THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 23, 1995 TAG: 9502230351
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Two years after limiting handgun purchases to one a month, the Virginia General Assembly on Wednesday turned its back on gun control advocates by making it easier to carry concealed handguns.
The House of Delegates voted 69-29 to approve a Senate bill that would require circuit judges to grant concealed-handgun permits unless the applicant has been convicted of certain crimes or has a history of mental problems.
If the Senate agrees to a series of House amendments, the bill will advance to the desk of Gov. George F. Allen, who favors loosening requirements for concealed weapons permits.
The measure's success in the House was never in doubt Wednesday despite a debate that lasted more than three hours and the presence of gun control advocate Jim Brady on the House floor.
Brady, a former White House press secretary who was paralyzed in a 1981 assassination attempt on then President Reagan, is the namesake of national gun control legislation enacted last year.
``It would be a shame to see ya'll backslide,'' Brady told reporters during a break in the debate. ``If packing a piece would make us safer, we'd be the safest country on this planet. We're already up to our eyelashes with guns.''
Under the bill, circuit judges no longer could decide whether someone has demonstrated a need for a concealed weapon.
The license would be automatic unless the applicant was disqualified by certain factors. Those factors include a felony conviction or institutionalization for mental problems in the past five years and conviction for a variety of alcohol-related offenses, such as drunken driving.
Proponents argued that some circuit judges arbitrarily deny law-abiding people a chance to get on equal footing with criminals who carry guns illegally.
Del. W. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville, noted that people in threatening situations cannot always count on a swift police response and must rely on the ``self-help'' of a concealed handgun.
Supporters turned back efforts by urban lawmakers to give cities the option of imposing additional qualifications for concealed weapons permits or to raise the minimum qualifying age from 21 to 25.
``The scariest folks we see on the street each day are the young folks,'' said Del. Kenneth R. Melvin, D-Portsmouth. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS color photo
James Brady, right, lobbied in Richmond against loosening
gun-control laws.
KEYWORDS: GUN CONTROL HANDGUN GENERAL ASSEMBLY by CNB