Legislation headed on the floor of
the state Senate will roll back standing provisions for concealed carry permits
in West Virginia
Under legislation approved by the
Senate Judiciary Committee this week the age limit for carrying a concealed
weapon would be lowered to 18 and the need for a permit would be removed.
“Everybody who’s a law abiding
citizen gets to carry a concealed weapon,” said Senator Mike Romano
(D-Harrison). “I’m for that, but the reality is we’ve got to apply a little
commonsense to these situations.”
Romano tried unsuccessfully to
amend the bill to still include a handgun safety class and to keep the age at
21. His amendments were defeated.
“We’re talking about giving
18-year-old high school kids and college kids the right to carry pistols,”
Romano said. “I was an 18-year-old high school kid and college kid and I’m
telling you I don’t think letting them carry a concealed pistol in their waist
band is a good idea.”
