THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 12, 1995 TAG: 9507120571
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARA STANLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
Shirley Price has never fired a gun.
But the 33-year-old Virginia Beach woman on Tuesday applied for a concealed-handgun permit. She said she was being bothered by neighbors.
``I've been harassed the last 10 days, and I'm sick of it,'' Price said. ``I just want them to leave me alone.''
Price was told, however, that Virginia Beach Circuit Court judges were requiring firearms training before permits are granted.
The new law gives judges the discretion to require this training. Those in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News and now Portsmouth have said they also will exercise that option.
There has been a surge of applicants under the new law, which allows gun permits to be granted virtually to any law-abiding Virginia resident, according to court clerks.
On Tuesday, in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, many of the applicants said they had never had firearms training. Almost all wanted a gun for protection.
Because of Hampton Roads' heavy military population, many applicants will be exempt from the law's training requirements.
Richard Otto, 33, who applied for a permit in Virginia Beach, won't have to prove his competency with a firearm because he did so in the Navy.
Those who served as security guards or police officers are also exempt.
``I've been robbed once, and I've been broken into twice,'' Otto said.
Toni Menz, a deputy court clerk in Norfolk, said people don't realize the law's ramifications.
``What they don't know is they need proof of competency with a gun,'' she said.
Law guidelines aren't explicit about how extensive firearms training should be.
``There is nowhere in the law that says what the course has to cover,'' said Ed Morningstar, a firearms instructor at A&P Arms in Virginia Beach. ``I'm scared to death that down the line that someone is going to shoot someone, and I'm going to be dragged into court and held liable.''
Morningstar, who is certified as an instructor by the state Department of Criminal Justice Services, said that is why he has written a plan for his classes.
Each includes two hours of classroom instruction on safety and gun laws and one hour of target practice.
``If you can't shoot this target,'' he said, ``I'm not going to put my name on that certificate.''
Classes sponsored by the National Rifle Association or taught by instructors certified by the NRA or the state Department of Criminal Justice Services qualify for certification.
Hunter-education courses sponsored by the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries also qualify.
People who had concealed-weapons permits under the old law are not required to have training.
``I have to say there isn't a mandatory curriculum,'' said Robert Marcus, owner of Bob's Gun and Tackle Shop in Norfolk.
He said instructors there teach everything from cleaning and transporting to proper breathing when aiming.
Some classes, like Morningstar's, or those at Bob's Gun and Tackle, are three hours long. NRA classes can last up to 16 hours.
``Some of those courses are totally ridiculous,'' said Alice Mountjoy, president of Virginians Against Handgun Violence.
``There are sheer numbers of people who are doing this (applying for a permit) for convenience. If they are going to have to take a class, and a two-hour class is offered, they are going to take that one.
``As much as we try to make these classes standardized, that's not the case,'' Mountjoy said. ``I would like to see that it is not only about shooting straight, but about safety and readiness.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Wilbur Patterson fills out paperwork and signs applications for a
concealed-weapons permit in Virginia Beach. Under the new state law,
judges can require applicants to have firearms training before
permits will be issued.
Graphic
MORE TRAINING
To contact the National Rifle Association in Fairfax for
information about firearms training, call 703-267-3999.
For information from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in
Richmond, call 804-367-9369.
KEYWORDS: GUN CONTROL LAWS VIRGINIA by CNB