State of the Gun

Open vs. concealed carry: What's the difference?

Mark.Edelen — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:49:17 -0500

OPEN CARRY Virginia does not require a permit to "open carry." Anyone 18 or older who can legally own a gun can carry it loaded in public as long as the gun is holstered and visible. Guns are OK in a vehicle as well, as long as they are placed in plain view on the dashboard or seat. CONCEALED CARRY

Gun-rights supporters are tired of being typecast, leader says

Mark.Edelen — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:14:33 -0500

He is called unflattering names by the other side: Gun nut. Zealot. Paranoid. In person, Phil ip Van Cleave doesn't seem to fit the part. At 55, he's a slim, silver-haired, soft-spoken computer programmer who runs his own software company out of his home in Midlothian.

Caught in an arms race, Virginians pack more guns

Mark.Edelen — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:53:45 -0500

A year ago, it would have been unthinkable.
A chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus has taken up residence at Virginia Tech. Membership after just one month: 110.
Before Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people, the idea of condoning guns on campus "never had a chance," said Ken Stanton, a doctoral student and leader of the new chapter.

Did you know ...? More history and trivia on guns

Mark.Edelen — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:01:17 -0500

Machine guns may be owned by a private citizen so long as the buyer passes a background check, files required paperwork, pays a $200 tax and obtains a signature from the local police chief. According to the ATF, most are owned by collectors. Machine guns in private hands locally: Chesapeake - 60 Norfolk - 108 Portsmouth - 59 Suffolk - 16 Virginia Beach - 459

Graphic: Guns, Virginia's deadly export

Mark.Edelen — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:41:29 -0500

Special report: State of the Gun

Project Exile flexes federal muscle at gun crime

Mark.Edelen — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:20:08 -0500

Last month, when Suffolk gang leader Willie "Bang 'Em Up" Waters was convicted of fatally shooting a 14-year-old girl, he was already on the hook for 21 years of federal time - courtesy of Project Exile.

As street values rise, gun thieves get bolder

Mark.Edelen — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:47:18 -0500

Most of us know the gun debate as a war of words - a battle of sound bites between this side and that.
The real front lines are on the streets, where good guns try to hold back the bad ones, and no one takes the time to hold rallies, give speeches or argue about the Second Amendment.
There, the struggle is as intense as ever.

Did you know ...? History and trivia on guns

Mark.Edelen — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:48:01 -0500

Virginians have had their weapons confiscated before. Worried after Patrick Henry's "give me liberty or give me death" speech, the governor, Lord Dunmore, sent royal marines on a secret mission to take the gunpowder stored in the magazine at Williamsburg. On the night of April 20, 1775, the marines got away with 15 half-barrels of powder before being discovered.

How the U.S., Virginia and other states compare on gun laws

Mark.Edelen — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:44:17 -0500

Virginia's approach to gun sales has earned it a reputation for having lax laws. In reality, Virginia's firearms rules are not that different from most other states - especially in the South.

Newspapers take heat for gun sales in classifieds

Mark.Edelen — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:36:51 -0500

Gun shows aren't alone in facing criticism over a loophole. Newspapers also have been targeted for running classified ads for firearms.