Virginia House Votes to Empower Domestic Violence Victims with New Concealed Carry Rule

By Beth Baumann

On Friday, the Virginia House of Delegates passed HB 1852, which would allow victims of domestic violence the ability to conceal carry before obtaining a concealed carry permit. Under the bill, any person over the age of 21 who is not prohibited from purchasing, possessing or transporting a firearm, would be legally protected by an unexpired restraining order while they apply for a concealed carry permit. The victim would be allowed to conceal carry for up to 45 days after the restraining order was issued, giving he or she enough time to apply for a permit.

Currently, Virginia law prohibits anyone from conceal carrying a firearm unless they have a permit, which can take up to 45 days to go through the approval process.

“The essence of this is that we want to empower people, especially women, who find themselves in a position where they are in fear of their lives, to be able to protect themselves in a manner that they see fit,” bill sponsor Delegate C. Todd Gilbert (R) told WTVR.

Delegate Mark Levine (D), however, believes this bill would cause more damage to victims.

“No one wants to protect victims of domestic violence more than I, but …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms