Citizens List Their Priorities for the 2006 General Assembly Se...

We need to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry their handguns concealed when eating food in restaurants. this "open carry" of handguns stuff is fine sometimes, but not in crowded restaurants all the time!

Clarify law to strengthen rights of adult students to exercise 2nd amendment rights at public universities. They're no different than any other public venues and Virginia's preemption laws apply, regardless of the whims of petty tyrants.

Mike wrote:

We need to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry their handguns concealed when eating food in restaurants. this "open carry" of handguns stuff is fine sometimes, but not in crowded restaurants all the time!

Agree with Mike. I'm not sure why this was opposed in the past especially when proponets agreed to language that would prohibit drinking alcohol in such restaurant while carrying.

For years the government intruded into practically every aspect of our lives and on many of the rights enumerated in the Constitution. These guarantees were held as sacred by the founding fathers. The Constitution exists not only as a guarantee of individual rights, but as a specific enumeration of government authority. The Bill of Rights was set up to ensure that certain individual liberties would not be tread upon and they EXPLICITLY prohibit the government from doing so. Too many of us for too long allowed our elected officials to intrude too far into our lives. The time has long since passed for us - ALL of us to stand up to this carelessness by our elected government and remind them that they took an oath. An oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution, not their political agenda.

The rights to keep and bear arms has long been attacked by these 'nanny state' socialists, and it's time to show them that those of us intent on exercising our rights will not be relegated to the back of the bus or otherwises oppressed. The General Assembly, the Governor and the Courts owe us our freedom back.

And the Press has gotten away with mischaracterizing and sensationalizing the keeping and bearing of arms for far too long. It is NOT a social issue, it is of the gravest concern to all the citizens. If we allow the General Assembly to pass laws which infringe this right, it only emboldens them to feel that they can simply ignore other provisions of the Constitution. News outlets throughout the Commonwealth have attempted to characterize bearing arms as 'extreme' and 'out of the mainstream', but they have failed miserably.

Citizens need to hold the press accountable when they lie. Press sources which attempt to advance an anti-rights agenda need to be "called on the carpet" for their misbehavior. A good way to do this is with reasoned, fact based repudiations of their sensational anti-rights reporting. Pick up the phone and call them, let them know that their opposition to fundamental rights is out of the main stream and dangerous to liberty.

If we all get just a little more involved in the political process, we can curb these intrusions into our lives and reclaim some of our freedoms back.

Dave

I agree.