Virginia Severs Concealed Carry Agreements With 25 States

Attorney General Mark Herring – a Democrat – said yesterday that beginning next year Virginia will no longer recognize out-of-state handgun permits that were granted in 25 other states.

But if you live in Virginia and are part of the 420,000 people who have a concealed handgun permit, you could be impacted you if you travel to Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wyoming.

“In his announcement, the attorney general has not pointed to a single crime committed by an out-of-state concealed weapons permit holder legally carrying in Virginia under the reciprocity agreement; not one”, Obenshain said, adding that the state police said that they are not aware of any such cases either.

Herring said 25 states had policies that didn’t meet the standards of Virginia’s own concealed-carry laws, which disqualify those receiving court-ordered mental health treatment or those subject to a restraining order, among 18 other restrictions.

Herring’s decision on reciprocity appears based on the standards Virginia and other states set for who should be allowed to carry a concealed gun – not the process applicants must use to seek the permit.

West Virginia has full reciprocity agreements with 32 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. Visitors from other states will need to obtain a nonresident permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Basically, laws in those states say if you don’t let us bring our guns then you can’t bring yours.

Denney suspects the changes could be used as justification from Herring and others in Virginia that North Carolina’s regulations on concealed handgun permits are now weaker. Those states all require mutual reciprocity.

“This decision is both risky and shameful”, said Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. However, Virginia has chosen to maintain its reciprocity agreement with West Virginia.

Mark Herring, attorney general for the state of Virginia.

He said it’s a common sense step that will help keep concealed weapons out of the hands of risky and irresponsible people. “Those standards should be applied, evenly, consistently and fairly to anyone who wants to lawfully hide a handgun in Virginia”.

“It is evident that this is nothing more than liberal window dressing and political payback for the millions of dollars former New York Mayor (Michael) Bloomburg has pumped into the campaigns of Virginia Democrats, including that of the attorney general, over the past two and a half years”, Obenshain said. In April, McAuliffe vetoed three bills aimed at easing gun laws.

And Ramsey says Virginia’s proposal would have consequences. “I don’t know if that’s possible, but you never know until you try”.