Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080080
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROBERT LITTLE AND DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long
Under current law, applicants for concealed-weapon permits must show they are of good character and prove they need to carry a weapon for protection. Supporters of the new proposal say many judges are too picky and grant permits only to applicants such as government officials or former police officers.
``There are a lot of law-abiding citizens who can't get permits because of unfettered discretion and discrimination,'' said Sen. Virgil Goode, D-Rocky Mount. He and Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, sponsored versions of the same legislation - SB 744 and SB 793, respectively.
The proposal passed by a comfortable margin, 24-16, but several senators insisted it simply would put more guns on the street and lead to an increase in violent crime.
``Any respectable drug dealer who wants to get himself a respectable bodyguard with no record can have a concealed weapon,'' said Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Springfield.
Only one concealed-weapon permit was issued in Fairfax County during the last year and a half. In more rural areas, hundreds have been issued in the same period.
All three Western Virginia Republicans - Brandon Bell of Roanoke County, Malfourd ``Bo'' Trumbo of Fincastle and William Wampler Jr. of Bristol - voted for the bill. Democrats Madison Marye of Shawsville and Elliot Schewel of Lynchburg voted against it.
The losers were less than gracious in defeat.
``It's gonna let a whole bunch of Rambos feel self-important,'' objected Marye.
``We're going to give a permit to every Tom, Dick and Harry that hasn't been convicted of a felony - every nutcake in Virginia,'' Saslaw said.
The Senate met in a marathon eight-hour session Tuesday, considering hundreds of bills and resolutions on the last day to consider proposals introduced in the chamber this year.
Among other proposals passed was one calling for a constitutional amendment to let governors run for two terms, not just one. Virginia is the only state in the country in which the governor cannot succeed himself or herself, said Senate Majority Leader Hunter Andrews, D-Hampton.
The measure, which passed the chamber 22-18, would have to be approved by a statewide referendum before it could take effect. It would not affect Gov. George Allen or his successor.
A bill designed to end state-mandated monopolies on local phone services passed the Senate 38-1 with no debate. When signed by the governor, as expected, the bill would take effect Jan. 1, 1996, and would allow competition with local telephone companies such as Bell Atlantic. An identical version already had passed the House of Delegates.
Parental-notification legislation cleared the House of Delegates, but not before opponents helped lessen proposed restrictions on juveniles seeking abortions.
The House voted 54-44 to allow girls to notify a grandparent or a sibling over 21 before seeking the procedure. The watered-down bill then passed, 79-20.
Lawmakers who support parental notification complain that the bill - HB 1420 - is a sham that would give pregnant teens any number of ways to get around notifying their parents before seeking an abortion.
"This is not real notification," said Manassas Del. Robert Marshall, a Republican whose original bill was rewritten by the House Courts of Justice Committee.
But supporters of the measure say loopholes - such as allowing a judge to grant permission if he deems it in a teen's best interest - recognize the realities of broken or dysfunctional families.
"Families are made; they are not legislated," said Del. Anne Rhodes, R-Richmond.
The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Gov. George Allen supports parental notification, but he vetoed a similar measure last year because he said it was not an "honest" notification bill.
The House rejected a charter bill for Roanoke that would have allowed City Council to enact an ordinance banning handguns in city parks. The measure - targeted for defeat by the National Rifle Association - fell five votes short of the required two-thirds approval.
The House also gave overwhelming approval to legislation that would clear the way for a voter referendum on a Bedford-Bedford County consolidation plan. The bill - HB 1648 - contains a provision, however, that would restrict the expansion of the city-owned electrical system if the consolidation were approved.
In other action, the House:
Voted 69-30 to approve legislation that would give immunity from civil litigation to industries that find environmental problems on their own. The Senate approved a similar bill Monday.
Approved civil fines of up to $500 for parents who do not cooperate with school efforts to enforce disciplinary rules on their children.
Approved a bill sponsored by Virginia Beach Del. Frank Wagner that would allow parents to approve random drug and alcohol screening for their children at schools that agreed to conduct such programs.
Agreed to let voters decide in a November referendum whether to borrow $31 million to build prisons.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB