Poodleshooter
New member
Looks like we may have a partial loss for the year. Only one amendment passed, which may allow carry if no alcohol is consumed. I'll try and find out more on this. This excerpt is from the Richmond Times Dispatch. Note the lack of unbiased professional journalism. Every article is an editorial.
House rejects gun bill
Common-sense argument prevails
BY PAMELA STALLSMITH
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 06, 2001
In what became a self-defense vs. common-sense debate, the House of Delegates last night blew away a proposal that would have let gun owners carry their concealed handguns into bars or restaurants that sell alcohol.
Lawmakers rejected the measure 58-41 after two hours of intense debate. The split fell largely along geographical lines, with suburban and urban lawmakers arguing against allowing guns and rural legislators citing cultural differences.
The bill was one of hundreds considered by delegates yesterday as they met well into the night to meet today's deadline to act on legislation.
"Virginia should be for lovers, and not Virginia is for Lugers," said Del. George W. Grayson, D-James City, referring to the state's well-known tourism slogan.
The bill, sponsored by Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, sought to repeal the state's 6-year-old ban on carrying concealed handguns into establishments that sell alcohol.
Ware described the proposal as "a self-defense bill" rather than a gun bill. Concealed-weapons carriers are law-abiding citizens who have a right to have their guns, he said.
"On occasion, armed citizens can be as important to the public safety as an armed member of the law," he said.
Ware's measure also included a "carrying-while-intoxicated" provision, which mirrors the state's driving-while-intoxicated standard, which made it a misdemeanor to carry a concealed handgun in a public place while legally drunk.
Delegates introduced more than a dozen amendments. Only one passed, which one delegate privately referred to as a "designated-shooter" proposal. Under it, gun owners could bring their weapons into a bar, but they couldn't drink alcohol.
Emotions ran high. The defeat was a rare loss for the powerful gun lobby, whose loyalists include House Speaker S. Vance Wilkins Jr., R-Amherst, and nearly all of the members of the House Militia and Police Committee, which overwhelmingly backed the bill Saturday.
Several legislators who said they support the rights of gun owners spoke against the bill, arguing guns and alcohol don't mix.
In an impassioned speech, one rural member of the National Rifle Association urged his colleagues to remember accidents happen, even to the most savvy gun owner.
"If you're going to be beholden to anything on this bill, I ask you please to be beholden to your God-given common sense," said Del. Barnie K. Day, D-Patrick.
Del. H. Robert Purkey, R-Virginia Beach, said the resort city's restaurant association didn't want to see the current law repealed.
"I hope today we have an outbreak of common sense," he said.
Tom Lisk of the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association applauded the vote but warned the issue could surface again before the end of the session on Feb. 24.
"We're just ecstatic that common sense prevailed in the House," Lisk said after the vote.
"They spent two hours discussing it as opposed to three minutes before Militia and Police," he said, referring to how much time the committee spent on the bill Saturday.
House rejects gun bill
Common-sense argument prevails
BY PAMELA STALLSMITH
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 06, 2001
In what became a self-defense vs. common-sense debate, the House of Delegates last night blew away a proposal that would have let gun owners carry their concealed handguns into bars or restaurants that sell alcohol.
Lawmakers rejected the measure 58-41 after two hours of intense debate. The split fell largely along geographical lines, with suburban and urban lawmakers arguing against allowing guns and rural legislators citing cultural differences.
The bill was one of hundreds considered by delegates yesterday as they met well into the night to meet today's deadline to act on legislation.
"Virginia should be for lovers, and not Virginia is for Lugers," said Del. George W. Grayson, D-James City, referring to the state's well-known tourism slogan.
The bill, sponsored by Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, sought to repeal the state's 6-year-old ban on carrying concealed handguns into establishments that sell alcohol.
Ware described the proposal as "a self-defense bill" rather than a gun bill. Concealed-weapons carriers are law-abiding citizens who have a right to have their guns, he said.
"On occasion, armed citizens can be as important to the public safety as an armed member of the law," he said.
Ware's measure also included a "carrying-while-intoxicated" provision, which mirrors the state's driving-while-intoxicated standard, which made it a misdemeanor to carry a concealed handgun in a public place while legally drunk.
Delegates introduced more than a dozen amendments. Only one passed, which one delegate privately referred to as a "designated-shooter" proposal. Under it, gun owners could bring their weapons into a bar, but they couldn't drink alcohol.
Emotions ran high. The defeat was a rare loss for the powerful gun lobby, whose loyalists include House Speaker S. Vance Wilkins Jr., R-Amherst, and nearly all of the members of the House Militia and Police Committee, which overwhelmingly backed the bill Saturday.
Several legislators who said they support the rights of gun owners spoke against the bill, arguing guns and alcohol don't mix.
In an impassioned speech, one rural member of the National Rifle Association urged his colleagues to remember accidents happen, even to the most savvy gun owner.
"If you're going to be beholden to anything on this bill, I ask you please to be beholden to your God-given common sense," said Del. Barnie K. Day, D-Patrick.
Del. H. Robert Purkey, R-Virginia Beach, said the resort city's restaurant association didn't want to see the current law repealed.
"I hope today we have an outbreak of common sense," he said.
Tom Lisk of the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association applauded the vote but warned the issue could surface again before the end of the session on Feb. 24.
"We're just ecstatic that common sense prevailed in the House," Lisk said after the vote.
"They spent two hours discussing it as opposed to three minutes before Militia and Police," he said, referring to how much time the committee spent on the bill Saturday.