Now, VA Democrats Want to BAN Indoor Shooting Ranges
Richard Moorhead
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Indoor shooting ranges are an essential part of America’s Second Amendment tradition. They provide a convenient and safe location for law-abiding citizens to train with and enjoy using firearms peacefully. But in the midst of a massive statewide gun control push, Virginians may soon lose the right to use them.
Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer has proposed new legislation that would outright ban the use of many indoor shooting ranges for civilians in the state. Only law enforcement and military personnel would be able to use governmental indoor shooting ranges.
Shooting at the range is fun. But they don’t belong in populated work places & few are located there. Look no further than @NRA HQs in Fairfax, where a worker was wounded in a negligent discharge, to see that office buildings and ranges don’t mix. https://t.co/Mg32UE0ir0
— Dan Helmer (@HelmerVA) January 9, 2020
The legislation, HB 567, would require all indoor ranges with more than 50 employees in the state to either close or face exorbitant fines that would bankrupt them. The law carves out exemptions for law enforcement, while leaving armed civilians out of options when seeking to train with firearms safely and indoors.
Helmer claims that indoor shooting ranges represent a danger to the public, but there’s little to no reason to believe that they’re any more dangerous than outdoor shooting ranges, which are far less common than the former in many American states.
The National Rifle Association does have a well-stocked indoor shooting range at its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, and it’s possible that Helmer is merely trying to incense the national gun rights
Scandalized Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has spearheaded a comprehensive attack on Virginian gun rights in recent months, and Helmer’s indoor range ban is merely one facet of the Democratic gun control push. Northam has proposed extensive red flag gun confiscation bans and rifle buybacks as part of the anti-gun package.
Many Second Amendment supporters throughout the commonwealth were disturbed when the governor requested funding for a gun confiscation task force in his fiscal year 2020 budget.
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