In a startling move, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced on December 22 that Virginia will sever concealed handgun permit (CHP) reciprocity ties with 25 of 30 states. In particular, this will affect many Midsouth Shooters Supply customers who reside in Tennessee and other states bordering the Commonwealth.
Speaking about this audit and update, Attorney General Herring said, “Virginia, and nearly every other state in the country, have recognized that carrying a concealed handgun is a significant responsibility that should be extended only to those who have gone through a process to prove a level of competency and responsibility.”
Early next year, Virginia will no longer honor carry permits from the following states:
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
“The standards for proving competency and responsibility are up to each state,” Herring said, “and the General Assembly has established Virginia’s standards for whom it considers capable of safely carrying a concealed handgun. Those standards should be applied evenly, consistently, and fairly to anyone who wants to lawfully conceal a handgun in Virginia.
Herring added, “Under state law, the Virginia State Police can agree to recognize permits issued in another state if that state’s laws, disqualifiers, and safeguards are adequate to prevent possession of a permit by persons who would be denied a permit in the Commonwealth. For much of the last year, my team and I have worked with the Virginia State Police to conduct an audit and update of the states whose permits are recognized in Virginia. This has been a deliberate, thorough, professional review of the states which supposedly meet or exceed Virginia’s standards.”
The following permits will continue to be recognized: West Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.
The move also means several states will no longer recognize Virginia’s concealed carry permits because they require mutual recognition of permits. Those include Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming.
Border towns in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Maryland will be hardest hit, such as in Downtown Bristol, which sits on the Virginia/Tennessee state line. State Street in Bristol divides the city into Virginia and Tennessee sections. Soon, that could mean gun-carrying residents on the south side of the street in Tennessee become criminals on the north side in Virginia.
Members of the Virginia House of Delegates criticized the actions of Attorney General Herring.
“The House of Delegates will immediately begin a careful review of the Attorney General’s findings,” said Speaker William J. Howell of Stafford. “Unfortunately, I have little doubt as to his true motivations. He is damaging the integrity of the office he holds.”
“This is another Washington-style overreach from a nakedly partisan attorney general,” said Delegate Rob Bell (R-Albemarle). “The attorney general’s job is to faithfully interpret and enforce the law of the Commonwealth. Virginians who have concealed carry permits may lose the ability to protect themselves when traveling in 25 states. Instead of doing the job he was elected to do, Mark Herring continues to put the political goals of his liberal supporters ahead of sound legal judgement.”
Speaking about today’s announcement, Deputy Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said, “Attorney General Herring is endangering the lives of law-abiding Virginians as they travel for work, vacation or to visit their families. Virginia’s law on concealed carry reciprocity was created in 1997, when Democrats controlled both houses of the state legislature. This law gives State Police the discretion to determine the states with which Virginia should have reciprocity agreements based on consultation with the Attorney General’s office. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the consultation provided by the Attorney General in this matter is based purely on his partisan, political goal of denying law-abiding citizens the right to protect and defend themselves.”
“People who lawfully carry a concealed firearm in Virginia want the confidence that when they travel to another state, that state recognizes the rights of Virginia citizens to protect themselves. The attorney general’s unilateral action likely means that many of the 25 states involved in today’s announcement will no longer recognize the legal rights of Virginia citizens,” said Delegate L. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William), Chairman of the House Committee on Militia, Police & Public Safety. “If the Attorney General was truly interested in safety and security, he would have sat down with these states and resolved any potential issues instead of pulling the rug from under the feet of law-abiding Virginia citizens.”
Gun control at it’s best
Sounds like someone needs to file a class action lawsuit against the attorney general.
Vacationing now in Virginia. Tell the tourism department that will stop next month!
So myself and bunch of other people will make other plans for our hunting trips!
First of all, I am an American, a Marine, and a citizen of these United States, and I live in Washington State . I took an oath to defend our great country many years ago. This argument of his, is a digiuse to further erode the 2nd amendment.
All American citizens should take note before it becomes to late! As an American, I should be able to travel freely anywhere in this country without being hindered by some statute limiting by ability to self protection. A national carry permit should be given to all former , retired police, DOE, DOD, and contracted government employee’s having the required traing carrying firearms.
This could easily be instituted by law giving the government another tool knowing we do not not take our responsibilities lightly.
After Virginia’s action, Washington State would be about par with Virginia. Lot’s of work to be done in the Pacific Northwest.
HB 218 already took care of this issue John. Look it up. I’ve had a National Carry Police ID since the law changed. On 22 July 2004, President George W. Bush signed H.B. 218, the “Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act,” into law. The Act, now Public Law 108-277, went into effect immediately. Honorable retirees also are covered under this law if you maintain yearly qualifications that meet HB 218 standards.
Another Democrat skirting around the document he’s supposed to uphold…The Second Amendment drives these people bananas.
just another part of the liberal agenda to try and defeat the 2nd amendment by using counter productive methods and playing the king obamma gun control card.If the good people do not stand and fight this then they deserve anything that these liberal fanatics inflict upon them and this will not be last for them either more to follow as that is is the way of socialism
Virginia is an open carry state so we’ll simply make sure it can be seen instead. No permit or training needed to open carry so does the attorney general really believe he did something useful?
This Attorney General is legislating from his pulpit. He was elected to office I am presuming if this true he can be removed by a recall vote if there is such a thing in Virginia. If there is not then the voters should use a citizens initiative to get a the right to a recall vote.
recall him !!!
This is exactly what we do not need our elected officials can stop this outrageous liberal attack on Virginia citizens who have legal CHP This is a pay back for big money spent on campaign for thes so called leaders of this great state who would not even be in office if it were not for Northen VA and tide water The rest of the state can not stand these Liberal low life’s that want to impose there will on the rights of others
The people of Virginia need to take legal actions, and have this traitor not only removed from office. but face some charges here, and be eventually sent to prison.
It would seem appropriate for those states whose permits are no longer recognized in Virginia to declare the governor, his attorney general and their body guards can no longer carry concealed weapons in those states.
This is what you get when vote in a Governor like Terry Mc Clinton ! It’s a prime example of Billery gets in the White House.
I know why this happened but it makes no sense. Of course liberals rarely do. Did these fools determine that people with concealed carry permits from other states were committing too many crimes? Did they figure by denying CCWs from other states to carry in their state would lower the crime rate? This action will have no affect on the crime rate in Virginia or it may increase it.
There is just another anti-gun move by liberals that are either protected by armed security or are allowed to carry on their own but want to deny the right under the second amendment by others.
AG Herring and governor McAuliffe are doing President Obamas bidding. Herring won the AG position by less than 1000 votes out of 2.2 million Va voters. That’s .0007%. He will not win again in the next election in two years.
Your so called elected officials in Virginia think this is going to stop the terrorist shootings then you are full of crap. All you clowns are doing is taking the guns from the good guys and letting the bad ones have a free hand. I cannot believe that you are stupid enough to think this is going to help. Am damn glad I don’t live in your stinking state and will everything possible to avoid it.
To the residents of the states affected, please don’t think that Virginia Citizens are in agreement with this. We are working to reverse this travesty. We will not rest until we rectify this action.
It appears the state legislature needs to get off their behinds and pass a bill to make the state recognize ALL other states concealed permits. Make the wording as such that the locals who do not like it such as this Atty gen. cannot change it without an amendment to the bill passed in the states legislature.
Come on elected officials, get busy and quit talking about it and DO something to protect what is currently on the books
This article further emphasizes the need for a federal CCW permit that “shall” be honored by all States. The CCW and gun laws for each State are so convoluted, dissimilar, and change so often that it makes it almost impossible for the law-abiding CCW permit owner to stay current on all of them. This can be especially difficult for the person when traveling to or through any other state(s). One would almost think this was done intentionally to incriminate those who might unintentionally violate one of those obscure rules. This smacks of back-door gun control tactics. If we had a federal or nationwide CCW permit, it would be prevent the current state-to-state legal pitfalls for CCW permit-holders.
In Virginia, CWP’s are issued by the Circuit Court which is at the county level. Perhaps if an agreement could be made with the Va State Police, an agreement could be made to issue non resident CWPs and other states affected could do the same free of charge. I know it sounds far fetched, but it would show that legal gun owners can find ways to legally go through loopholes unlike our state government who found a dastardly way of circumventing our second amendment right.
My wife and I travel yearly to the Urbanna Oyster Festival, staying just outside of Richmond and then driving to Urbanna. I guess we won’t be attending any more. While where we stay seems OK, and was a decent part of town when we lived in Richmond over half a decade ago, we really do not know how safe it is going to be from year to year, after all, it is just outside of Richmond, which was a cesspool of ne’er do wells when we lived there and certainly has not gotten any better since we left. There is no way on earth we will travel there if we cannot carry while traveling in and around Richmond.
Shame too, I really like Urbanna’s oysters. :^(
One more reason not to go to nor spend a dime in Virginia. It will not be a missed destination. For those of you in Tn., Virginia is the only state touching your boarders that treats you as a subject instead of a citizen. If you have family there I am sorry for you.
I have a concealed carry permit from Michigan, I Had to pay for classes from certified instructors and then pay for the permit. To renew I had to swear that I had praticed with my pistol and pay another fee. What I think is the difference is the training I received.
I’ll never darken that states doorsteps,
Join the NRA AND VOTE
“Shall not be infringed”.
What is wrong with our elected officials brain waves?
Nowhere in the Constitutionn does it ever require a permit/license, (“paperwork for a fee”) (aka: “unlawful tax”) for a law abiding citizen, to possess and carry a firearm.
well done, love the new sight
Geeee.. I just received my Non-residence Concealed Carry VA lic.. Now it looks like the State just took my money and sent me a worthless piece of paper… Since I live in Louisiana and often come to VA for weeks at a time.. I felt comfortable to get the LIC..
Oh well … partisan politics… Hurt the people you sworn to protect…
Obama is the key to this crap. We need to move away from his agenda.
This will result in the loss of many dollars spent by travelers from neighbooring states. Should not last long but, we will see!
The democrats do not respect life or our right to protect our selves , weather it is our life or the unborn.
Virginians will get what they voted for !
Just another infringement on our freedoms in our country. Not much I can do as an individual to fight this policy change, but effective immediately I will no longer be vacationing in Viriginia.
I will vacation in a state that allows me to protect myself or my family should the need arise. Viriginia is a beautiful state and I have always enjoyed sightseeing there, but no longer will I spend a dime in that state on gas, food or lodging.
Viriginia is a state that bands the use of radar detectors, yet traffic fatalities continue to rise each year. That law seems to be working out well.
The liberal agend seems to want to destroy this great nation as it was conceived by our forefathers and turn it’s citizens into a nation of sheep dependent on their masters. If the liberals win again this fall, you may what to stick a fork into the America that we once knew, because she may be done! Our veteran’s fought our enemies to defend our freedoms, but it now seems that our own government has become our worst enemy. Very sad!
Mr. Herring, something smells fishy to me! We are a nation of laws run by lawyers who are suffocating the citizens of this great nation. With each new law comes a loss or infringement of a freedom. How about setting standards of competency and responsibility for elected officials of state and federal government. There appears to be a total lack of common sense by our governing officials! The weekly news about gun control is beginning to feel like death by duck bite!
dear American cousins,
preserve and protect your rights.
As a Brit resident in the UK, we lost our right to OWN any small gun under 24″ long, 20 years ago. This includes Police, Service personnel, politicians and humane dispatchers. Only people allowed to carry (not own) handguns are protection officers for our fathers who should be in heaven.
Since then gun crime has rocketed 400%, none of it attributable to legitimate gun owners, as there are none!
Nil illigitimum carborundum!
Virginia state law allows law-abiding citizens 18 and over to open carry firearms including in a vehicle “as long as it is clearly visible.” All Virginia gun-owners should exercise their right to do so at once . AG can’t do a damn thing about that unless he’s prepared to violate his oath to uphold the laws of Virginia.
Lets me say this first, I have been through the Commonwealth of Virginia Countless times, Think it is a beautiful state and nice people, However, the Leadership in that Common Wealth thinks that we who reside in these twenty five states are not nice people and good people esp those of us who have permits, I urge a peaceful Boycott of Virginia, due not vacation there, if you can go around the state of Virginia do so, do not stay over night there and do not stop to eat . Yes it will mean hurting the Common Wealth of Virginia, but it wil also send a message to the dummies who run the state !
about 10 years ago i was at myrtle beach and stopped in at a gun store there looking for a holster.the owner told me my VA.carry permit was no good in SC ,but that his SC permit was good in my home state of VA. when i asked why SC would not honor my permit he said “well son anyone with a hunter saftey card can get a permit in VA. but here you have to take a 2 MO. long class and qualify with the weapon you will carry on a live fire course.IF this is true then this would make MR. herring a lair.the thing for all VA.gun owners to do is make sure you are a NRA member and get out and vote these jerks outta office. also if you are already in the NRA go out and recuit a friend or 2 .we will need all the help we can get when it comes election time again.
There are liberals who have an agenda just as there are conservatives who have an agenda. Many are well meaning and others are mistaken. There are also differences of opinion that often warrant discussion and that is good but then there are those who are nothing more than TRAITORS to the Constitution of the United States. Those people should be called out and treated in a manner for what they are.