Members of the House of Delegates
will next consider the bill that would limit what cities can do to regulate gun
purchases, but allow municipalities to set their own rules on where guns can be
carried on government property.
On Tuesday afternoon, the full
Senate unanimously approved the proposal that Senate President Jeff Kessler
(D-Marshall, 2) said would, in most cases, set up a uniform set of gun laws in
all of West Virginia
When it comes to the purchases of
firearms, “They couldn’t enact any ordinances in excess or greater than that
provided by state or federal law,” said Kessler.
In last year’s Home Rule
legislation, there were limits to what gun ordinances cities could implement
while part of the Home Rule Pilot Program, which was designed to give local
officials more local control.
SB 317 takes firearms completely
out of the Home Rule process and, instead, requires all municipalities to
follow state and federal gun laws. All past grandfather clauses dealing
with city gun laws have been removed as well.
Additionally, though, the proposal does
allow cities to decide where people with concealed carry permits can take their
guns on government property.
“I think it’s better to have a
uniform system of laws, rather than each city potentially having a different
patchwork,” said Kessler on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline” of the part of the
bill that deals with gun purchases.
In the Capitol City
Charleston Mayor Danny Jones said,
even before Tuesday’s vote, he knew Charleston
However, he’s critical of lawmakers
who, he said, have been missing the major issue of the entire 2014 Regular
Legislative Session.
“I think they’re whole direction is
completely wrong. I mean — guns, abortion, gays — it’s the same old
stuff. The number one resource in West
Virginia
The bill written as a response to
the Jan. 9 chemical leak in Kanawha
County
The last day of the 2014 Regular
Legislative Session will be on Saturday, March 8.
