The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation Monday which greatly expands the amount of concealed carry permits allowed in the state. The legislation — widely expected to pass after the announcement of a plan negotiated between the governor’s office, gun rights activists and lobbyists from the National Rifle Association — also bars people subjected to a protective order from legally carrying a weapon.
The new legislation now allows concealed carry permits from every state, with the exception of Vermont, which does not offer any concealed carry permits. It also prohibits people who have had restraining orders filed against them from carrying weapons as well as requiring police officers to be present at gun shows to administer voluntary background checks.
The six bills passed under the legislation — three identical bills in each house — are in direct address to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. Herring recently suspended reciprocity agreements in December for gun owners in 25 states with gun laws his office considered less stringent than Virginia’s. Opposition to these measures drove the NRA to the bargaining table with the governor’s office, from which the compromise resulted.
McAuliffe’s support of the bill has been considered somewhat surprising because he was elected governor as a Democrat in 2013 on a platform of common sense gun regulations and has also carried an F rating from the NRA.
Both legislators who directly represent Charlottesville in the General Assembly — Del. David Toscano (D-Albemarle) and Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) — lauded the work of McAuliffe and Herring in accomplishing legislation regarding gun control but did not express total satisfaction with the bills.
“The NRA has never come to the table before this. Now they are based on Mark Herring’s courageous job. While it’s not exactly what I would have preferred, it’s still historic in that it will keep people safe,” Deeds said. “[The] way I look at it, [gun rights advocates] have been established here, and for the very first time the NRA was at the table negotiating — Attorney General Herring and Gov. McAuliffe deserve the credit for that.”
Toscano said he opposed the bills regarding the reciprocity agreements but was optimistic regarding the bipartisan nature of the agreements.
“The compromise, which is by no means perfect, makes it a little safer for people in Virginia and represents a step forward for gun control advocates,” Toscano said. “It’s a good sign people can come together and compromise on such an emotional issue such as this.”
Some gun safety groups have opposed the legislation. Everytown for Gun Safety, founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, issued a joint statement with the Virginia Chapter of Moms Demand Action — a local offshoot of the organization — criticizing McAuliffe for the reciprocity agreements and for an oversight in bills meant to disarm domestic abusers and those subject to protective orders.
“The [reciprocity] measure makes it easier for Virginians to end-run Commonwealth gun safety laws by getting permits from states with virtually non-existent standards,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, while Senate Bill 49 and House Bill 1391 aim to keep victims of domestic abuse safe, they are written with unclear language.
“Senate Bill 49 and House Bill 139 … leave a dangerous loophole intact by omitting language that would explicitly require domestic abusers to actually surrender their firearms,” the statement reads.
Currently, the University’s policies on gun control are under the authority of the Board of Visitors, which prohibits the carriage of any weapon outside of uniformed officers with certain exceptions such as ROTC training.
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