Virginia’s Attorney General, Mark R. Herring (D), will announce today that the Old Dominion will no longer recognize concealed carry permits from from other states that currently have reciprocity agreements with Virginia. AG Herring argues that out-of-state agreements make it too easy for people with criminal or violent histories to obtain a concealed weapons permit.
“To me, this is a commonsense step that can help make Virginians and our law enforcement officers safer by ensuring that Virginia’s laws on who can and cannot carry a concealed handgun are applied evenly, consistently, and fairly . . . Our General Assembly has already identified who can and cannot conceal handguns in Virginia, and we cannot have that decision undermined by recognizing permits from other states with more permissive standards,” Herring said in a statement to the Washington Post.
The measure is also intended to affect CCW in Virginia by preventing residents with a history of stalking, drug dealing, or in-patient mental health treatment from obtaining a permit from another state and thus carry at home.
Prior to Herring’s action, Virginia had CCW reciprocity with Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. How those states will respond to the change in CCW recognition remains to be seen.
Herring’s actions have already come under fire from pro-CCW and Second Amendment groups, who have long been critical of the attorney general’s stance on the issue.
