EDIT: A reader reminded me that the NRA range (in Fairfax) is a big range they can think of off the top of their head that might fit the description in this bill. Apparently there are also some other ranges that are located in multi-use facilities that would have more than 50 people “in the building.”
Seriously, this is getting tiring.
We’ve already discussed multiple assaults on our Second Amendment rights that are prefiled in this upcoming legislative session. But the hits, they keep on coming.
VA House Bill 567 makes it:
unlawful to operate an indoor shooting range in any building not owned or leased by the Commonwealth or the federal government unless (i) fewer than 50 employees work in the building or (ii) (a) at least 90 percent of the users of the indoor shooting range are law-enforcement officers, as defined in § 9.1-101, or federal law-enforcement officers, (b) the indoor shooting range maintains a log of each user’s name, phone number, address, and the law-enforcement agency where such user is employed, and (c) the indoor shooting range verifies each user’s identity and address by requiring all users to present a government-issued photo-identification card.
I honestly don’t even know where to go with this. What’s the supposed benefit to anyone for this? I mean, maybe a lot of the gun ranges get out using the “fewer than 50 employees” loophole, but still, why? This doesn’t benefit anyone. It’s just a random restriction, shockingly enough introduced by a Fairfax Democrat.
The only thing I can think of is that this is a significantly-less-than-transparent way of trying to cut back on firearms ownership via restricting usage. After all, what good is owning a gun if it’s next to impossible to actually go practice or train with it?
He’s not even trying to pretend like this will somehow make us safer or anything. This is literally just a “I feel like making this law because guns” law.
Whatever. They’ve started this fight because their patron wants them to. But in the end, their patron will leave them with the consequences while he moves on to the bigger fish he wants (the Presidency). They’ll end up regretting it, but they’ll lose their careers in the process. Which I guess is the best thing that can come of this anyway.
