Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) announced Tuesday that Virginia will no longer recognize concealed carry handgun permits from 25 states that have reciprocity agreements with the commonwealth.
Under the policy, Virginians with a history of stalking, drug dealing or inpatient mental-health treatment cannot obtain a permit in a state with comparatively lax laws and carry a handgun legally at home.
Herring said severing the out-of-state agreements can prevent people who may be dangerous or irresponsible from carrying a concealed handgun.
“While you are here, you are subject to the commonwealth’s gun laws,” Herring said in a news conference. The change means Virginia’s standards for obtaining a concealed weapon are applied “evenly, consistently and fairly,” he said.
The move is part of a broader effort by gun control advocates to tighten restrictions without going through GOP-controlled legislatures.
Virginia Republicans reacted angrily to Herring’s action, accusing him of politicizing his office to erode Second Amendment gun rights.
“Unfortunately, I have little doubt as to his true motivations,” Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) said. “Mark Herring consistently seeks to interpret and apply the law of the commonwealth through the lens of his own personal, political opinions. He is damaging the integrity of the office he holds.”
Herring’s action amplified a heated debate in Virginia and around the country in the wake of rampant gun violence. It is also in keeping with his embrace of liberal issues as he seeks a second term.
A former state senator, Herring gained a national profile for refusing to defend Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban and followed up with rulings siding with advocates for abortion rights and immigration reform.
Del. Robert B. Bell III (R-Albemarle), a former state prosecutor, is the only declared Republican challenging him in 2017.
“This is another Washington-style overreach from a nakedly partisan attorney general,” Bell said. “Instead of doing the job he was elected to do, Mark Herring continues to put the political goals of his liberal supporters ahead of sound legal judgement.”
Gun rights advocates have criticized Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Herring and other Democrats for insisting on stronger gun laws after mass shootings in which the assailants obtained their weapons legally or suffered from mental illness.
In October, McAuliffe banned firearms in state buildings, earning a rebuke from the National Rifle Association.
This year, Herring’s office began a review of reciprocity agreements Virginia has with 30 other states. Attorneys discovered that 25 of those states had concealed handgun permit regulations that were weaker than Virginia’s.
“That circumvents and undermines Virginia law,” Herring said. “And it has meant that individuals the General Assembly has specifically disqualified because of their past conduct still have a path to getting a concealed handgun permit.”
The State Police superintendent accepted Herring’s recommendation to sever agreements with those states, effective Feb. 1.
The states are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Agreements will remain with West Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.
The move also means several states will no longer recognize Virginia’s concealed carry permits because they require mutual recognition of permits. Those include Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming.
Virginia law lists 20 conditions that would disqualify a person from being issued a concealed carry handgun permit. They include anyone in the United States illegally, subject to a protection from abuse order, or convicted of various criminal charges from drunken driving to assault and battery.
“Virginia and nearly every other state in the country have recognized that carrying a concealed handgun is a significant responsibility that should be extended only to those who have gone through a process to prove a level of competency and responsibility,” Herring said.
Visitors to Virginia can still obtain a nonresident permit if they meet the standards set forth in the law for residents.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...hp-top-table-main_vaguns-605am:homepage/story
Under the policy, Virginians with a history of stalking, drug dealing or inpatient mental-health treatment cannot obtain a permit in a state with comparatively lax laws and carry a handgun legally at home.
Herring said severing the out-of-state agreements can prevent people who may be dangerous or irresponsible from carrying a concealed handgun.
“While you are here, you are subject to the commonwealth’s gun laws,” Herring said in a news conference. The change means Virginia’s standards for obtaining a concealed weapon are applied “evenly, consistently and fairly,” he said.
The move is part of a broader effort by gun control advocates to tighten restrictions without going through GOP-controlled legislatures.
Virginia Republicans reacted angrily to Herring’s action, accusing him of politicizing his office to erode Second Amendment gun rights.
“Unfortunately, I have little doubt as to his true motivations,” Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) said. “Mark Herring consistently seeks to interpret and apply the law of the commonwealth through the lens of his own personal, political opinions. He is damaging the integrity of the office he holds.”
Herring’s action amplified a heated debate in Virginia and around the country in the wake of rampant gun violence. It is also in keeping with his embrace of liberal issues as he seeks a second term.
A former state senator, Herring gained a national profile for refusing to defend Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban and followed up with rulings siding with advocates for abortion rights and immigration reform.
Del. Robert B. Bell III (R-Albemarle), a former state prosecutor, is the only declared Republican challenging him in 2017.
“This is another Washington-style overreach from a nakedly partisan attorney general,” Bell said. “Instead of doing the job he was elected to do, Mark Herring continues to put the political goals of his liberal supporters ahead of sound legal judgement.”
Gun rights advocates have criticized Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Herring and other Democrats for insisting on stronger gun laws after mass shootings in which the assailants obtained their weapons legally or suffered from mental illness.
In October, McAuliffe banned firearms in state buildings, earning a rebuke from the National Rifle Association.
This year, Herring’s office began a review of reciprocity agreements Virginia has with 30 other states. Attorneys discovered that 25 of those states had concealed handgun permit regulations that were weaker than Virginia’s.
“That circumvents and undermines Virginia law,” Herring said. “And it has meant that individuals the General Assembly has specifically disqualified because of their past conduct still have a path to getting a concealed handgun permit.”
The State Police superintendent accepted Herring’s recommendation to sever agreements with those states, effective Feb. 1.
The states are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Agreements will remain with West Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.
The move also means several states will no longer recognize Virginia’s concealed carry permits because they require mutual recognition of permits. Those include Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming.
Virginia law lists 20 conditions that would disqualify a person from being issued a concealed carry handgun permit. They include anyone in the United States illegally, subject to a protection from abuse order, or convicted of various criminal charges from drunken driving to assault and battery.
“Virginia and nearly every other state in the country have recognized that carrying a concealed handgun is a significant responsibility that should be extended only to those who have gone through a process to prove a level of competency and responsibility,” Herring said.
Visitors to Virginia can still obtain a nonresident permit if they meet the standards set forth in the law for residents.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...hp-top-table-main_vaguns-605am:homepage/story
