CONCEALED WEAPONS Editorial: Herring's edict won't make us any safer

In a startling move, Attorney General Mark Herring has announced that, following an audit conducted by his office, Virginia will sever concealed handgun permit (CHP) reciprocity ties with 25 of 30 states. The audit determined that their regulations were weaker than current laws already in place here in the commonwealth.

This move, Herring argues, will deter those with a questionable history of stalking, drug dealing, or inpatient mental health from legally carrying a concealed handgun here. Additionally, his office claims this move will protect existing Virginia law by holding out-of-state permit holders with fewer restrictions on concealed carry to Virginia standards.

But stopping reciprocity agreements with 25 states will do nothing to deter crime here in Virginia. The question that should be asked of Herring is this: Why target CHP holders if they aren’t committing the majority of crimes?

Nearly all CHP holders are law-abiding, responsible, and knowledgeable people who make safety their first priority. They understand the risks involved in handling firearms and are prepared to use them as a means of last resort if necessary. Why else have members of law enforcement, particularly sheriffs, called on their constituents to carry firearms whenever permissible? CHP holders assist them in deterring crime.

In order to qualify for a CHP, one must have proper documentation, prove competence in handling firearms, go through a background check administered by one’s local jurisdiction, and carefully discern how to carry handguns in public.

I can attest to the process since I am a CHP holder myself. It’s not as easy to obtain as one thinks. Here in Virginia, current law already prohibits issuing CHPs to individuals with criminal backgrounds — including those convicted of stalking, drug dealing, and mental health. State laws are modeled after and are in accordance with federal law.

Is a permit holder from North Carolina any more dangerous than a permit holder from Virginia? CHP holders who reside here but haven’t made the commonwealth their primary residence are just as law-abiding as Virginia CHP holders. Our commonwealth’s safety will be compromised when politicians unnecessarily target law-abiding citizens, regardless of origin, who choose to legally and safely carry firearms.

Since Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Herring, and Democrats lost big-time in electoral contests last month — despite millions of dollars from their billionaire benefactor Michael Bloomberg — they are now using tyrannical means to impose more gun control as retribution for their losses.

This usurping of legislative power is a common trend under McAuliffe. In October, he issued a directive forbidding openly carried firearms in most Virginia state offices. The ban, which went into effect last month, immediately prohibits openly carried guns in executive offices at the state capital but required enabling regulation to ban concealed firearms. Members of law enforcement, security, and military personnel are all exempt from this regulation, which is set to expire in June 2017.

Of the jurisdictions comprising the D.C. metro area, Virginia boasts the least crime. Not only does the presence of the National Rifle Association help repel gun-control voices in Northern Virginia, the majority of our residents care deeply about preserving gun rights. Why else have some people fled anti-gun states for the commonwealth?

What’s the takeaway from all of this? Elections can have very deleterious consequences. Virginians knew very well that McAuliffe, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, and Herring were going to enact gun control by any means possible, but they chose to elect them over good men like former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and state Sen. Mark Obenshain. Come 2017, it’s imperative to elect pro-gun, pro-Second-Amendment candidates to the highest state offices.