THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 29, 1994 TAG: 9408290054
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
An impending ban on assault weapons has triggered a surge in demand for the guns in some areas of Virginia, but in others shoppers have only questions for gun-store owners.
One frequent query: Exactly which guns will be banned under the new crime bill?
More than one gun-shop owner has been hard-pressed to answer.
``You won't be able to manufacture or import assault weapons and there's a 10-round limit on magazines that'll affect all handguns,'' store manager John Copeland told one of his customers Saturday at DeGoff's Firearms in Mechanicsville.
``You never see anybody get shot with an assault weapon,'' the customer said.
Regardless of the perception, the ban on assault-style weapons is in the crime bill passed Thursday by Congress. Not so definite is exactly what the law will bar from the U.S. market. Or what qualifies as an assault weapon. The bill names 19 weapons, but critics say it really will affect five times that many because of its definitions of assault weapons.
President Clinton is expected to sign the bill after Labor Day. The effective date of the ban hasn't been announced.
Richmond-area gun dealers report no sudden rush to buy guns because of the bill. Assault rifles have been in strong, steady demand and short supply since last year, apparently because of the debate over banning them.
``There's been no surge,'' Copeland said. ``It's been constant for months. bill debate) and thought, `Maybe I ought to buy one while I can.' ''
Elsewhere in Virginia, the impending ban on assault guns did trigger a surge in demand for the guns at some shops but not others.
``What we are seeing right now is a large rush for the handguns that have a magazine capacity above 10 rounds,'' said Robert Marcus, owner of Bob's Gun and Tackle Shop in Norfolk. ``We have laid aside 18 of these type handguns.''
Before picking up the handguns, the customers must obtain a permit from Norfolk police, Marcus said.
Marcus, who is president of the 200-member Virginia Firearms Dealers Association, said he doesn't believe the ban will keep assault guns out of the hands of criminals who want them.
More black market purveyors are likely to fill the demands for the guns and the ``business will be going underground,'' Marcus predicted.
That's also the way manager Dick Owens at On Target gun shop and firing range in Roanoke sees it.
``This is just a political gesture,'' he said of the crime bill ban. ``This is feel-good legislation. People who are heavily engaged in crime are going to obtain these guns no matter what the price on the black market.''
KEYWORDS: HAND GUNS GUN SALES by CNB