The head man of the Capitol Police
doesn’t believe a new law which makes an adjustment to the conceal carry permit
for firearms will have any impact on security at the capitol complex. The
legislature passed a measure which would allow anyone with a conceal carry
permit to leave a firearm in their vehicle while it is parked on the grounds of
the state capitol in Charleston
“We don’t believe it really will,”
said Kevin Foreman the Director of Capitol Security. “We keep a pretty close
eye on folks who work and visit here, as far as keeping our campus safe and
secure, but we don’t think it’s going to change anything significantly.”
The minor adjustment will enable
those with a conceal carry permit to make a visit to the capital without fear
of being in violation. They would not be allowed to carry the gun on
their person while entering the Capitol, but leaving it in the car would be
authorized as long as their permit is valid.
Foreman said it’s never been that
big of an issue to begin with.
“We’ve had a couple of those that
I’m aware of and that’s it,” said Forman. “I’ve been here three years now and
we’ve only had two that I can remember.”
Foeman said it’s likely, much like
anywhere, some were already leaving them in the vehicle in violation.
However, unless the security had a reason to check, there would have been no
way to detect the firearm being presence in a parked vehicle.
