Virginia has fallen.

[father-of-five]

“JUST MOVE” (and Why it Doesn’t Work)

Alex Gubenko, Blackwire Media November 8, 2019
Meme contributed by John Rekesius.

Don’t like New Jersey? Just move. On July 27th, 2018, I closed on a house in the Richmond, VIrginia area. My family and I were relocating because I was offered to leave New Jersey by my job.

I was excited to escape the oppressive New Jersey taxes and laws, especially the gun laws.

Some of the first things I did was to apply for my Concealed Handgun Permit, buy some new magazines that I was previously forbidden from buying, and joined the VCDL (Virginia Citizens Defense League.) Life was good and the Virginia firearm owners had nothing to worry about. Right?

May 31, 2019 there was a mass shooting in Virginia Beach and a special session was called for the General Assembly in response.

Members of the VCDL (including myself) as well as the gun control supporters packed the Assembly chamber while the politicians debated the need for more gun control.

At the time the Virginia General Assembly was barely favored toward the right.

The session ended in 90 minutes after the Republicans called for a postponement of voting on any new laws. Crisis averted! We could all sit back and relax...right? Even though Virginia’s governor is a Democrat, we’re safe because the Virginia House and Senate have a Republican majority.

November 5, 2019, Election Day. Basking in the glow of the 2A rally from the previous weekend, I headed out to vote.

The Republicans lost the majority of both the House and Senate for the first time in 26 years.

Wasting no time, Governor Northam announced that he will reintroduce all of the failed gun control bills once the Democrats have taken over the majority. The bills he has at the ready, if passed, would make New Jersey and California seem like the proverbial Wild West that the gun-grabbers are always referencing.

So here we are today.

Threatened with being back in the same situation that I was in before in regards to firearms. What does one do? Just move? When does it end? Let me tell you, it doesn’t.

There are plenty of George Soroses and Michael Bloombergs out there who think they know what’s best for you and are willing to throw money at it until their vision is achieved. Firearm owners of the United States need to change their mindset and behavior.

We cannot sit back in the “free” states pointing at those poor suckers in the ones with mag limits. We cannot just move and expect the free state you’re moving to to stay free.

And we cannot just accept our fate and turn in our guns or bury them in the yard at every whim of those who oppose the Second Amendment. We need to come together.

We need to work as one. You can’t run forever. So what are you going to do? Stop being a spectator and become actively involved in the fight? Or just lay down and accept defeat? I know what I’m going to do. Who’s with me?

EDITOR's NOTE:

Alex Gubenko was born under the thumb of totalitarianism in the Ukraine, where FREEDOM was a prohibited concept.

His family emigrated when he was just 2.

"My family took me out of a communist country and I refuse to sit idly by while people try to turn the US into that!"

A naturalized US citizen and gun owner (funny how THAT seems to always be the case, isn't it?), Gubenko joined the Coalition years ago, and was quite active at Rallies & Protests for GUN RIGHTS. The Editors

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I'm still planning to move back to Pennsylvania, but this article hits home in a really hard way and makes a lot of sense. Thank you.

[icp4life162005]

Poignant.

[ArmyVet]

[Walleye Hunter]

I hope that the hogs go wild and VA sets a fine example for everyone. Right now they're saying that they don't want to take our guns, even though we know better. This could be good for the rest of us.

[wanneroo]

It's a teachable moment. Get involved in your local politics and know what your local rep and senator is up to and get involved in the elections of such people. Or run for office yourself.

I can tell you myself personally until a number of years ago I had no idea who my local reps were and what they were doing, I sure as hell do now because a lot of this stuff is getting pushed through on the state level.

[Yellowfin]

So maybe NOW people will stop just talking among ourselves and start converting the non-gun populous into pro gun? The enemy needs to stop being the only one taking over places that aren't theirs.

[OwnTheRide]

I understand what you're saying. Here's the thing though: States' rights are what matter to me and I don't want to see changes that will lead to a stronger Federal government, whether in the name of fairness of because of how my state leans. I know PA is turning and I already feel like my vote doesn't matter because I'm outnumbered by Democrats locally (being in a suburb of Pittsburgh). I'm eyeing WV as a retirement destination. That's the choice I want: to be able to move to a state where the majority feels the way I do and can protect itself from the Fed's overreach when necessary.

As middlefinger pointed out in post #58, moving to escape gun laws is, at best, a delay. The number of gun-friendly states is shrinking, and once a critical mass is reached, they'll start pushing gun control at the federal level.

States' rights are important, but they should not supercede the rights of the people. The Constitution does not start with "We the states."

[alpacaheat]

The number of gun-friendly states is shrinking

Is it really? The number of states with Constitutional Carry is at an all-time high. 1/3 of the nation now has it.

[lts1ow]

Is it really? The number of states with Constitutional Carry is at an all-time high. 1/3 of the nation now has it.

But do those states have the election power to stem the bleeding of others?

[OwnTheRide]

Is it really? The number of states with Constitutional Carry is at an all-time high. 1/3 of the nation now has it.

Sure seems like it. Colorado is a lot less friendly than it used to be. This thread is all about Virginia going in the wrong direction. Pennsylvania continues its slide into blue territory.

KS, LA, OH, OR, PA, UT, VT, and WA all passed laws to strip firearms from domestic abusers. That may sound good on paper, but such laws are typically carried out without due process.

FL, DE, and WA banned bump stocks.

DE, FL, and VT all passed red flag laws.

FL, LA, OR, TN, VT, and WA enhanced background checks.

SD and WA further restricted concealed carry.

FL, VT, and WA made 21 the minimum age to possess a firearm. FL also added a three-day waiting period for purchases.

That's the tip of the iceberg. I suppose we could argue about whether or not each of those states is/was considered gun-friendly (I'm in PRNY, so they all look pretty damn friendly to me).

It comes down to this: moving to another state to avoid gun laws only solves the problem for the individual, temporarily.