The "Restaurant" Bill

In the majority of states throughout the country it is perfectly legal for someone who has taken the proper steps, passed the required criminal background check and voluntarily registered himself with his state's government to lawfully carry a concealed firearm into his favorite dining establishment, even if they <gasp!> serve alcoholic beverages.

Virginia is a strange animal in this respect. According to [current] Virginia statutory law it is illegal for anyone not exempted by special status (§ 18.2-308 (B))to carry a concealed handgun into such an establishment. They may, however, openly carry a firearm into those same establishments and, if they so desire, enjoy an adult beverage.

There has been a recent and well-deserved resurgence of Constitutionally-minded legislation being introduced in the VA House and Senate pushing to bring Virginia's conceal-carry status more in line with the national standard, but the opponents of such legislation continue to assail us with the same talking-point arguments that have been statistically disproven in nearly every instance.

They believe that allowing concealed guns in "bars" (there are no bars in the Commonwealth, only ) will result in OK Corral-esque shootouts and disagreements between patrons devolving to violence and gunfire, placing their lives in imminent danger, danger that of course does not exist when LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS are gathered in any place.

What these people really mean to say is that THEY are afraid of guns. They do not trust themselves to be responsible for their own safety and security and they believe that if they do not want to carry a personal defense weapon, then nobody should be allowed to do so.

What they fail to comprehend in their tiny brains is that it is, and HAS BEEN, perfectly legal for any citizen, licensed or otherwise, to openly carry a firearm into any one of these establishments. They claim that they would not go into a restaurant where law-abiding citizens who have chosen to defend themselves may patronize. They say that the "restaurant bill" will make it more dangerous because they won't know if another patron is carrying a gun or not.

The fact remains that they don't know now. There is no way for them to know unless a LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN is openly carrying a firearm in the establishment, as is required by law. Anyone else who is carrying a weapon, unless they meet the special exception criteria set forth by the Virginia Code, is doing so illegally and is most likely a criminal. Criminals do not obey the law. Laws only serve to restrict and prohibit the lawful but the anti-gun crowd, no matter how many massacres and murders coincidentally occur in locations where guns have been banned (GFCZs) the criminal is the only one who was armed and thereby the victims rendered defenseless.

The senseless, unsupported and grossly irresponsible rhetoric and hyperbole from groups such as the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence only serves to instill a sense of fear and helplessness among the potential victim crowd. Every place which is posted, placarded or otherwise indicated as a "Gun Free Zone" (GFSZ, for instance) provides would-be murderers, rapists, burglars and thieves with a target-rich environment in which to wreak havoc and mischief completely unhindered by lawfully armed citizens.

Anyone who believes this particular brand of lunacy:


Is completely off their rocker. What these signs REALLY MEAN is: