WV Poll: Constitutional Carry

A poll is being run in the statejournal.com, asking the following question:

Do you think the legislature should pass the bill that lets people carry a concealed weapon without a permit?

A gun reform bill, SB 347 is waiting to be signed by Governor Tomblin.  It was passed with overwhelming majorities in the West Virginia legislature.  Support was strongly bi-partisan, with 32-2 in favor in the Senate (14 Democrats voting in favor) and 71-29 in the House (20 Democrats voting in favor).

Internet polls measure the ratio of people who have enough interest to participate in the given poll.   Polls that pit second amendment supporters against disarmists routinely show margins of 3-10 to 1 in favor of protecting or restoring second amendment rights.  The largest margin that I have seen was a Florida poll that asked fairly straightforward questions.  It brought out a response in favor of the right to keep and bear arms of a whopping 23-1!  The current poll in West Virginia is running a bit low in those numbers, with 69% in favor of the constitutional carry reform bill, and 31% opposed.

It appears that there is a strong push by Michael Bloomberg's organizations against the bill.  I have been informed that phone banks have been created to pressure Governor Tomblin to veto the bill.  Senator Manchin has issued a statement against the bill.  From statejournal.com:

 U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., issued a news release shortly after the House vote saying he opposed the measure.

“As a law-abiding gun owner, hunter, card-carrying life member of the NRA and Second Amendment advocate, I have always supported a West Virginian's right to bear arms," Manchin said. "There is not one West Virginian whose Second Amendment rights will be infringed without this bill. With the right to bear arms comes the responsibility to use it in a safe and reasonable manner. In West Virginia, we believe in gun sense, which is common sense, and it only makes common sense for concealed carry applicants to receive proper training. I commend the brave legislators who voted no and represented their constituents who know that this is irresponsible."

It is not known  if Governor Tomblin will sign the bill, but it appears to have veto proof majorities in the making.  Governor Tomblin signed a bill requiring confiscated firearm to be sold instead of destroyed, in 2012.    In 2014, he signed a bill that preempts local governments from creating a mishmash of gun laws throughout the state.

For those who wish to see what is happening with the poll here is a link:

Link to the poll

On my browser, the poll is in the middle of the page, about a third of the way down.

Definition of  disarmist 

 ©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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