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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

McAuliffe Veto of Garrett's Loaded Long Guns in Vehicles Likely to Stand

The News and Advance has the story hereSB1137, which was sponsored by State Senator Tom Garrett, would have allowed concealed handgun permit (CHP) holders to have a loaded shotgun or rifle in their vehicle.  Currently, some localities allow this practice and others don't, creating a patchwork of laws that can ensnare unwary gun owners.  Senator Garrett was attempting to make a uniform standard across the Commonwealth.  Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed the bill on March 27th.  Garrett is already talking about reintroducing the bill in 2016 if he is reelected to another term this year.  Garrett said he will be back with the bill because he is right and McAuliffe is wrong:
"There's no debate over what good gun safety is," he said. "Whether it's the NRA or me, carrying a loaded long gun in your car is probably a bad idea."

But the underlying principle of consistency in the law still stands, he added. 
"It’s about whether or not the law should be uniform ... As it stands now, if someone accidentally doesn’t remove the magazine from a weapon or what-have-you, they're not committing a crime [in one county but could be in a neighboring county]. That makes no sense."
Talk of next year is an indication the he cannot get the additional votes needed to override the veto. The bill passed 25-13, two votes short of the 27 needed to override the veto.  Even if Garrett was able to hold the handful of Democrats that he had on the original vote, of the Democrats who voted against the bill, only Senator Deeds is a likely prospect to change his vote.  That still leaves Garret one vote short.

2 comments:

va007 said...

Does VSSA have a current list of the Virginia localities where possession / carry of loaded long guns are restricted in any way? It would helpful if such a list could be published for the benefit of gun owners.

VSSA Legislative Chairman said...

That's a good question. We don't currently have a list. I'll check to see the easiest way to pull it together.