Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) lifted the ban on carrying firearms openly in state parks in a Jan. 14 letter addressed to David A. Johnson, the director of the Conservation and Recreation Department. McDonnell also gave initial approval for a similar loosening of restrictions in state forests, although those proposed regulations are still subject to further review.
McDonnell's order will go into effect immediately and is consistent with an opinion he issued as Attorney General in 2008 to then-Gov. Tim Kaine (D). In the opinion, McDonnell stated that the Conservation and Recreation Department lacked the authority under state law to prevent people from carrying firearms in plain view. Kaine disagreed with the judgment, and the ban was upheld during Kaine's term.
"These regulations, once finally approved, would simply allow law abiding Virginians who legally own a firearm to exercise the same rights in a Virginia state forest or state park that they already possess while elsewhere in the Commonwealth," McDonnell spokesperson Tucker Martin said.
McDonnell has taken other steps to normalize gun-carrying during his time in office, such as the "Guns-in-Bars" bill that went into effect last July. That measure made it legal for people with concealed weapon permits to be armed in places that serve alcohol, as long as they don't imbibe.
Gun control advocates have denounced the trend.
"The gun lobbyists are trying to get guns in every nook and cranny of society - college campuses, bars and restaurants," said Brian Malte, Director of Mobilization at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "We don't think most Virginians want that kind of danger, where there's a loaded gun everywhere they go."
Lori Haas, whose daughter Emily survived gunshot wounds in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, suggested McDonnell's measure will make state parks less safe and hurt the state's tourism business. She claimed that many families will not want their children camping in close proximity to people carrying firearms.
"For people to be bringing firearms into state parks and state forests and making them dangerous places, it just makes no sense whatsoever from a number of perspectives," Haas said. She also expressed concern that lifting this ban will make enforcement of hunting laws harder for park rangers.
Before 2003, department regulations banned all firearms in state parks. That year, then-Gov. Mark Warner (D) ordered a change that permitted concealed weapons in those areas.
Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said he found it illogical to allow people to openly carry guns in crowded restaurants but not in sparsely populated wilderness areas. He argued that the change will not yield harmful results, pointing to the fact that no serious problems have arisen in the eight years since Warner allowed guns in state parks.
"Where has all the carnage they're so concerned about been?" Van Cleave said. "There hasn't been any. So they're trying to make an issue out of something that's not an issue. Guns have been in parks for quite a while."
The move has led some to wonder whether colleges and universities in Virginia could one day allow possession of firearms on campus. The 2007 Virginia Tech massacre gave leverage to student gun-rights advocates across the state calling for the need to arm and protect themselves from potential incidents like the one in Blacksburg. Andy Pelosi, director of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, said he believes that such a change is unlikely because Virginia state law promises schools the final say in deciding whether to allow firearms.
Blue Ridge Community College remains the only college in the state, and one of only 26 across the country, that allows students to carry firearms on campus. The University's policy, outlined in the Undergraduate Record, reads, "The possession, storage or use of any kind of ammunition, firearms, fireworks, explosives, air rifles and air pistols on University-owned or operated property, without the expressed written permission of the University police, is prohibited." Support Services Captain Michael Coleman of the University Police Department stated that the school has never experienced any serious problems with the policy.
"I think for the most part, colleges and universities don't want guns on campus," Pelosi said. "It's certain legislators in certain states that feel that there's some type of safety problem and that the only way to solve that is to arm students and faculty"
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