Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 16, 1993 TAG: 9308160141
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: TULSA, OKLA. LENGTH: Medium
The agreement, signed at the National Governors' Association summer meeting, calls for the states to work together to share information about illegal firearms and to get federal money to help stop the illegal trade.
"This agreement solidifies our position that no state can operate in a vacuum, that effective gun control must be cooperative . . . and that interstate enforcement is the only way to crack down on the illegal gun trade," Wilder said.
Virginia is known as the "gunrunning capital of America," Wilder said. Drug dealers from New York, Washington and other major cities on the East Coast recruit Virginians to buy guns for them in exchange for drugs.
Out-of-state residents were obtaining fake Virginia driver's licenses to load up on guns, Virginia State Police said.
Virginia imposed a one-gun-a-month limit July 1, and Wilder said he hopes the action will help end the state's bad reputation. The interstate agreement is another step in that direction, and the governors are confident it will help the gun problem throughout the region.
Under the cooperative plan, state police units in each state would participate in joint investigations to trace illegal firearms to their sources, enforce existing firearms laws and arrest and prosecute those involved in illegal gun trafficking.
The agreement also touches on the possibility of establishing a computer link between the four states to make communication easier for police.
While Gov. William Donald Schaefer has been in office, Maryland has adopted tougher gun-control laws, including legislation that cracks down on illegal firearms sales at gun shows and the creation of a Handgun Roster Board to stop people from owning and selling "Saturday Night Specials."
by CNB