Va. Legislature loads up on gun-rights initiatives

RICHMOND

Gun-rights advocates are poised to win a marquee victory in the Virginia General Assembly, perhaps as early as today, with the potential repeal of the state’s one-handgun-a-month limit.

Overturning Virginia’s two-decade-old restriction on pistol purchases has long been a high priority of gun enthusiasts, and the repeal effort has grabbed the spotlight in an Assembly session widely seen as the most gun-friendly in years.

That, however, is only the beginning.

While the one-gun-a-month repeal has been attracting the headlines, more than two dozen pro-gun measures have been quietly marinating in the legislative stew.

Longtime Assembly observers say it’s the biggest outpouring of gun bills in recent memory, prompted by the 2011 election in which Republicans wrested control of the state Senate from Democrats, putting both branches of the legislature and the Governor’s Mansion in GOP hands.

Among the measures awaiting consideration is HB139, submitted by Del. Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania County, which would allow any lawful owner of a firearm to carry it concealed without a permit.

If enacted, the bill would essentially render moot the state’s longtime policy of allowing concealed handguns only with a permit. Under existing law, permit applicants must be at least 21 and must apply in writing, under oath, to the clerk of the local circuit court. Before issuing a permit, the court consults with the local sheriff or police department, which runs a criminal background check on the applicant. The permit is good for five years.

To accommodate those who want to take a concealed gun into another state that has a reciprocal agreement with Virginia, Cole’s bill would leave the permit system in place.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League, said enactment of the “constitutional carry” bill is high on his group’s wish list. “Four states have already done it, and it’s working fine.”

That measure hasn’t received scrutiny by a committee yet. But another of the group’s high-priority bills is well on its way to enactment: SB67, submitted by Sen. William Stanley Jr., R-Franklin County, would prohibit localities from requiring fingerprints with applications for concealed-handgun permits.

Current law allows localities, at their option, to require fingerprints, which are sent to the FBI in connection with the criminal background check. The prints are compared against a national database of criminal investigations.

About one-third of Virginia localities require fingerprints, according to Van Cleave. “It’s expensive and unnecessary,” he said.

Stanley’s bill was passed by the Senate last week, 26-14. A companion measure, HB754, is on its way to the House floor.

The one-handgun-a-month repeal bill (HB940, SB323) has cleared the House and has won preliminary approval in the Senate. Gov. Bob McDonnell has said he will sign it, revoking one of the signature initiatives of former Gov. Doug Wilder.

Proponents of repeal say the restriction on pistol purchases has outlived its usefulness, rendered moot by today’s national system of criminal background checks for gun buyers. Defenders of the current law say repeal would return Virginia to the days when it was known as one of the East Coast’s leading havens for illegal gun trafficking.

“We’re saying to the traffickers, ‘Come on in, back your truck up to the door and take all you want,’ ” said Andrew Goddard, president of the Virginia Center for Public Safety, a gun-control group. His son Colin was wounded in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

Among other pro-gun bills in the legislative queue is HB375, which would prohibit localities from adopting workplace rules that prevent employees from keeping firearms and ammunition in a locked vehicle at work. The measure has passed the House and has advanced to the Senate.

Proponents of the bill said localities must be stopped from infringing on workers’ Second Amendment rights. Opponents drew grim scenarios of disgruntled employees snapping and shooting up the workplace.

Then there is SB663, which overlaps with another contentious debate in this Assembly session, over voter identification requirements. The measure would add concealed-handgun permits to the acceptable forms of identification that can be presented at the polls.

Derided by Goddard as “utter pandering,” the bill has won preliminary approval in the Senate.

Still awaiting committee action in the House are these:

- HB91 would allow college professors with concealed-handgun permits to carry their guns on campus, overriding gun bans in place at most state colleges and universities.

- HB859 would exempt concealed-handgun permit holders from the state criminal background check required of firearm purchasers.

- HB1052 would repeal the prohibition on carrying firearms and other weapons in airport terminals.

A few pro-gun measures have failed to advance.

An initiative (HB237, SB612) to limit the state criminal background check to handguns only, exempting rifles and shotguns, has been carried over to the 2013 Assembly session.

So has SB324, which would pre-empt any administrative restriction on firearms without express authority from the legislature. If passed, that measure would nullify the current college and university gun bans. It remains a top-tier objective of gun-rights groups.

“We’re not going to give up on that,” Van Cleave said.

Bill Sizemore, 804-697-1560, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com