Gun Show Measure Falters in Va. House

Vote Irks Relatives Of Va. Tech Victims

RICHMOND, Jan. 18 -- A Virginia House committee on Friday defeated an effort to close a major loophole in the state's gun laws, angering families of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), who had pushed hard for the law.

The House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee voted along party lines to kill a requirement that all sellers conduct background checks on firearms buyers at gun shows, a move that makes passing a bill on the checks this year nearly impossible.

For years, gun control advocates have tried to close the loophole. They had hoped that the April 16 shooting at Virginia Tech and Kaine's lobbying would give them momentum to succeed this year.

The 13 to 9 vote by the committee, which is controlled by Republicans from rural areas, came after an hour of passionate testimony by families of those killed or injured at Virginia Tech. But even a delegate who works at the university and represents part of the area around the campus, David A. Nutter (R-Montgomery), voted against the proposal, showing the importance of firearms in rural Virginia. Opponents said they feared that the measure could lead to further checks on private sales.

"I don't know why these people don't represent their constituents,'' said Andrew Goddard, whose son Colin was shot four times by the Virginia Tech gunman, Seung Hui Cho. "I think they just represent" the National Rifle Association.

"Some people don't like it, but guns have a special place in the Constitution,'' said House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem).

Supporters of ending the loophole said that their efforts are not over. A Senate committee is expected to take up a similar bill Monday. But if the Senate approves the bill, it will have to go back through the House committee.

Kaine told reporters after Friday's vote that if the Senate passes a bill, there will be "momentum" that could pressure the House into approving it.

"It's not over," he said. "If ever it is going to happen, this is the year to make it happen."

"It's over," said Del. Terry G. Kilgore (R-Scott), adding that committee members listened to the families but that they did not change anyone's mind. "We ought to go to something else. Let's try to work together on things we can agree on."

Kaine has supported background checks before, but this is the first year he is actively lobbying for a change. Many Republican lawmakers remain opposed, as do some rural Democrats.

Federal and Virginia laws require licensed gun dealers to screen customers through instant background checks. Felons, mentally ill people and domestic abusers are barred from buying firearms. But the state does not require background checks for people who buy guns in private sales at gun shows. State police say that 22 percent to 35 percent of people who sell guns at shows are unlicensed.