GRAYSON CO. (WSLS 10) - The Grayson County Board of Supervisors adopts a resolution in response to Attorney General Mark Herring's announcement Virginia will no longer honor concealed gun permits from 25 states.
The board said it's concerned the measure will make Virginians less safe and could have a negative impact on the local economy. The board also points out, several roads from Tennessee and North Carolina cross over Virginia state lines, meaning some may violate the law without knowing it. The board will provide a copy of the signed resolution and present it to Attorney General Herring, Governor Terry McAuliffe, and members of the General Assembly.
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Here is the full release from the Grayson County Board of Supervisors:
On January 14th, 2016, the Grayson County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted an official Resolution in strong opposition to the impending actions to be taken by Attorney General Herring to revoke concealed handgun permit recognition from 25 reciprocal states effective February 1st, 2016.
The Resolution states that the Board's strong opposition to the Attorney General's measures are for logical reasons to include potentially making Virginians less safe and less responsible in exercising their Second Amendment right while traveling outside the Commonwealth. It additionally references the potential negative impact to the local economy from impeding interstate commerce and tourism from bordering North Carolina and Tennessee, the potential for citizens to unknowingly violate the law because of public roads that routinely traverse in and out of contiguous states, and the necessity for Virginians to enter North Carolina and North Carolinians to enter Virginia in order to access their properties that are situated along the southern border of Grayson County and along the northern borders of North Carolina and Tennessee.
"The Board feels that the immediate action taken by Attorney General Herring is not only counterproductive to the primary objective of making Virginias' safer, but does not take into consideration all the potential consequences such actions could have on the border counties' local economies and on the delay lives of citizens who work, shop and visit family across state lines," stated Kenneth Belton, Vice Chair of the Grayson County Board of Supervisors. "Our greater community, our laborshed and our daily commerce does not stop at the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, nor should the rights of law-abiding citizens who choose to legally secure conceal carry permits to protect themselves and their families."
The Resolution states that the Board of Supervisors considers it a responsibility and obligation to help insure the health, safety and welfare of its citizens and all those who find themselves to be within the boundaries of the County of Grayson, Virginia, and feels it is their sworn duty to uphold both the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth. The Resolution also states that the Board feels it equally important to identify, explore and implement ways to effectively reduce gun violence in the Commonwealth and to enhance public safety for both citizens and those who find themselves visiting the Old Dominion.
"We as a Board would take the time to holistically consider the opinions of the law-abiding citizens of Grayson County, our business community, all of our private employers, the small shop owners, our commercial enterprises, as well as our dynamic tourism industry when making such consequential decisions," explained Vice Chair Belton. "We would respectfully request that Attorney General Herring employ the same level of due diligence and logically reach out to Virginia's local elected leaders, the Sheriffs who are constitutionally charged with protecting their constituents, all of Virginia's Clerks of Circuit Courts who are responsible for issuing conceal carry permits, Virginia's tax payers and voters, as well as the 25 states who are directly affected by the decision."
The Board of Supervisors further resolved to share their opposition with their fellow Virginians and encouraged all localities and municipalities in the Commonwealth to consider, by way of the same Resolution, putting forth their official position on this matter. The Board intends to provide a signed copy of the Resolution to Attorney General Herring, Governor McAuliffe, members of the Virginia General Assembly and to the Virginia State Police for their serious consideration.