The Virginia Senate rejected a bill yesterday that proponents said would have closed a loophole in state laws regarding the sale of firearms at gun shows.
Under current law, only licensed dealers are required to perform criminal background checks on potential patrons before selling a firearm at gun shows. Smaller, unlicensed sellers, who have a significant presence at such shows, are not required to do so.
Sen. Henry L. Marsh III (D-Richmond) wanted to make unlicensed sellers at gun shows do background checks.
(AP)
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The bill, SB 807, would have changed that, but it failed, 20 to 17. The bill was sponsored by Henry L. Marsh III (D-Richmond), who argued that many of the state's police chiefs supported the idea and said it would help reduce crime. Urging fellow lawmakers to adopt the measure, Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) read from a best-selling crime novel by David Baldacci. In the book, a character visits a Virginia gun show, knowing he can buy a gun there without undergoing a background check. "I think the time has come to close that loophole," she said.
Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax) countered that the change would not affect crime rates because few guns bought at gun shows are used in crimes. He said, too, that it would be hard to enforce and would create long lines at shows, as buyers queue up for criminal checks. "You shut down a portion of this trade and of this business. That's what you're doing. You'll shut it down, overwhelmingly," he said.
Nominee Advances
Senate and House panels have given preliminary approval to the appointment of Judith W. Jagdmann as the state's interim attorney general.
She was endorsed for the job by Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore (R), who announced last week that he would resign from the office to focus on a run for governor. In November, he will likely face Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) for that job.
Jagdmann has worked for the office for eight years and now serves as the head of the civil division.
By leaving while the General Assembly is in session, Kilgore left the decision as to who should fill the vacancy until November's election in the hands of the Republican-controlled legislature. Otherwise, the choice would have been left to Gov. Mark R. Warner (D).
Kilgore's resignation takes effect Tuesday, leaving lawmakers with limited time to interview and vote on Jagdmann. She must still receive approval from the full House and Senate before taking the job.
Oath in Williamsburg?
Virginia's next governor may take the oath of office in Williamsburg, site of the reconstructed Capitol in Colonial Williamsburg.
Lawmakers introduced a resolution this week that would move the 2006 inaugural ceremony from the traditional spot in Richmond on the Capitol's south portico to Williamsburg, where the legislature met annually through much of the 1700s.
The Capitol in Richmond is undergoing an $83.1 million renovation, and there will still be work going on when the new governor is set to be sworn in next year, lawmakers said. Dozens of legislators signed the resolution calling for the ceremonies to move.
Williamsburg was the meeting place for the Virginia legislature beginning on April 21, 1704. Lawmakers left for Richmond in 1780.
Staff writer Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.
