Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring lost his mind announced Tuesday that Virginia will no longer recognize concealed weapons permits for 25 of the 30 states with whom it currently has reciprocity, effectively banning most people who live elsewhere in the United States and have a concealed carry permit from legally carrying a concealed handgun within Virginia’s borders. Herring’s unilateral decision, which reportedly will go into effect on Feb. 1, goes hand-in-hand with strong anti-gun sentiments espoused by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who has long been an outspoken opponent of firearms.
But if that isn’t enough, what Herring said in defense of the move is what really baffles the mind.
From the Washington Post:
Herring said severing the out-of-state agreements can prevent people who may be dangerous or irresponsible from carrying a concealed weapon.
“To me, this is a commonsense step that can help make Virginians and our law enforcement officers safer by ensuring that Virginia’s laws on who can and cannot carry a concealed handgun are applied evenly, consistently, and fairly,” he said in a statement provided to The Washington Post.
“Our General Assembly has already identified who can and cannot conceal handguns in Virginia, and we cannot have that decision undermined by recognizing permits from other states with more permissive standards."
Congratulations! You have handed down an edict that says dangerous people cannot get a concealed carry permit in another state and bring that weapon into Virginia tucked inside their waistbands. Of course, this law doing any lick of good whatsoever relies on said evildoer waking up in the morning bent on destruction, only to remember, “Drat! I was going to go kill a mess of people at the Walmart this afternoon, if only it weren’t for that pesky law!”
Oh, wait.
Public service announcement for liberals, for the 42,687th time: CRIMINALS DO NOT CARE ABOUT LAWS. This is why we call them CRIMINALS, and have a longstanding tradition of punishing them for ignoring the law.
Take the crime rates in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and cities across the entire state of California – all of which boast some of the highest crime rates in the country. Each of these shining liberal bastions is a wonderful example of how crackdowns on legally-owned firearms have been absolutely no help whatsoever, and only disarm the very people who might be able to protect themselves when someone who doesn’t give a flying flip about the law decides to hurt someone.
So if you’re visiting Virginia and are a law abiding citizen from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin or Wyoming -- kindly leave your firearms at the door.
And if you’re not a law-abiding citizen? Well, there goes that plan.