
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, August 8, 1993                   TAG: 9308080079
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

FEW BOUGHT MORE THAN 1 GUN IN JULY

Eighteen Virginians tried to buy more than one handgun in July, the first month of a new law that limits monthly purchases, state police said.

The one-handgun-per-month law passed by this year's General Assembly allows consumers to buy additional pistols or revolvers if they complete an application form and get it approved by the state police.

State police approved all 18 of the applications. The buyer must specify the type of handgun and offer a legitimate reason for buying it, such as home defense or target shooting.

"The people have been very cooperative and understanding," said Donna Tate, senior supervisor with the firearms transaction center.

If July statistics are any indicator, multiple handgun purchases constitute a tiny fraction of legal firearms sales.

During that month, state police approved 11,738 gun sales phoned in by gun dealers for instant criminal background checks on the customer. Multiple handgun purchases account for roughly 0.15 percent of those purchases.

Opponents of the one-per-month law said that law enforcement officials might use the measure to delay and deter the handgun purchases. Tate said the process of approving forms has been relatively brief.

"We've been turning them over in an average of four hours," she said.

by CNB