Obenshain Chairs Important Courts of Justice Committee

The opening day of the 2016 Session of the General Assembly brought good news for gun owners as committee assignments were announced.  The all important Senate Courts of Justice Committee, where all gun related bills go for a vote, will be chaired by the very pro-rights Senator Mark Obenshain.  In the past, the committee has been chaired by State Senator Tommy Norment who was sometimes a friend, sometimes not.  Norment did assist in getting the repeal of handgun rationing (one gun-a-month) through Senate Courts of Justice, even though he voted against repeal on the floor.

Other pro-rights members of the committee include:  State Senator John Edwards (D), Senator Ryan McDougle (R), Senator Richard Stuart (R), Senator Bill Stanley (R), State Senator Bryce Reeves (R), State Senator Tom Garrett (R), State Senator Ben Chafin (R), and State Senator Glen Sturtevant (R).

In addition to the above stalwart supporters of our Second Amendment rights, we can usually count on State Senator Norment (R) and State Senator Creigh Deeds (D) to vote with us except on rare occasions.  In the case of Deeds, he has sided with the anti-rights crowd on requiring background checks on private sales at guns shows in the past.  The anti-rights crowd only has four solid votes on the committee and would only have at most six if either one of both of the two less reliable votes (Norment or Deeds) sides with them.

Elections have consequences and defeating McAuliffe and Bloomberg in the last election means we have a pro-rights Courts of Justice committee chaired by a strong supporter of our rights.