Democratic Gov. Vetoes Permitless Concealed Carry for West Virginia

concealed permit (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP)
Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP

On March 3, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D) vetoed HB 4145, a bill which would have allowed residents to carry a gun concealed without a permit in the state.

This is the second time Tomblin has vetoed permitless concealed carry. He first did it during the 2015 legislative session, after being pressured by gun control groups like Moms Demand Action and by individual gun control proponents Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).

The NRA-ILA’s Dakota Moore commented on Tomblin’s most recent veto, saying, “Gov. Tomblin’s decision to veto this bill is unfortunate, especially considering the significant support HB 4145 had from both sides of the aisle. We’re hopeful that, in going back to the legislature, each chamber will promptly reaffirm the rights of law-abiding individuals.”

HB 4145 was sponsored by Delegate Saira Blair (R-Berkeley). On February 25, she told Breitbart News that she fully expected Tomblin to veto the bill but that lawmakers were ready to override such a veto.

Blair said:

We expect that that the Governor is going to veto our legislation, HB 4145, because he vetoed a very similar piece of legislation last year. We made some improvements with this one—some compromises—but we still think he’s not going to support it and we expect a veto.

Thankfully we moved it along quickly enough this year that we have enough time to override his veto, both in the House and in the Senate.

Lawmakers have until March 12 to override the veto.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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