Robert B. Bell (R-58) has introduced a bill in the Virginia General Assembly that would make it legal for correctional officers to carry a concealed weapon (that would usually be a handgun, but it could be shuriken if they wanted) without getting a concealed handgun permit.
That's not a good idea, not because correctional officers shouldn't be allowed to carry without a permit; they probably do need that more than most folks. I know if I had to be the human face of the corrections system to a bunch of hardened criminals that were almost all going to be paroled some day, I'd want a concealed weapon, or several.
It's a problem because it further entrenches a notion that some members of society are more entitled to protection than others. This law creates a distinction between two classes of society, and gives one greater protection than the other.
This proposed law is not defensible on the basis that the a corrections officer is automatically qualified to carry a handgun by virtue of training, or having already undergone a criminal background check. If this were really the rationale, corrections officers would still have to go through the permit process, but would be able to substitute the training and background checks they have already undergone for the training and background checks required of everyone else. If a corrections officer really does complete training and checks equivalent to the average citizen, then going through the permit process should be a snap, right?
If you bother to look at the bill, here, also look at exception number 9, already in existence. Any attorney for the Commonwealth or assistant attorney for the Commonwealth is entitled to the same permit-skipping perk. And no, they don't have to take any kind of firearms training to get the job, or at least, that's what the Winchester commonwealth's attorney's secretary told me a minute ago. Their right to protect themselves should be granted no more importance under the law than yours, but there you have it; you go through the permit process and they don't.
The NRA-ILA actually supports this bill, which surprises me; it only reinforces the disparity that exists in the protection of the rights of state workers to carry weapons and the rights of everyone else.
If you don't like the bill and live in Bell's district, call him at (804) 698-1058
and tell him.
