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NRA DEFEAT: Everytown for Gun Safety and West Virginia Moms Applaud Governor Tomblin’s Veto of Dangerous Gun Legislation Pushed by Gun Lobby

3.20.2015

Charleston, West Virginia – Everytown for Gun Safety and the West Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America applaud and thank Governor Tomblin for his veto of S.B. 347—legislation pushed by the NRA that would have dismantled West Virginia’s concealed carry permitting system by allowing people to carry concealed, loaded guns in public with no permit and no training required.

“After years of operating in state legislatures unchecked, the NRA’s agenda of putting gun lobby interests above the safety of our communities is now being defeated in state after state, and today, here in West Virginia,” said Dee Price, a volunteer with the West Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “It’s just common sense that if a person wants to carry a loaded, hidden handgun in public they need to demonstrate they have a clean recent violent criminal record and have been trained to handle and carry a gun safely. Governor Tomblin listened to the strong law enforcement opposition to this bill and to the 83 percent of West Virginians who support the current permit system. Thanks to Governor Tomblin’s leadership—common sense won in West Virginia today.”

Last week, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and the West Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action released a new bipartisan poll, available here, that finds 83 percent of likely voters in West Virginia – including 81 percent of gun owners – favor requiring permits to carry a concealed handgun in public in West Virginia. The poll also revealed that 50 percent of West Virginia voters are less likely to vote for a candidate who supported a repeal of permitting requirements like SB 347.

In addition to releasing the poll, in efforts to raise awareness about the dangerous bill, mail pieces targeting both parties hit mailboxes along with a days long digital ad buy in the Charleston area that focused on the widespread opposition in West Virginia to SB 347.