By RUSTY MARKS
The State Journal
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate on Thursday, Feb. 9 introduced separate bills aimed at heading off restrictions of firearms.
Delegate Michael Folk, R-Berkeley, and Delegate Cindy Frich, R-Monongalia, introduced a bill that would effectively make invalid or unenforceable any future federal or local statutes further restricting the ownership, carrying or use of firearms.
“All federal and local statutes, ordinances, laws, orders, rules, or any other actions which attempt to restrict, tax or regulate the possession, use, discharge in lawful self-defense, transportation, purchase, acquisition, sale, transfer, ownership, carrying, manufacture or repair of firearms, firearms accessories and ammunition violate the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and Section twenty-two, Article III of the State of West Virginia,” the proposed legislation reads.
House members have introduced similar bills in past years, but the measures never made it out of committee and to the floor for a vote.
The bill was referred to the House judiciary and finance committees.
Also Thursday, Sens. Charles Trump, R-Morgan, Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, and Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, introduced a bill to prohibit county park officials from banning firearms in county parks. The bill arose because officials at Coonskin Park in Charleston banned the carrying of firearms in the park, but other county park boards did not ban guns.
A similar bill passed both the Senate and the House last legislative session, but was vetoed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.
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