Message from West Virginia Citizens Defense League Vice President, Art Thomm

Charles Town sends message to Snyder – Represent us!

Support WV HB2760
Support WV HB2760
West Virginia Citizens Defense League
West Virginia Citizens Defense League

West Virginia –-(Ammoland.com)- HB2760 is one of the best pieces of gun-rights legislation to come to West Virginia in over 20 years.

For good reason, HB2760 sailed through the WV House of Delegates with overwhelming support, finding victory in a 94-4 vote. It appears a bipartisan majority found HB2760 “common sense”.

One of the four to vote against HB2760, freshman Delegate Stephen Skinner (D-Jefferson), represents a part of Jefferson County in the Eastern Panhandle. Clearly Del. Skinner doesn’t understand his constituency!

HB 2760 then moved from the WV House of Delegates to the WV Senate and fell into the committee on Government Organization, Chaired by Senator Herb Snyder (D-Jefferson), where it almost immediately started to fall apart.

The media reported that we didn’t give Sen. Snyder time and that we were being “too hard” on poor Sen. Snyder.

What the media failed to report were the several conversations I had with Senator Snyder from the beginning.

Sen. Snyder claims to be “pro-gun”, but when bluntly asked about support HB2760, he could not provide a definitive answer. I even went as far to break it down to an elementary form, asking “pro-gun” Snyder if he could support the bill “if it only eliminated the grandfather clause, creating a uniform firearm law across WV”, and again he said he could not provide an answer. That doesn’t sound very “pro-gun” to me!

The WVCDL leadership attempted a final conversation with Sen. Snyder last week about HB2760, and when we mentioned the membership hitting the streets to show support for the bill, he said “You people do what you need to do”. Evidently it also didn’t sit very well with you. Saturday afternoon the WVCDL membership came out in force once again, showing Sen. Snyder that WE WANT THIS BILL PASSED!

The air was chilly, but an estimated 150 of you came out with your friends and family, bearing signs in support of HB2760 and your view of Sen Snyder. I would like to tell you that our job was complete and successful, but the most important part may just be starting. April 3 2013 is the “crossover” day that Sen. Snyder keeps hiding behind. We must keep our calls to his office. Tell everyone you know to call and politely, but firmly ask him to support HB2760.

I want to thank Delegate Paul Espinosa (R-Jefferson), and Delegate Michael Folk (R-Berkeley) for coming out and taking a few moments to speak about their support of HB2760 in the House. Gentlemen, your support for our gun rights will not be forgotten. I would also like to thank the City Police of Charles Town, and the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department for their objectivity and overall support for our Second Amendment rights.

I want to thank all of you for coming out once again to be heard. I want to thank you for taking the time to make your amazing signs.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to chat with Sen. Snyder;

Herb, I asked you. I attempted to have an educated conversation, and for a small minute I optimistically thought we were getting somewhere. As one of the many that has made West Virginia #4 in the nation for firearm ownership, I will ask you one more time; support HB270. Represent your constituents. We are listening and we are watching.

Represent us or we will replace you.

Let me be clear Herb, this is not a ‘threat’, it’s a promise.

About:
The West Virginia Citizens Defense League (WVCDL) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, all-volunteer, grassroots organization of concerned West Virginians who support our individual right to keep and bear arms for defense of self, family, home and state, and for lawful hunting and recreational use, as protected by the state constitution and the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Visit: www.wvcdl.org