Virginia Gun Rights

Governor Kaine demonstrated again yesterday demonstrated that he will say anything to promote his agenda.  Take this for instance:

There isn’t any reason why someone who is dangerously mentally ill or a felon should be able to get a gun under any circumstances and I continue to be surprised that people feel like that is OK.

That was Governor Kaine talking to reporters just before the vote yesterday on SB1257 – Senator Marsh’s “Gun Show Loophole” bill.

I don’t know a single gun owner who thinks it it “ok” for felons or mentally ill individuals to get their hands on firearms.  We simply don’t think the government should be involved in transfers of privately owned firearms when the vast majority of those sales are between family and friends.  When you look at the number of firearm sales that occur at a gun show, private sales make up a small percentage of the total sales.  And no less than three federal studies have shown that gun shows are not a source of firearms for criminals.

If keeping felons and mentally ill people from getting firearms was the goal of Kaine and others pushing this legislation, then voluntary checks and providing an FFL at the show to conduct those checks (since only FFLs have access to the State Police for running such checks) should be sufficient.  But both Kaine and some of the families of Virginia Tech shooting victims said yesterday that they were not interested in such amendments.  So, something else is their real goal and that something is ending all private sales.  You have to believe shutting down gun shows is also an ultimate goal because every bill that has been introduced goes well beyond simply requiring background checks.  They all require some form creating a registration list of everyone that walks into a gun show.

So, the next time you hear Tim Kaine say he can’t understand why someone thinks it is okay for felons and mentally ill people to buy firearms, ask yourself why Kaine had not interest in at least getting voluntary checks at gun shows for private sales.