Mike in VA
New member
Ladies & gentlemen, citizens of VA - here's the text of a letter I sent ot state senator Janet Howell regarding the proposed changes in the law that would totally ban CCW on school property (it's currently legal to be armed if you're dropping kids off at school or just passing by) - Please feel free to plaigerize at will and reuse the parts that may be useful to you:
Dear Senator Howell:
I have been recieving your campaign literature and appreciate your efforts in many areas to improve the quality of life here in northern VA, particularly traffic and transportation. However, I must take issue with your position on banning guns carried by CCW (concealed weapons permit) holders on school property. This makes no sense.
While I understand the basic premise that [unsupervised] kids and guns don't mix, banning those who are otherwise legally qualified to carry a firearm in open society doesn't solve the problem. Besides, it's already illegal for anyone under 18 to have a firearm. Furthermore, it makes a law-abiding citizen into a criminal for doing nothing more than dropping his/her child at school while they are armed. That's bad law.
Perhaps I don't understand the problem. Do you think that CCW holders are a threat? I would point out that I am a former Boy Scout, decorated veteran, taxpayer, voter, and CCW holder ( and a fairly typical one at that). How threatening is that? As a group, we are among the most responsible and law-abiding citizens, and I know of no CCW holder who has ever been a prbloem around a school. To obtain my permit, I had to take a gun safety course (actually, I had my first one around age 10 in the scouts) which included a breifing on gun laws, demostrate proficiency (i.e. prove I can hit what I aim at), and be subjected to a thorough background check by the VA State Police.
CCW holders are not a problem. If anything, I would like to think that if trouble broke out at a school, having a CCW-trained person around would be a asset, much like having someone trained in first aid/CPR present in the event of an accident. Consider the Iraeli experience - terrorists used to target schools for their vile acts (much like the cowards here have), but once teachers, staff and parents armed themselves, the terrorists moved on to easier targets. That SOB that shot up the JCC in CA choose his target because the security was lax, having rejected two other JCCs where security was more apparent. Crimanls are basically cowards and opportunists, why make it easy for them by disarming (and puiblicizing the fact) those who would otherwise protect their kids? We routinely place other things we value in secure repositories to safeguard them, often with armed guards, why do we fail to protect our kids? Would you put a sign in front of your home announcing that it is a "gun-free zone"?
Please reconsider your position on this subject. Another meaningless law that criminalizes otherwise law-abiding citizens does not solve the problem, and it may hinder our ability to protect our children. I know there are no easy answers to this problem, but banning properly licensed permit holders from carrying legal firearms as they transport their children to/from school is just plain dumb.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Muth
Falls Church, VA
Let 'em hear from ya! M2
Dear Senator Howell:
I have been recieving your campaign literature and appreciate your efforts in many areas to improve the quality of life here in northern VA, particularly traffic and transportation. However, I must take issue with your position on banning guns carried by CCW (concealed weapons permit) holders on school property. This makes no sense.
While I understand the basic premise that [unsupervised] kids and guns don't mix, banning those who are otherwise legally qualified to carry a firearm in open society doesn't solve the problem. Besides, it's already illegal for anyone under 18 to have a firearm. Furthermore, it makes a law-abiding citizen into a criminal for doing nothing more than dropping his/her child at school while they are armed. That's bad law.
Perhaps I don't understand the problem. Do you think that CCW holders are a threat? I would point out that I am a former Boy Scout, decorated veteran, taxpayer, voter, and CCW holder ( and a fairly typical one at that). How threatening is that? As a group, we are among the most responsible and law-abiding citizens, and I know of no CCW holder who has ever been a prbloem around a school. To obtain my permit, I had to take a gun safety course (actually, I had my first one around age 10 in the scouts) which included a breifing on gun laws, demostrate proficiency (i.e. prove I can hit what I aim at), and be subjected to a thorough background check by the VA State Police.
CCW holders are not a problem. If anything, I would like to think that if trouble broke out at a school, having a CCW-trained person around would be a asset, much like having someone trained in first aid/CPR present in the event of an accident. Consider the Iraeli experience - terrorists used to target schools for their vile acts (much like the cowards here have), but once teachers, staff and parents armed themselves, the terrorists moved on to easier targets. That SOB that shot up the JCC in CA choose his target because the security was lax, having rejected two other JCCs where security was more apparent. Crimanls are basically cowards and opportunists, why make it easy for them by disarming (and puiblicizing the fact) those who would otherwise protect their kids? We routinely place other things we value in secure repositories to safeguard them, often with armed guards, why do we fail to protect our kids? Would you put a sign in front of your home announcing that it is a "gun-free zone"?
Please reconsider your position on this subject. Another meaningless law that criminalizes otherwise law-abiding citizens does not solve the problem, and it may hinder our ability to protect our children. I know there are no easy answers to this problem, but banning properly licensed permit holders from carrying legal firearms as they transport their children to/from school is just plain dumb.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Muth
Falls Church, VA
Let 'em hear from ya! M2