Action Item:
Virginia – -(Ammoland.com)- I just learned that Moms Demand Action (MDA) is going to make a presentation to the West Springfield Citizen’s Advisory Committee tomorrow, January 3 2017 at 7:30 PM. It deals with a program called “BeSMART.”
The program is about keeping children from getting access to unsecured firearms.
Sounds laudable on the surface, but MDA doesn’t do anything unless it involves gun control.
How, when, and if a person secures their firearms is up to them.
While securing firearms that are not in use is generally a good idea, Virginia Citizens Defense League will not support any law that requires firearms to be secured. MDA, on the other hand, wants to make unsecured guns a criminal offense, even if the gun owner wasn’t being reckless in doing so. I expect another such gun bill will be introduced in the General Assembly this year.
Who determines if a gun is “properly secured?” Circumstances vary and one size does NOT fit all. People with no children, only older children, or toddlers all have different considerations.
In the end, a gun must be accessible quickly to useful in an emergency.
Sometimes a child having access to a gun that they are familiar with has saved their life. Every year there are examples of this in the news. I remember one terrible case in California where a child familiar with her family’s firearms did not have access to the those guns, per California law. During a home invasion when her parents weren’t home, all she could do was watch helplessly as her siblings were murdered by a maniac with a pitchfork. Her attempts to get access to a gun were unsuccessful.
For older children, teaching them how to safely handle a gun is far superior to safes, locks, and other mechanisms that merely restrict access or discharge of a firearm. Any safety mechanism can be defeated by someone who is determined to do so.
Finally, Virginia already has a law with penalties for a person to “recklessly leave a LOADED, unsecured firearm in such a manner as to endanger the life or limb of any child under the age of fourteen” or “to authorize a child under the age of twelve to use a firearm EXCEPT when the child is under the supervision of an adult.” (18.2-56.2).
If you wish to attend, here is the location:
West Springfield District Station
6140 Rolling Road
Springfield, VA 22152
Here’s information about the program: https://besmartforkids.org/
About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
For more information, visit: www.vcdl.org.