RedKnightt
Regular Member
imported post
From Inside NoVa.com:
http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/more_northern_va._residents_looking_to_use_guns/33638/
By Uriah A. Kiser
Published: April 12, 2009
Maria Welch shot a handgun for the first time Saturday.
The 23-year-old Stafford woman and her 30-year-old husband, Tommy, came to shoot at a Stafford County range that only allows the use of handguns. The couple doesn’t own a gun, and Maria said she would be uncomfortable if they kept one in their home.
Tommy works in law enforcement, in the county jail, and is in the process of completing a gun safety certification. When he is certified, he plans to buy a gun.
“In my family we had guns because my father was in the military, but they were never loaded. They were just a scare tactic,” said Maria Welch. “I never even knew where he kept them.”
Though still concerned, she said if a gun is going to be in her home she wants to know how to use it. She also added that shooting the gun was fun and exhilarating. Tommy said he feels that his wife and home will be protected with a firearm in the house.
Gerry Snelling teaches a gun safety class at the same shooting range. The class is certified by the National Rifle Association. Since late last year, he said, he has seen more first-time gun users wanting to learn how to shoot. Additionally he said, many of them want to obtain a concealed weapons permit. The state-issued permit allows owners to carry guns in most public places while keeping them out of plain view.
“A lot of people are afraid their gun rights are going to be taken away from them, and I don’t know that having a concealed carry permit will alter that. But the way things are going now, you can hardly find ammo in the stores,” said Snelling.
And when it comes to carrying a concealed weapon, the Virginia Senate last week overturned the governor’s veto and approved Virginia Senate bill 877, which would allow retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed guns into restaurants and bars. Currently, no one can carry a concealed weapon into any bar or restaurant in the state.
Sam Hatfield, owner of Hatfield’s Gunsmithing in Manassas, said the state Senate did a good thing. “It’s a brilliant idea to have those who have defended our state to keep on defending it, even tough they’re not paid to do so. If we trusted them to protect us while on the beat, we can trust them in a restaurant,” said Hatfield.
The Manassas resident retired from the army and, in addition to his store, teaches gun safety. “When you are dealing with guns, there really isn’t a such thing as ‘an accident.’ There is just ignorance,” said Hatfield.
He too has noted an increase in people taking his training classes with the intent to get a concealed carry permit. He said that knowing how to use a gun safely should be a required skill, up there with “driving a car and sewing the button on to a pair of pants.”
More than 40 states now issue some type of concealed carry permit, according to the National Center for Public Policy.
But as the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre approaches, the National Education Association’s Health Information Network has published statistics that highlight the danger of guns. And while Virginia Tech remains the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, with more than 30 people killed, more than 80 people per day are killed by a gun in the U.S., according to the NEA. Also, a 2003 report from the Department of Justice showed that 20 of the nation’s 22 federal gun laws were not fully enforced, according to the NEA.
The agency added that the laws that prosecutors ignored are designed to prevent illegal drug trafficking, prevent the distortion of criminal background check forms and removing serial numbers off guns, among other offenses.
From Inside NoVa.com:
http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/more_northern_va._residents_looking_to_use_guns/33638/
By Uriah A. Kiser
Published: April 12, 2009
Maria Welch shot a handgun for the first time Saturday.
The 23-year-old Stafford woman and her 30-year-old husband, Tommy, came to shoot at a Stafford County range that only allows the use of handguns. The couple doesn’t own a gun, and Maria said she would be uncomfortable if they kept one in their home.
Tommy works in law enforcement, in the county jail, and is in the process of completing a gun safety certification. When he is certified, he plans to buy a gun.
“In my family we had guns because my father was in the military, but they were never loaded. They were just a scare tactic,” said Maria Welch. “I never even knew where he kept them.”
Though still concerned, she said if a gun is going to be in her home she wants to know how to use it. She also added that shooting the gun was fun and exhilarating. Tommy said he feels that his wife and home will be protected with a firearm in the house.
Gerry Snelling teaches a gun safety class at the same shooting range. The class is certified by the National Rifle Association. Since late last year, he said, he has seen more first-time gun users wanting to learn how to shoot. Additionally he said, many of them want to obtain a concealed weapons permit. The state-issued permit allows owners to carry guns in most public places while keeping them out of plain view.
“A lot of people are afraid their gun rights are going to be taken away from them, and I don’t know that having a concealed carry permit will alter that. But the way things are going now, you can hardly find ammo in the stores,” said Snelling.
And when it comes to carrying a concealed weapon, the Virginia Senate last week overturned the governor’s veto and approved Virginia Senate bill 877, which would allow retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed guns into restaurants and bars. Currently, no one can carry a concealed weapon into any bar or restaurant in the state.
Sam Hatfield, owner of Hatfield’s Gunsmithing in Manassas, said the state Senate did a good thing. “It’s a brilliant idea to have those who have defended our state to keep on defending it, even tough they’re not paid to do so. If we trusted them to protect us while on the beat, we can trust them in a restaurant,” said Hatfield.
The Manassas resident retired from the army and, in addition to his store, teaches gun safety. “When you are dealing with guns, there really isn’t a such thing as ‘an accident.’ There is just ignorance,” said Hatfield.
He too has noted an increase in people taking his training classes with the intent to get a concealed carry permit. He said that knowing how to use a gun safely should be a required skill, up there with “driving a car and sewing the button on to a pair of pants.”
More than 40 states now issue some type of concealed carry permit, according to the National Center for Public Policy.
But as the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre approaches, the National Education Association’s Health Information Network has published statistics that highlight the danger of guns. And while Virginia Tech remains the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, with more than 30 people killed, more than 80 people per day are killed by a gun in the U.S., according to the NEA. Also, a 2003 report from the Department of Justice showed that 20 of the nation’s 22 federal gun laws were not fully enforced, according to the NEA.
The agency added that the laws that prosecutors ignored are designed to prevent illegal drug trafficking, prevent the distortion of criminal background check forms and removing serial numbers off guns, among other offenses.
where's the puke emoticon when you need one?)
