WEST virginia Legislature
2017 regular session
By
[
to the Committee on the Judiciary.
A BILL amend and reenact §61-6-19
of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to permitting persons
who have been issued state licenses to carry concealed deadly weapons to carry
those weapons on the grounds of the State Capitol Complex, except for the third
and fourth floors of the east wing of Building One.
Be it enacted by the
Legislature of West Virginia:
That §61-6-19 of the
Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 6. CRIMES
AGAINST THE PEACE.
§61-6-19. Willful
disruption of governmental processes; offenses occurring at State Capitol
Complex; penalties.
(a) If any person willfully
interrupts or molests the orderly and peaceful process of any department,
division, agency or branch of state government or of its political
subdivisions, he or she is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not more than $100, or confined in jail not more than
six months, or both fined and confined: Provided, That any assembly in a
peaceable, lawful and orderly manner for a redress of grievances shall not
be are not a violation of this section.
(b) It is unlawful for any
person to bring upon the State Capitol Complex any weapon as defined in section
two, article seven of this chapter: Provided, That a person who holds
a valid, current concealed weapons permit issued by a sheriff of this state or
the appropriate authority of another jurisdiction may keep a firearm in his or
her motor vehicle upon the state Capitol Complex if the vehicle is locked and the
weapon is out of normal view this prohibition does not apply to
individuals who have been issued state licenses to carry concealed deadly
weapons pursuant to section four, article seven of this chapter, but this
exception does not apply to the third and fourth floors of the east wing of
Building One of the State Capitol Complex. It is unlawful for any person to
willfully deface any trees, wall, floor, stairs, ceiling, column, statue,
monument, structure, surface, artwork or adornment in the State Capitol
Complex. It is unlawful for any person or persons to willfully block or
otherwise willfully obstruct any public access, stair or elevator in the State
Capitol Complex after being asked by a law-enforcement officer acting in his or
her official capacity to desist: Provided, That, in order to preserve
the Constitutional right of the people to assemble, it is not willful blocking
or willful obstruction for persons gathered in a group or crowd if the persons
move to the side or part to allow other persons to pass by the group or crowd
to gain ingress or egress: Provided, however, That this subsection does
not apply to a law-enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity.
Any person who violates
this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall
be fined not less than $100 or confined in jail not more than six months, or
both fined and confined.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is
to permit persons who have been issued state licenses to carry concealed deadly
weapons to carry those weapons on the grounds of the State Capitol Complex,
except for the third and fourth floors of the east wing of Building One.
Strike-throughs indicate language
that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring
indicates new language that would be added.