The 2014 West Virginia legislative session adjourned on Saturday, March 8. This session saw numerous advances, especially the passage through both the West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates of three pro-firearms bills. The below bills, all of which were previously reported here, are now awaiting signature into law by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D).
Senate Bill 317, sponsored by state Senator John Unger (D-16), is a statewide firearms preemption bill which will bring Charleston and three other cities that currently have and enforce local gun control ordinances into uniformity with the rest of the state.
House Bill 4186, sponsored by Delegate Rupie Phillips (D-24), will clarify and make uniform the language of West Virginia’s concealed carry statutes.
House Bill 4431, sponsored by Delegate Randy Swartzmiller (D-1), will clarify the distinction between hunters and shooters in the field and would allow shooters who are in possession of a firearm, in or near the woods, to be protected from unnecessary interference by a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officer based solely on possession of a firearm.
The NRA thanks you for your tireless advocacy for these reform bills. The support and activism of NRA members is what makes the difference in Charleston. Additionally, the NRA thanks the Senators and Delegates who voted for these measures.
Now that the 2014 legislative session has concluded, we need YOU to contact Governor Tomblin and urge him to sign these bills into law. Protection of your Second Amendment freedoms is of the utmost importance to the NRA, and these bills will protect and restore those freedoms for law-abiding firearms owners across the Mountain State.
To express your support and urge Governor Tomblin to sign into law SB 317, HB 4186 and HB 4431, please call 1-888-438-2731 or click here to send him an e-mail.