THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260560
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Circuit Court Judge Thomas S. Shadrick is not waiting for a stampede by gun-permit applicants when a new, more liberal concealed-weapon law goes into effect July 1.
For weeks, he has been issuing the permits to spare court workers the strain when the new statute become effective.
``We have a limited staff in the Circuit Courts office, and we have to be able to handle the large volume,'' Shadrick said Thursday. ``That's why we've been phasing this in.''
Court records indicate Shadrick was correct to anticipate a surge. The number of applications has been steadily increasing since the beginning of the year.
In January, 23 people applied. In February there were 49; March, 51; and April, 95. This month Shadrick considered 101 applications. Only one was denied.
``That's an awful lot of work for one secretary to do,'' he said. ``. . . We have to be prepared for it.''
There are nine Circuit Court judges in Virginia Beach, with three secretaries divided among them, but only one secretary handles permit requests.
The judges rotate every nine weeks as duty judge. The duty judge handles gun-permit applications, other requests, motions and injunctions.
Beginning July 1, the duty judge will be the sole person processing requests for the gun permits.
``We used to handle them once a month,'' he said. ``Now people can come in on a daily basis.''
The new law takes away virtually all discretion in the issuance of the two-year permits. Applicants no longer have to appear for court hearings, and court personnel may have to rely on the applicant's statements in some of the categories.
Applicants can be turned down only if they have been convicted of certain crimes, have been treated for mental disorders in the past five years, live in the country illegally, were discharged dishonorably from the military or have been placed under a restraining order.
Local sheriffs or prosecutors, however, can deny applicants who appear likely to use a gun illegally or endanger others. Applicants must also be trained in firearms use.
The General Assembly approved the bill by a wide margin April 6, and Gov. George Allen signed it into law earlier this month.
Virginia Beach, the largest city in the state, expected a high number of applicants, Shadrick said. Smaller localities probably would not have as a high a demand.
Rather than requesting an additional employee to handle the applications, Shadrick said the court has been setting up a computer program to help process the load.
``In anticipation we have started implementing the new procedure,'' he said. ``Hopefully it's giving us the opportunity to work out any wrinkles we might have.''
The permits had been issued to law-abiding citizens 21 or older. In the past, permits were denied if the judge did not see them displaying good character or if they did not demonstrate a need to carry a hidden gun.
KEYWORDS: GUN PERMITS HANDGUN LAWS by CNB