By Steven Allen Adams
For The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON — The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday that would give young adults younger than 21 the ability to carry concealed firearms without a permit and without training.
House Bill 4106, allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds, passed the House Tuesday morning in an 87-9 vote with three members absent or not voting. The bill now heads to the state Senate.
HB 4106 would grant individuals between the ages of 18 to 20 the right to carry concealed weapons without a permit. The bill repeals the crime of carrying a concealed deadly weapon without a license for the 18-20 age bracket. It repeals specific exceptions previously required for this age group to carry concealed weapons.
HB 4106 clarifies that persons under 18 who unlawfully carry a concealed weapon will be treated as “prohibited persons” if the act would be considered a crime if committed by an adult. While no longer required, 18- to 20-year-olds may still choose to obtain a license (at a fee of $15) to maintain reciprocity with other states.
“Since West Virginia’s been a state, 18-year-olds have been able to carry open carry without a permit,” said Del. Chuck Horst, R-Berkeley. “What this does is this protects them if they put a jacket on while they’re open carrying, turning it into concealed carry. That’s really all this does.”
Supporters of HB 4106 argued that the bill aligns the rights of 18- to 20-year-olds with those of citizens age 21 and older, characterizing the move as a logical extension of existing rights. Some also argued that mandatory handgun training, while beneficial, can be a barrier for those who lack the time or opportunity to attend classes but still wish to exercise their right to self-defense.
“The training is great. My kids went through the training,” said Del. Dave Foggin, R-Wood. “But what if you don’t have time to get the training? What if you don’t have that opportunity? Then you’re in violation.”
“These people already have access to open carry under this current law,” said Del. Josh Holstein, R-Boone. “You’re not putting firearms in the hands of anybody else. It’s just the decision of whether to conceal carry or not, and that’s what we’re discussing here. This isn’t anything … additional to what they already have under current law in West Virginia, just whether they can conceal carry or not.”
House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, spoke against the bill, citing statistics showing the number of suicides by handgun and homicides going up over the last decade.
“I rise in caution on this piece of legislation,” Hornbuckle said. “This is not about the right to bear arms. This is about the process to bear arms, which is a very stark difference … I urge you to proceed with caution because the numbers bear the truth that when we are not cautious, more West Virginians die.”
“We don’t want to infringe on anybody’s constitutional rights, but we need common sense guardrails in order to stop people from hurting themselves or hurting others,” added Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha
In closing, Horst said HB 4106 would not affect the provisions of Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act passed by the Legislature in 2023, which prohibits colleges and universities from banning firearms on campus as long as the owner of the firearm has a valid concealed carry permit or a provisional concealed carry permit for individuals between 18 and 20.
“This would not affect campus carry whatsoever,” Horst said. “The campus carry law specifically states that one must have a permit in order to avail themselves of campus carry. I just wanted to clear that up.”
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