Virginia CCW Heads Up

W4RLR wrote:
I have a Tennessee Handgun Permit. In order to get that permit I had to:

Attend an eight hour long classroom session which dealt with issues on where it was legal to carry and where it was not legal to carry. Also where the handgun permit was valid and where it was not.

Go to a range and fire fifty rounds at a target from various distances.

Go to the local law enforcement agency to be fingerprinted.

Send the completed paperwork to Nashville for a criminal records check, along with a rather sizable non-refundable fee.

So I had to do all of that just to exercise a constitutional right. If I want to purchase another firearm, I have to go through TWO background checks, one from the FBI and one from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. If Virginia said that Tennessee was not strict enough in its granting of concealed carry permits, how much more thorough could they be?

I might add the average thug on the streets with a weapon does not have to do any of the preceding steps to carry a firearm. He or she just gets a firearm from where criminals get their firearms, no muss, no fuss, and no paperwork.

But remember, the same legislators that drafted those rules are opposed to having a identification requirement to vote, because it creates too big of a burden on a constitutional right...

For the record, I am not opposed to reasonable restrictions and requirements for purchasing a weapon. Felons and those with mental health problems should NOT be allowed to carry a weapon in my opinion.

I am also not opposed to reasonable restrictions and requirements for concealed carry either. If you are legally allowed to own a firearm, I think you should be allowed to carry that weapon if you chose to do so. I think that people that want to carry should have yearly training requirements to discuss legal concerns, gun retention skills and marksmanship. If you want to carry, you should be practicing those skills on a more regular basis anyways.