Second Amendment Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Lawmakers Discuss Bill That Would Bring Changes To Legislative Auditor’s Office

On this episode of The Legislature Today, the Legislative Auditor is a department under the West Virginia Legislature tasked with auditing offices under the executive branch. There is a bill making its way through the legislature that some say will “defang” the work done by the department while others say the bill strengthens it.

On this episode of The Legislature Today, the Legislative Auditor is a department under the West Virginia Legislature tasked with auditing offices under the executive branch. There is a bill making its way through the legislature that some say will “defang” the work done by the department while others say the bill strengthens it.

Randy Yohe spoke with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and Democratic Party Chairman Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, for perspective on the issue.

In the House, a wide range of bills on third reading included a change in oil and gas property taxes, the sale of raw milk and changing the title of the curator of the Department of Arts, Culture and History. Randy Yohe has more.

In the Senate, the chamber approved 10 bills on third reading covering topics ranging from creating a state Alzheimer’s task force to the James A. Manchin Environmental Action Plan. Briana Heaney has more.

Finally, a group that spends a lot of time at the legislature campaigning for Second Amendment issues was back. Bob Brunner spoke to a representative to find out what they were working on now.

Having trouble viewing the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.

Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Veteran Cemetery Project And America’s Gun Divide On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, a collaborative project is bringing light to the lives of veterans laid to rest at the state’s national cemeteries. Chris Schulz has more.

On this West Virginia Morning, America has roughly 400 million guns in circulation. Forty percent of adults say they have at least one firearm in their home. In our latest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores the foundations of the Second Amendment. There are some cultural and historical beliefs and myths that contribute to our very American divide over guns.

Also, in this show, a collaborative project is bringing light to the lives of veterans laid to rest at the state’s national cemeteries. Chris Schulz has more.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Us & Them Encore: The Gun Divide

At a time when an alarming number of mass shootings continue to happen all over America, the Us & Them team was recently honored with a first place award for best documentary from Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters. In this report, we explore the foundations of the Second Amendment and the cultural and historical beliefs and myths that contribute to our very American divide over guns.

Us & Them was recently honored with a first place award for best documentary from Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters.

Our episode called “The Gun Divide” looks at gun ownership in America, and the way our social, political and racial divisions fuel gun purchases. The year 2020 showed a historic rise in gun violence. Guns killed a record 45,000 people, the majority of them by suicide.

Us & Them host Trey Kay explores the foundations of the Second Amendment and the cultural and historical beliefs and myths that contribute to our very American divide over guns.

Gun ownership is at record levels across the country with 40 percent of adults saying they have at least one firearm in their home. But what rights does the Second Amendment give us?

We’re sharing this award-winning episode with you again, from our archives.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and the CRC Foundation.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.

Don Radcliffe is a pharmacist at Good Family Pharmacy in Pinch, WV. In February 2015, Radcliff shot and killed a masked armed robber from behind the pharmacy counter during a failed robbery. *Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

You can have prescriptions filled at the Good Family Pharmacy in Pinch, WV. They also sell toiletries, vitamins, cosmetics and, as pharmacist Don Radcliff told Us & Them host Trey Kay, they offer customers something a little extra — the pharmacy also sells firearms. This photo shows two of the three gun safes in the pharmacy’s stock room. A stuffed bobcat keeps guard. *Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Danielle Walker served for five years as a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. She recently made history by becoming the first African American to serve as the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia. She is photographed here with *Us & Them* host Trey Kay. Walker reluctantly bought a firearm after receiving death threats. She says these threats started in 2020 after she attended a Black Lives Matter rally in Kingwood, WV. *Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

In the United States, Black Americans are 10 times more likely to die from gun violence than white Americans. The number goes up for Black children and teens — who are 14 times more likely than white children to die from a gunshot. The small state of West Virginia reveals similar disparities. Data show Black West Virginians are victims of gun homicide at 5 times the rate of white West Virginians. Across the state each year, an average of nearly one person a day is killed by guns. Reverend Matthew Watts has been a pastor at Grace Bible Church on Charleston’s West Side for more than three decades. He also lives in the community, and tries to bring attention to its struggles. *Credit: Grace Bible Church*

Jim McJunkin is a retired pediatrician in Charleston, WV. He now spends much of his time as an unpaid legislative representative for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. That’s a program launched ten years ago after Sandy Hook — the mass shooting of school children in Newtown, CT. The group is an arm of Everytown, a national organization devoted to stopping gun violence. He is pictured here with Deanna McKinney, a mother whose son was shot and killed on the front porch of her home on Charleston’s West Side. *Credit: James McJunkin*

Historian Jennifer Tucker specializes in the history of industrialization, science and law. Tucker recently launched the Center for the Study of Guns and Society at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. *Courtesy Photo*

Darrell Miller is a Duke University law professor and co-founder of the Duke Center for Firearms Law. He writes and teaches in the areas of civil rights, constitutional law, civil procedure, state and local government law, and legal history. His scholarship on the Second and Thirteenth Amendments has been published in leading law reviews such as the Yale Law Journal, the University of Chicago Law Review, and the Columbia Law Review, and has been cited by the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeals, the United States District Courts, and in congressional testimony and legal briefs. *Credit: Duke Law*

*Us & Them* host Trey Kay practicing his shooting with friends in Bath County, VA. *Credit: Christopher Kay*

Justice Signs Senate Bill 10, The Campus Carry Act

Proponents say this law strengthens Second Amendment protections in West Virginia. But SB10 comes with many questions about implementation and concerns about the limitations on the new self-defense safeguards coming into place.

Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 10, The Campus Self-Defense Act, into law on Wednesday.

The new law authorizes the carrying of concealed pistols or revolvers under certain circumstances and in certain areas on the grounds of an institution of higher education. It prohibits firearms in numerous campus settings including stadiums, on-campus daycare, individual office settings, disciplinary hearings, and dormitory rooms, with concealed carry allowed in dorm public rooms like study halls and lounges

National Rifle Association State Legislative Action Director Art Thomm was the bill signing event host, delivering a very pointed introduction.

“This is a big day not only for West Virginians, but for law-abiding gun owners across the country who may choose West Virginia for employment or higher education,” Thomm said. “Threats to personal safety don’t disappear once you step on campus. Criminals do not abide by gun free zones. We have the most pro-gun governor West Virginia has seen in a very long time.”

West Virginia Citizens Defense league members also packed the room. The governor told them he hoped this would not be the only answer to solving the campus shooting crisis.

“But absolutely, without a question when that situation happens, if we have gun-free areas, to where there’s no way we can defend ourselves, then it seems like those are the targets that are targeted many, many, many times,” Justice said.

Two of the 88 republicans in the House voted against Senate Bill 10, Speaker Roger Hanshaw and Del. Erikka Storch, R-Ohio. Storch said she made her decision by listening to her constituents and her family.

“I have a 25, 23 and 17 year old and like I said, it was really outreach from my constituents. Nobody really thought it was going to do anything to advance the state,” Storch said. “I don’t think people are looking at West Virginia for their higher education opportunities on the basis of if they can bring guns, if they can’t bring guns, it just seems unnecessary. And we’re just, I don’t want to say necessarily catering to the gun lobby but that was another issue that they wanted to get across the finish line.”

Following the signing, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee, one of many state campus leaders opposed to campus carry, said in a statement he will create a new Campus Safety Group which will make recommendations relating to overall campus safety.

“I know this legislation leaves many feeling uncomfortable and brings forward many questions. Some may be unsure of their safety and well-being. Others may feel relief. We all have several questions as to how this will be implemented on our campuses,” Gee said in the statement. “We have opposed this type of legislation many times in recent years, firmly believing that local control is the best path forward. We reiterated this to lawmakers on multiple occasions again this year. However, now that this bill has been signed into law, we must come together as a community and work through the implications as it relates to the overall safety of our campuses.”

Del. Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, said there will be a need to increase monitoring and counseling on campuses, given concerns over mounting student mental health and suicide issues.

“They’re going to have to figure out ways and get resources which they might have to come to us for, for mental health,” Hornbuckle said. “Making sure that we are protecting each and every student, and we’re addressing things before they ever get to a tragic standpoint.”

Testimony in committee and on the House floor noted it would cost WVU about $300,000 to fund campus carry security requirements even more for smaller colleges and universities. Storch said there was no funding in the bill.

“We’re not increasing their budget line items to give them any more money to deal with, to keep out of the safe places where guns aren’t permitted, to come up with the devices for them to secure them in their dorm rooms,” Storch said.

Just before putting pen to paper, Justice said the Campus Self-Defense Act evens a potentially deadly playing field.

“Does anybody here not think that has a brain in your head, that just because we don’t have this campus carry, that people can’t bring guns on our campuses,” Justice said. “I mean, for crying out loud, the doors are wide open. This is just saying the law-abiding people have a right to be able to carry if they choose to do so.”

West Virginia joins 11 states in allowing campus carry. The law goes into effect on July 1, 2024.

Us & Them: The Gun Divide

We explore the foundations of the Second Amendment and the cultural and historical beliefs and myths that contribute to our very American divide over guns.

America has roughly 400 million guns in circulation. Our divisions – social, political and racial – and our fear of those differences fuel even more gun purchases. 2020 showed a historic rise in gun violence. Guns killed a record 45,000 people, the majority of them by suicide.

In this episode of Us & Them we explore the foundations of the Second Amendment and the cultural and historical beliefs and myths that contribute to our very American divide over guns.

Gun ownership is at record levels across the country with 40 percent of adults saying they have at least one firearm in their home. But what rights does the Second Amendment give us? And what happens if our collective arsenal intersects with our widespread distrust of our institutions, our government, and each other?

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and the CRC Foundation.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.

Danielle Walker is a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. She is the only African American woman in the West Virginia State Legislature. She is photographed here with Us & Them host Trey Kay. Delegate Walker reluctantly bought a firearm after receiving death threats. She says these threats started in 2020, after she attended a Black Lives Matter rally in Kingwood, WV.

Us & Them host Trey Kay practicing his shooting with friends in Bath County, VA.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment Reinforcing Gun Rights Clears West Virginia Senate

The West Virginia Senate has adopted a proposed constitutional amendment that would prevent counties and municipalities from passing legislation concerning firearms, ammunition or accessories that conflicts with or is more restrictive than state law.

As Senate Joint Resolution 1 headed for a vote Wednesday, lawmakers debated the idea of balancing the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms with public safety. That conversation kicked off as Senate Judiciary Chair Charles Trump, R-Morgan, explained an amendment he had offered to the resolution.

Trump told fellow senators that the measure had seen changes since leaving his committee that brought about concerns.

He said the introduced version of Senate Joint Resolution 1 — which was reinstated by the Finance Committee last week — could prohibit any kind of restriction of firearms in the state, including anything passed by the Legislature.

Lawmakers adopted Trump’s amendment, pulling back from a version of the resolution he called “too broad.”

While speaking on the floor, Sen. William Ihlenfeld, D-Ohio, acknowledged that he would likely be the only person to oppose Senate Joint Resolution 1. He argued that, while he supports the Second Amendment, localities have different needs in terms of regulating firearms when it comes to public safety.

“Martinsburg is different than Matewan. There’s a lot that goes on over in the Eastern Panhandle that doesn’t happen in any other part of the state. There is the influence of Baltimore and the D.C. metro area that kind of floods over into that part of the state that’s much different than the rural parts of West Virginia,” Ihlenfeld said. “Weirton is different than Welch — and I hate to take away the ability of local officials to address issues of public safety.”

Sen. Robert Karnes, R-Randolph, spoke in favor of the resolution. He called the right to bear arms “a basic human right.”

“A local community simply does not have — in any reading of the natural rights of man — the ability to restrict those rights,” Karnes said. “So this is a good approach to say we are not going to allow local communities to infringe on human rights and to restate that in our Constitution.”

In closing debate on Senate Joint Resolution 1, Trump said local control is necessary on many issues, but not when it comes to constitutional rights.

“It is the same as the right of free speech, the right of the free press, the right to practice religion of a person’s choosing,” Trump said. “On none of those, Mr. President, would I think it would ever be appropriate to have a city or a county have the ability to pass an ordinance to restrict the right.”

Lawmakers in the upper chamber adopted Senate Joint Resolution 1 Wednesday on a 33-1 vote, with Ihlenfeld the only vote in opposition.

With Wednesday known as “Crossover Day,” the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 1 came just ahead of a strict legislative deadline for bills and joint resolutions to clear their chamber of origin.

As a proposed state constitutional amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 1 requires a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and House before being placed on the ballot in November 2022 for the general public to ratify the change to the West Virginia Constitution.