Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 19, 1993 TAG: 9301190147
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: PIERRE THOMAS THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
GUN BILL AFFECTS MANY
Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder's proposed one-a-month limit on handgun purchases would have halted a minimum of 6,835 multiple firearm sales in the state in the last two years, according to federal statistics.That figure, though, reflects only multiple purchases in the same week; the actual number halted by the legislation would be far higher, federal and state law enforcement officials say. No one knows exactly how many times one individual buys more than one handgun a month in Virginia because neither state nor federal agencies keep statistics on that basis.
The imprecision in the figures has led some opponents to suggest that the Democratic governor's plan would do little to reduce handgun sales in the state and change Virginia's image as a major source of weapons for criminals in East Coast cities.
But numbers from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms show that multiple handgun purchases are common in the state. During fiscal 1991 and 1992, there were 6,835 cases in which one person bought two or more handguns from the same Virginia dealer in less than a week. Currently, there is no limit on the number of handguns that can be purchased in Virginia.
The federal statistics are for two or more handgun sales a week; Wilder's bill would be more restrictive, limiting purchases to one handgun a month, and would almost certainly block far more sales. The ATF numbers also include only those sales reported by dealers; federal officials say some dealers may not report all multiple purchases. And the numbers do not reflect multiple purchases by individuals from more than one dealer.
"I would have to believe that this is only a small fraction of what's actually happening," O. Randolph Rollins, Virginia secretary of public safety, said about the figures. "If you extended this out 30 days, the numbers would be much higher."
At a minimum, the 6,835 multiple sales represent 13,670 handguns.
"If only a small percentage of these sales turn out to be for criminal purposes, that would still be an awful lot of guns," ATF spokesman Jack Killorin said.
The National Rifle Association and other opponents of the Wilder proposal - which many lawmakers first considered a long shot but now give a better chance of passing - said the federal statistics do not portray an ominous problem.
The nearly 7,000 multiple sales "are spread out all over a whole state and hundreds of dealers" who sell tens of thousands of firearms a year, said Thomas Evans, a lobbyist for the Virginia Firearms Dealers Association. "That makes the picture a little different."
Under federal law, when one person buys two or more handguns within five consecutive working days, the gun dealer is required to mail the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms a form that provides the buyer's name, address and other identifying information. The procedure was established to provide investigative leads on gunrunners, who purchase quantities of handguns for illegal sale elsewhere.
In fiscal 1991 and 1992, federal agents arrested 290 people on weapons violations involving multiple purchases in Virginia, most of them on charges of illicit firearm trafficking. During the same period, federal firearms agents for the region that includes Virginia made more such arrests than any other office in the country, most of them within the state.
Patrick Hynes, special agent in charge of the Washington office, said he and his colleagues often see individuals buying 10 handguns in a week. Just last week, they arrested a New York man who illegally obtained a Virginia driver's license and fraudulently bought 10 handguns. Hynes said charges are pending against an out-of-state man who illegally bought 17 weapons in Virginia recently and ordered 50 more.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1993
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.