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Virginia Lawmakers Agree to Bipartisan Compromises on Gun Law, Permit Reciprocity

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Gun owners can add Virginia back to the list of states they can visit, as the state has, for the moment, changed its position on out-of-state reciprocity rights.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has reached a deal with Republican lawmakers regarding the state’s gun regulations. Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s controversial decision last month to do away with reciprocity rights of gun owners in 25 states caused plenty of uproar, and the two groups have since worked to compromise.

Here’s the Deal

Republican lawmakers agreed to terms that would allow the state to take guns away from individuals who were subject to a two-year protective order for domestic violence charges.

In addition, state police must attend all gun shows so they can provide background checks to private sellers upon voluntary request.

In exchange, Governor McAuliffe reversed Herring’s decision to end concealed carry permit reciprocity agreements with 25 states.

In addition, According to The Washington Post, the bill includes “an amendment offered by Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City) that says Virginia will not honor an out-of-state concealed-carry permit held by a person whose Virginia concealed-carry permit was previously revoked — a practice known as ‘state shopping.'”

Here are the Finer Points

  • Gun rights advocates are supportive of the proposed deal, while many gun control advocates are angry at the reversal in Herring’s decision, saying the compromise doesn’t do enough.“The National Rifle Association commends leaders in the commonwealth for moving forward on a bipartisan package that will benefit Virginia citizens,” said Chris Cox, the executive director of NRA’s Institute of Legislative Action.
  • Virginia lawmakers on both sides are congratulating themselves on this bipartisan agreement, calling it a “historic” agreement. They feel that each change is a step in the direction of protecting Virginia’s citizens from those who would use firearms to cause harm.
  • According to the office of the Governor, Governor McAuliffe will also extend the effective date for the planned implementation of the revocation of reciprocity agreements with other states to March 1st.

You can find a more detailed summary by clicking here to visit the website of the office of the Virginia Governor.

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