Like its sister to the east, the state of West Virginia wrapped up its legislative session on Saturday. Unlike Virginia, though, the West Virginia legislature actually approved a bill that will benefit gun owners this session.
HB 4106 expands the state's permitless carry law to include adults under the age of 21, who previously have been able to bear arms, but only with a valid concealed carry license.
Though the bill passed easily, it did have some critics, including Dr. James McJunkin, a pediatrician who testified in opposition when HB 4106 was heard in the Senate Judiciary committee last week.
McJunkin described concerns based on his clinical experience treating children and young adults harmed by firearms.
He told senators that the current law requiring background checks and safety training for that age group — is a good law that should be preserved.
McJunkin said 18–to 20-year-olds are at higher risk because of impulsivity risk-taking behavior and possible substance abuse. He also warned about associated danger of suicide, describing the possibility of an impulsive act after a bad experience like a breakup.
The pediatrician drew on his experience to describe the awful circumstances of treating a 3-year-old shot by his 7-year-old brother. The younger child was shot through the cervical spinal cord, became quadriplegic and depended on a ventilator for breathing.
McJunkin cared for the child for four years on a ventilator before the boy died of pneumonia.
“So to give up the potential for safety training, again that’s in current law, I’m extremely concerned,” McJunkin told senators.
The situation McJunkin described is horrifying, and a parent's worst nightmare. However, it has nothing to do with the law in question. Seven-year olds aren't going to be able to lawfully possess a firearm under HB 4601.
Besides, no one is giving up the potential for firearms training here. Anybody who wants to exercise their right to bear arms can and should get instruction, and they should be well aware of the contours of the state's permitless carry laws. Having to obtain a government permission slip in order to exercise a constitutionally-protected right, though, is an issue.
Even with West Virginia's permitless carry law there are still plenty of instructors who are teaching courses on a regular basis because the demand is still there, and that isn't going to change if HB 4601 becomes law. But if it makes McJunkin feel any better, those 18-to-20-year olds who want to carry on the campus of a public college or university are still going to have to possess a valid carry license in order to do so, which means they'll be required to take a firearms training course.
While West Virginia took a step in the right direction, Virginia took a step backwards when it comes to the right to carry this session. Democrats passed bills banning concealed carry in all government buildings, college and university campuses, and hospitals where mental health services are offered. They also prohibited the carrying of "assault firearms" in most public settings. I know West Virginia gun owners may not be happy with the shenanigans that lead to the bill legalizing machine gun sales dying thanks to the actions of the Senate president, but at least they didn't see their rights restricted this session, unlike their neighbors across the eastern state line.
Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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