TOUGHER SCHOOL GUN LAW URGED

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 1, 1992                   TAG: 9202010223
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
TOUGHER SCHOOL GUN LAW URGED
In the aftermath of the discovery of a pistol in a student locker at Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke City Council is expected to ask the General Assembly to approve tougher criminal penalties for carrying firearms onto school grounds.
City Attorney Wilburn Dibling has recommended that council support a pending bill in the legislature that would make it a felony to carry or possess a firearm on school property.
The penalty for the offense is now a misdemeanor with a jail sentence of up to 12 months, a fine up to $2,500 or both.
The pending legislation would increase the offense to a felony with a prison sentence of one to five years, a fine up to $2,500 or both, Dibling said.
Monday, the city attorney will ask council to approve a resolution endorsing the tougher penalties. If approved, the resolution will be sent to the city's representatives in the legislature.
School officials this week found a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol stored in a 16-year-old boy's locker.
The boy was arrested and has been suspended from school until a disciplinary review committee can meet Tuesday to decide if he will be allowed to return.
The boy told police he had bought the pistol from two men on Salem Avenue and planned to pawn it for about $200 to repay a debt.
Dibling also has recommended that council support another pending bill in the General Assembly that would provide tougher penalties for selling or giving guns to minors.
The pending legislation would increase the penalty from a $250 fine to a $2,500 fine, a jail sentence of up to 12 months or both.
State law prohibits local governments from regulating the sale and possession of firearms, but Dibling said he is researching the issue to determine what local controls may be imposed on guns.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB