Kaine Cornered By The 2A Crowd
By Greg L | 21 March 2008 | Virginia Politics | 8 Comments
Governor Kaine has been getting some hear recently from Second Amendment advocates who have been questioning him about why he vetoed legislation that would have permitted those who hold a concealed carry permit from possessing a concealed handgun in a restaurant that serves alcohol (and not consuming) while at the same time he signed legislation that would permit Commonwealth’s Attorneys to do so and consume alcohol. Kaine has been falling back on an interpretation of the law he signed that this isn’t the case, but his critics seem to have a pretty solid argument to support their contention that at best, Governor Kaine just doesn’t understand the legislation he’s being presented with by the General Assembly.
Probably the most detailed account of this is from “Captain of A Crew Of One” which gives a blow-by-blow of events at a recent town hall meeting in Norfolk. He and a number of VCDL members decided this would be a good opportunity to get Kaine on-record explaining this apparent hypocrisy. It was, and Governor Timmy did little to assuage the concerns:
Mr. McClean actually read the problematic text from the bill in question and re-iterated that it would allow Commonwealth Attorneys to carry concealed in restaurants. Governor Kaine stuck to his (erroneous) guns (pun most definitely intended).
He insisted that the Attorney General and his Public Safety Secretary have ASSURED him that this law doesn’t mean what it says. Then he dismissed the argument by saying “I’m not going to debate the wording with you…”
How DARE we question him about it…
I’ll admit it’s hard to follow all the twists and turns of the state’s concealed carry laws as they pertain to a number of specific cases and special exemptions (such as those that permit the Harbormaster of Hopewell to carry a concealed firearm while drunk, but only if he’s on duty), and this new set of exemptions for Commonwealth’s Attorneys and their assistants to carry concealed firearms in places that citizens cannot, and without any training or proficiency requirements isn’t quite easy to ferret out in the law’s language. I’d expect that the legions of lawyers that the Governor calls on at taxpayer’s expense to tell him what he’s signing would do a better job of advising him, if this is just a case of him getting bad information.
Given that Kaine’s rationale for vetoing the restaurant ban repeal, littered with inaccuracies and distortions as it is, lends credence to the notion that Kaine just wants to limit firearms possession to the state as much as is politically possible in Virginia. Kaine had an opportunity here to expand liberty for the citizens, and expand the powers of government officials. He ignored the citizens, and gave more powers to government officials. In the end, the results seem to demonstrate Kaine’s real agenda here, and not too surprisingly, it’s somewhat different than what he promised the voters.
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Well let’s see, Guvnor Goober wants to limit firearms possession any way he can, and at the same time does not want his law enforcement personnel involved in a 287g agreement with ICE. Seems to me he wants more criminal illegal aliens in his jursidiction and wants to deprive us citizens of the means to protect ourselves from them. Just what I’d expect from a Dumbocrat.
I can’t see how you could have yukked it up with him at the 4th of July fair, Greg. I would have puked on the sumbitch had he come my way.
Are we surprised, considering when Kaine came to Manassas to discuss our Northern VA traffic woes, he FLEW in instead of driving in. Interesting that the Democratic party still thinks that they are The People’s Party…
I am as big a 2A advocate as anyone on Earth (a fact Virginia Arms can attest to), I’m much more interested in a Castle Doctrine than toting in restaurants. I’d like to be able to defend my home and family first. There was a bill this session, need to find out what happened to it.
Greg,
All this talk about guns scares me. People with guns scare me. I think you all are over compensating for some other shortcoming. I am going to write a poem and put it on my blog:
Guns are not fun,
Little boys want to be big men,
Guns and fun, shoot the little squirrel
Are you picturing Jose’,
I am scared and writing the VPC about Greg,
You are obsessed with me.
OK, I’m not a big 2A person. However, history is rife with examples of hwat happens when the government takes guns away from the citizens but only allows its own officials to carry them. Kristallnacht, anyone?
Ron said on 21 Mar 2008 at 7:25 pm:
OK, I’m not a big 2A person.
Try.
The 2A is right in there between the 1A and the 10A. If the 2A goes, the rest will follow.
You nailed it when you said… history is rife with examples of hwat [sic] happens when the government takes guns away from the citizens but only allows its own officials to carry them. Kristallnacht, anyone?
History proves it.
Castle Doctrine was passed by (basically, killed in committee) this year.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?081+sum+HB710
The Virginia Citizen’s Defense League puts up a “legislative tracking tool” every year to help people keep up with gun bills.
http://www.vcdl.org/static/2008leg.html
VCDL does yeoman’s work in fighting for gun rights in Virginia. The more members we have the more pull we have in Richmond and the better our chances of getting these important bills passed.
If you’re not a member, please think about joining:
http://vcdl.org
Thanks for the link and for covering this issue.
To Kgoatherd:
First, it was the armed citizens not any “army” or “police” who met the British Army at Lexington and Concord - it was, Oh my Gosh! - armed citizens! What was the main reason? They were attempting to seize the citizens arms cache stored in the area.
Are police little boys with a problem? They carry guns. How about our soldiers. I was one for many years including combat. Does that make our men and women less of a person because they have GUNS (or tanks, missiles, airplanes, bombs and other neat stuff to kill our (your) enemies!)
Do your object to the right of a person to defend their family, themselves or their property? If you do, you need to “You Tube” and check out what criminals do on tape to innocent people and how about the amount of women who are dead or severely injured when that “piece of paper” called a court order didn’t mean anything to the person who received it. Oh yes, police badges do NOT come with a “force shield” to repel knives, bats, fist and bullets and sometimes vehicles.
If you still have your fear of guns, if you ever need the police (and I pray you don’t) make sure that you specify that no policemen can come to your aid if they have a firearm. They must leave them in the car or at home - no guns allowed.
Do you have any case or evidence, other than your own fear, that those who possess a conceal carry permit and a firearm misuse that firearm or bully people? Remember, many women carry concealed as well.
I also instruct on firearms and personal protection and the strict rule of when to use deadly force. I suggest you take such a course. Whether you get over your fears or still want to believe all gun owners are bullies or making up for sub-qualifications that you apparently perceive you might just begin to understand that carrying a gun is as serious as it gets.
Do you fear second hand cigarette smoke (assuming you are not a killer smoker)?
The way I see it is this. Take away the second amendment and you may as well take away the rest. Once a right is gone, it’s gone.
The police are only minutes away when seconds count. Don’t believe me, read the paper, check out YouTube or crime TV.
Disarming the citizen is bringing back slavery!