Va. Senate votes to allow guns in restaurants

[shadowrider]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/02/va_senate_votes_to_allow_guns.html

The Democratically-controlled Virginia Senate has voted to allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry guns in restaurants that serve alcohol, as long as the person carrying the weapon does not drink. The gun bill passed on a 22 to 18 vote, after senators had a vigorous debate about whether or not people might have a reasonable reason to carry guns in restaurants.

The House has passed a similar bill; Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has expressed support for the measure, and is expected to sign it into law. Both chambers also passed it last year, but Gov. Tim Kaine (D) vetoed it.

[Ozymanithrax]

1. A gun is no way to tell the waiter he sucks.

I've not seen any indication that shootouts in restaurants is a problem, so why is it necessary to allow everyone to pack heat

[dmallind]

2. Luby's ring a bell? Even if not why is it necessary to stop them?

[onehandle]

3. Because gun rights are more important than jobs and healthcare, silly. nt

[benEzra]

7. They're not mutually exclusive, either. (n/t)

[proteus_lives]

24. Not more.

But I think they rank up there.

[Ozymanithrax]

28. So we have a right to kill, but healing is only for the rich.

Sounds...Capitalistic

[benEzra]

6. Ever carried a folded umbrella into a store or restaurant?

If so, why? Since it rarely rains inside of stores and restaurants?

See the fallacy here?

Unholstering a firearm in the parking lot to stash it in the glove compartment invites theft or alarm if anyone notices, and if you're walking, you can't just leave it on the sidewalk, and checking the firearm with the maître d won't work, either.

Out of curiosity, do you carry a pepper spray?

[AtheistCrusader]

9. Cuts down on firearm proliferation.

For those of us that carry concealed, we no longer have to leave our firearms in our cars, a place from which, even police officers get guns stolen from.

[msongs]

14. lol only gun owners engage in shootouts or that kind of behavior lololol nt

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

4. You do know that people in Virgina can already firearms in restaraunts?

google "VA Tuck"

This law only allows people with guns to not have to show them off while dining.
One would think that people who get uneasy at the sight of guns would support not having to see them.

[shadowrider]

5. I'm aware

Just thought I'd put this up for general info.

[Hoopla Phil]

8. Looks like it's going to pass. I'm glad that they are getting more in line

with other states CHL laws. This will help with reciprocity agreements.

[mzteris]

10. yeah - just wait

until some guy starts shooting people in a restaurant "just 'cause" . . . that should put paid to that stupid idea.

[X_Digger]

11. Has this happened in the other 33 states where this is legal? n/t

[mzteris]

12. i dunno - has it

yet?

Cause it will - sooner or later - it will.

Want to know why?

Cause people are crazy.

People are angry.

People want to "get even".

People watch shows like "die hard" and "edge of darkness" and "taken" - and they want to BE "those guys"...

Even before they get drunk.

People walking around armed is just a very bad idea IMHO. This ain't the wild west nor chicago in the 20's... you'd think we'd want to advance - to evolve as humans of intellect and compassion. Not knee-jerk assholes who want to walk around looking/feeling badass 'cause they got a gun strapped.

I'm not anti-gun. I grew up hunting (i no longer hunt due to being vegetarian) but I still own two. If the world goes to f'n hell well then things'll change. In the meantime, I keep 'em locked up though handy.

Having something so lethal so readily available - when so many people REACT without THINKING one damn bit - well - you're just asking for trouble. YMMV.

[X_Digger]

13. If your well constructed and very colorful theory were true..

I'm sure there'd be lots of press, and people calling for the end of concealed carry.

Funny, there doesn't seem to be much of that around the various state legislatures.

I like to deal in concretes, not 'what-if's. To answer your question, no, it hasn't, there hasn't been a rash of CHL holders shooting up restaurants in the wake of restaurant concealed carry restrictions being removed.

[mzteris]

15. yet. n/t

[Euromutt]

40. How long until you concede that you might be mistaken?

As long as it's impossible to predict the future with absolute certainty, it's impossible to say that an incident as you describe will never happen. But going by that argument, you should be prohibited from possessing or having in your control a computer with internet access on the basis that you might, at some unspecified future date, commit identity theft and credit card fraud. Oh sure, you've never done anything like that... yet. But you can't prove you won't.

[proteus_lives]

25. Wild West canard.

Fail of ignorance.

[PavePusher]

27. Can I please borrow your infallible sense of precognition?

I need to work up some stock deals and racing bets...

[spin]

17. Typical "old west" propaganda pushed by those who oppose firearms...

similar to the crap pushed by the Brady Campaign every time a state considers adopting "shall issue" concealed carry.

State after state has proven that the "shootouts at very intersection and fast draw confrontations on the main street at noon" just don't happen.

The "blood in the streets" arguments don't hold water.

[mzteris]

18. i don't oppose firearms -

I oppose people carrying them around.

[spin]

20. Why not oppose criminals carrying firearms around...

citizens with carry permits or even those who carry openly are not a problem.

Criminals and criminal gangs are.

Focus your efforts on putting those with violent criminal records who are caught illegally carrying a firearm away for a LONG time and we might reduce gun violence substantially.

Our judicial system all too often gives very dangerous people a light slap on their wrist and sends them back out on the streets to murder and pillage.

[SteveM]

29. Uh, that's already happened before with thugs. They don't follow the law.

If you were a thug or HyperPunk, and wanted to shoot some folks, would you do so in a restaurant wherein some of the patrons were armed? Would you do so if you even THOUGHT they were armed? Or would you pick (assuming basic literacy) a "Gun-Free Zone?"

[ileus]

16. it's about time I'm getting tired of going to WV for a nice meal.

[Endangered Specie]

19. Waiter, there is a shell casing in my soup!

;)

[spin]

21. You have a great imagination. (n/t)

[SteveM]

30. Waiter: "Well, if it's just been fired, it'll keep your damn soup warm."

[Tim01]

22. WOO HOO!!! Lets hear it for that Democratically-controlled Virginia Senate .

The law that they are getting rid of was fucking stupid, backwards, and potentially dangerous. Fucking shitheads that made that law.

[onehandle]

31. Yeah, Blue Dogs rock!

Who needs Republicans?

[Tim01]

33. So it takes blue dogs to get rid of stupid laws? I'll definitely remember that.nt

[onehandle]

34. Blue Dogs Get Things Done!

Like killing healthcare reform.

[Tim01]

35. If you want to call that bill healthcare reform, then we just don't agree.

And this is the guns forum, not the health care forum. What the blue dogs did for gun laws was get rid of a stupid potentially dangerous law. They may have actually saved lives with this.

[proteus_lives]

23. Good.

Gun rights continue to become more secure while the grabbers and their political plague swept into the dustbin.

[spin]

26. Great news. (n/t)

[oneshooter]

32. Sounds like they are catching up to Texas!! n/t

[Carni]

36. Also in EMERGENCY shelters

Can you imagine?

[GreenStormCloud]

37. What's wrong with that? N/T

[Carni]

38. Well

Is it really a great idea to have SOME random people with concealed guns at a shelter, when food and water is in short supply?

To me this just doesn't sound like a good idea.

[PavePusher]

39. Why do you assume that they would do bad things?

Maybe they would stop other people from doing bad things. "Can you imagine?"

Or, you can merely jump to conclusions....