Virginia to Stop Recognizing Concealed Gun Permits From 25 States

WASHINGTON — Virginia will no longer recognize concealed-handgun permits issued by 25 other states, its attorney general announced Tuesday, a stark change in a state known for its expansive gun rights.

Attorney General Mark R. Herring, a Democrat and a strong proponent of gun restrictions, used his authority under state law to bar permit-holding residents of the 25 states, which span the country from Alaska to Florida, from carrying concealed weapons in Virginia. He is revoking Virginia’s so-called reciprocity agreements with those states.

“We hear that we don’t need new gun laws, we just need to enforce the ones we have,” Mr. Herring said in a telephone interview, echoing the argument of the gun rights movement. “Well, I’m going to be enforcing the ones we have.”

Mr. Herring made the decision, his office said in a statement, after “months of research and evaluation,” including an audit of 30 states whose concealed-handgun permits have been considered valid in Virginia. All but five of them, he said, grant permits to people who would be barred from carrying concealed weapons in Virginia. He called revoking the agreements a “common-sense step.”

But gun rights advocates denounced the move, saying Mr. Herring had no evidence that suspending the reciprocity agreements would reduce crime. (In the interview, the attorney general said the state does not track how many out-of-state residents bring in concealed weapons.) Mr. Herring’s critics also said the new policy would make it harder for permit-holding Virginians to carry their weapons to other states.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/us/virginia-to-stop-recognizing-concealed-gun-permits-from-25-states.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news