Capito supports Supreme Court conceal carry permit decision

Jun. 24—Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she supports the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down states' conceal carry permit requirement for firearms.

West Virginia is one of 22 states that have already ended the conceal carry requirement and the Supreme Court decision now paves the way to make it uniform throughout the country.

"I have respect for the Supreme Court," Capito said Thursday during a virtual press briefing from her office, and the decision is related to the "constitutional bounds" of the Second Amendment "so I would agree with this."

"I still do think we need to preserve states' rights, but in this case, the New York case, it was far outpacing the constitutionality of the Second Amendment, so that is why they struck it down."

Capito said the formulations of West Virginia's stance on the issue "are within the bounds of the Legislature."

The Supreme Court decision on Thursday struck down a New York gun law related to restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside a person's residence, saying a requirement for a permit based on certain criteria violates Second Amendment rights. The vote was 6-3, with the minority dissenting made up of Justices considered liberal-leaning.

Other political leaders also showed support for the ruling.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the U.S. Supreme Court made "the correct decision finding that a New York state law placing onerous requirements on concealed carry permits infringes on the right to carry firearms in self-defense."

"Because of this U.S. Supreme Court ruling, New York will no longer be permitted to impose substantial and unconstitutional burdens on the right to bear arms," Morrisey said. "We need to keep our Second Amendment gun rights intact, not only to protect New York citizens but all legitimate gun owners as well."

Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., issued the following statement after the Supreme Court made the decision in the New York case, State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.

"The Second Amendment is part of our Constitution," he said. "It guarantees the right to bear arms, and that right should not be treated with less consideration than the other rights protected by the Constitution. I applaud the Supreme Court for affirming the Second Amendment in its decision today."

However, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, did not agree with the opinion. Virginia has a concealed carry permit requirement.

"I'm frustrated that the Supreme Court has limited states' rights to enact gun safety measures in the wake of mass shooting after mass shooting," Kaine said. "This decision takes away safeguards when we should be working to enact them, and I worry that this ruling will likely compound the damage that the lack of federal action has done."

Capito also on Thursday reiterated her support for the proposed gun and school safety federal legislation, saying she will "definitely" vote for it.

She, along with 13 of her GOP colleagues, on Tuesday evening voted to advance the bill to the Senate floor for debate before a final vote.

Capito said she does not think it needs to be tweaked with amendments.

"It is very important for the American people to see us do something," she said. "It does not take anybody's Second Amendment rights away."

Capito calls the bill, which has provisions for an enhanced mental health focus and school safety "hardening" measures, said the legislation is a "commonsense compromise."

"It was a very collaborative and very open process," she said of the bipartisan effort to craft the bill. "We were all informed about what was going on."

Capito also once again emphasized the bill does not create red flag laws, which allow guns to be taken from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others after a due process. Rather, it offers states money for some form of those laws if they choose or other interventions like drug courts and mental health courts.

The bill also enhances background checks on anyone under 21 who wants to purchase an assault weapon, and those checks will include juvenile records.

On other issues discussed Thursday, Capito:

—Once again expressed her opposition to any federal gas tax pause, which has been proposed by Pres. Joe Biden.

Calling it a "gimmick," she said the savings of 18 cents per gallon would end up not making n "measurable difference" and would hurt federal dollars needed for highway projects.

She also said any rebates or further money handed out from the federal government will only cause inflation to rise even more.

"Spending more federal money is not the solution to the gas problem," she said. "That is ludicrous."

—Praised the progress of the "equal pay for equal play" legislation that she co-sponsored and has now passed through the Commerce Committee.

The bill relates to the Team USA men's and women's soccer teams, which had a huge wage discrepancy with men being paid substantially more than women although the women's team was more successful.

"I am a great advocate of that (equal pay)," she said. "Our teams should be paid equally."

Capito said she is also a sports fan and enjoys playing various sports herself.

—Committed her support to provide needed help to those suffering from Black Lung as the excise tax to help pay for the medical care is set to elapse at the end of the year.

Capito said she has visited Black Lung clinics and is committed to make sure the proper care will be kept in place.

"The excise tax should go back as the same amount as before," she said. "Something will happen by the end of the year ... We will join together and make up any difference there."

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com