evil people be put away where they don’t have access to INNOCENT VICTIMS…and that their potential victims have the wherewithal to fight back against the evil, and prevail.

This good news from The Old Dominion is the latest in a compelling history of victories for gun owners’ civil rights over recent years.  At the time they enacted “one gun a month” in Virginia, there were several states where there was no provision at law for a law-abiding citizen to carry a concealed handgun in public to protect themselves and their loved ones. Now, in 2012, just one of those remains: Illinois, which came surprisingly close to getting shall-issue concealed carry last year, and hasn’t given up yet.

We’re winning, state by state, but we can’t become complacent. The Presidential election looms…and it ain’t lookin’ good for gun owners.

1 COMMENT

  1. The restriction had been lifted for CCW holders, now it’s been extended to all law-abiding citizens. As a resident of the Commonwealth, I’m happy to see this.

  2. “The Presidential election looms…and it ain’t lookin’ good for gun owners.”

    No doubt, especially if wolf-in-sheep’s clothing, Obamacare writing, “progressive” by his own description, gun-grabbing Romney gets the GOP nominee.

  4. *Snark warning*
    Mas I am with you. I see no problem with 1 gun a month laws. I think that more states should require law abiding gun owners to buy one gun a month. Who cares if I have to take out a 2nd mortgauge! It will stimulate the economy, just think of all the gun/ammo/safe and holster sales that will be generated by requiring us to buy one gun a month

    Now that I am done with the snark. Good on you VA!

  6. I would get a beautiful Wilson Combat 1911 the first month but by the 12th month I would be looking for a .22 short derringer.

  7. I don’t care who is in the white house at the end of the year as long as it isn’t obama and clinton signing the UN Gun Grabbing Treaty-guess what would happen to all the advances we’ve made so far it that Treaty is signed and a Liberal Supreme Court is called to look at the 2nd Amendment?

  8. Trend: the antigun lobby now is in RETREAT – fighting hard to merely keep what it already has, and fighting hard to keep its core agenda items in place at that.

  9. Actually, Mr. Ayoob, I don’t see anything wrong with mocking the authoritarians and think it can often be useful. It punctures their pretensions and if you can get other people sharing your laughter it can turn the tables.

    Besides, it drives those control freaks mad with rage when you mock them; sometimes that alone makes it worth it.

  10. The Virginia Citzens Defense League is largley responsible for getting this type of leglislation introduced, through commitee, through the house , senate and to Gov McDonald’s desk. Thanks, VCDL!!

  11. I’m not crazy about any of the current Republican presidential candidates, since my dude Rick Perry quit after making a really dumb comment about the illegal invaders infesting our country.

    That said, I would gladly take any one of them over our Dear Leader, even Mitt Romney or Ron Paul, who’s actually very pro-gun but has dangerous ideas about foreign policy.

    Concerning the demise of the one-gun-a-month law in Virginia, that’s a good thing, although most people I know can’t afford to buy a firearm every month. I wish I could, especially since I buy quality over quantity. America being a free country, barely, anyone not a criminal should be able to buy anything legal in any quantity they wish. As far as I’m concerned, people can have all the spouses and children they want, as long as they pay for them and not burden the rest of us with their expenses. Any guy who wants to be nagged by more than one wife deserves what he gets 😉

  12. Agree with Mike in VA. The Virginia Citizens Defense League has been a hugely effective role model for grassroots advocacy on behalf of gun owners’ civil rights.

  13. In recently hearing of how the justice dept is trying to strike down voter-ID laws, am I the only one who wonders how it is that so much as even producing any form of official identification at a voting booth is Jim Crow discrimination, while the media goes on and on about how easy it is for law abiding citizens to purchase guns?

    The honest people in this country should push for a simple law: whatever requirements the states and cities have for citizens to buy guns shall be the same requirements to vote. Or, alternatively, set the ATF requirements to match whatever the voter ID requirements are in a given city and state. Either way, things would change.

    Votes are more dangerous, and voting in the same election more than once a month really is a bad thing.

  14. Virginia had the law, but for all intents and purposes, there was no limit on handgun purchases in the Commonwealth. Citizens have the right to buy and sell firearms to other Virginians. vaguntrader.com is my favorite website. Sales through an FFL were limited to one per 30 day period with exceptions. One exception that always existed was getting approval from the State Police. They did remove the limit for concealed handgun permit holders–I recall having to wait a few days some time ago. Recently, I did two FFL transfers in a month without issue. State legislators knew the law violated Section 13 of the constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia and have finally removed it. Now on to the next fight!

  15. Here in Illinois our congress stands with the criminals in their belief that innocent, law abiding citizens should not be allowed to protect themselves outside the walls of our houses. Now Rom Emmanuel is calling for the same congress to make it a legal requirement that gun owners register each and every gun they own with the state. That helps a lot when they decide to confiscate the guns…

    49 states can’t be wrong. Sadly, I’m amoung the 2%.

  16. One of my local firearms dealers in MD had a sign something like this “You must buy one gun per month – it’s the law !”.

  17. After I initially left a comment I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and after this every time a comment is made I get some emails with the exact same comment. Possibly there is any way you repair this? Thanks!

  18. It’s not so much that I (could afford) to purchase every month. It just seems that within a week of starting the paperwork on somthing , somthing else on the “Master list of things to grab if you ever actually find one” shows up .