Posted on 01/02/2008 4:24:28 PM PST by neverdem
Hampton Sen. Mamie Locke is at the forefront now of an expected wave of legislation aimed at firearms.
Expect grieving parents to talk about their slain children as they plead for stricter gun controls.
Expect passionate Second Amendment loyalists to argue that a legally armed professor could have halted the Virginia Tech massacre.
In all, expect heated discussions and passionate debates about firearms when state lawmakers return to Richmond next week.
"We could see a record number of gun bills," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights group. "There should be a lot more starting to roll in. This is life-and-death stuff."
Just don't expect a whole lot of change.
"In the grand scheme of things — we'll probably get very little," said Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, who has filed a pair of bills that would allow communities to tighten firearm restrictions, including allowing them to ban guns in libraries. "I don't know what it's going to take, but at the very least, I expect there to be more attention on the issue."
The General Assembly convenes in Richmond on Jan. 9. Experts are awaiting a wave of debate about gun laws in large part because of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, where 32 students and faculty members were killed by a mentally ill gunman who also killed himself. Some victims' families are planning to head to Richmond to put a face on the tragedy and push for increased controls and tougher background checks on gun buyers.
Couple that with the fact that Democrats now control the committee system in the Senate, thanks to Election Day wins in November, and guns are bound to be a hot topic.
But don't wait for every proposal to simply offer a different way to tighten restrictions...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailypress.com ...
Typical.
Murder leads to guns being banned.
Rape leads to what?
Expect passionate Second Amendment loyalists to argue that a legally armed professor could have halted the Virginia Tech massacre.
They should solicit testimony from those who were saved by virtue of being armed. We should also hear from victims' relatives who wish that their loved one had been armed.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take...”
Clearly, Mr. Hampton is right on this point as he is pushing yet another gun free zone law. Will these idiots ever learn?
You don’t want to know.
Is this a big problem in Hampton, people shooting each other in libraries?
Probably not.
But Mr. Hampton is just passing useless bills knowing they will have no impact so he can go tell his base how much he has done to fight the scourge that is gun violence etc etc.
All of the liberals that don’t know a thing about guns or can’t understand the concept that a window sticker proclaiming a “gun free zone” will not prevent violent behavior will cheer this idiot for “putting the safety of the children ahead of the gun industry and the evil NRA.”
Same old stuff from the left.
My apologies to Mr. Locke. Just realized I misread his name. I’ll at least now know to watch out for this idiot at the national level should he ever go anywhere.
Gee Phil, if you hadn't been in such a snit about Jerry Kilgore not kissing your butt, you just might have had a Governor who would veto those bills. You took credit for helping him lose.
See how Governor Kaine helps you out.
Ummm...just so you know, it would be Miz Locke.
Who is Mr. Hampton?
OUCH!!!!!!
Better put some ice on that, Phil.
Well, by this logic, we'll all have to cut our thingys off. That way women will be safe.
Ya beat me to it.....but in my defense I was working tonight :)
Dear ole Phil is not going to be getting much support from this household. Of course we will be opposing any anti-2A stuff that comes down the pike, but our main focus will be on the anti-private property crapola that will be being railroaded through Richmond.
I like and vocally and actively supported Jerry Kilgore over the Eyebrow, but his wife is in my scope....and I am quite close to being a bullseye sharpshooter.
Actually if VT were not a "gun free campus" the perp most likely would not have considered his foray at all. Being a GFC and loudly advertising it gave him security for his procedure ahead of time.
Maybe they are actually population reduction fanatics and anything that works is to be promoted.
No, but it could become one if this bill becomes law.
I have had this same discussion with Phil. I think he is slowly coming around, but he’s a stubborn idealist. I wouldn’t put too much weight into VCDL’s impact on elections, specially statewide. Sure we have been very effective at lobbying, local elections and in holding local government’s feet to the fire, but statewide, most of VCDL’s membership is concerned with other issues as well. We all don’t vote the way PVC would have you believe we do. There were many factors to Kilgore’s loss, VCDL was a very small one. Phil over stressed VCDL’s importance in that one.
I have an idea. They could make it illegal for a criminal to possess a gun! Everyone knows criminals obey the law!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.