Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502270074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Reynolds - the gun lobby's front man in the House - took an absolutist stand that any effort to amend the bill would be tantamount to killing it.
The Martinsville Democrat stuck to his guns, even when his allies thought it would be a good idea to bar people from carrying concealed weapons while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
The amendment passed, 98-1, with Reynolds as the lone dissenter.
Later, Reynolds said he opposed the amendment because it would be too difficult for police to tell if someone were drunk or high.
``It was one of those amendments that sounded good until you try to prove it,'' he said.
The concealed weapons vote that flushed out the most devoted gun-rights supporters came on an amendment that banned people from carrying concealed weapons into bars and other establishments that serve alcohol.
The so-called ``saloon amendment'' was adopted 72-23.
One-third of those who opposed the amendment were from Southwest Virginia. They were: Tommy Baker, R-Pulaski County; Morgan Griffith, R-Salem; Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City; Lacey Putney, I-Bedford; Reynolds and Victor Thomas, D-Roanoke.
Lawmakers from Southwest Virginia got their fair share last week in a traditional speech lampooning the General Assembly session.
In an annual speech, Del. Vince Callahan, R-McLean, joked that Del. James Shuler - a Blacksburg veterinarian - and Thomas - a Roanoke food store owner - had joined together to open a combination animal clinic and taxidermy shop.
``Their slogan,'' Callahan said of the two Democrats, ``is `Either Way, You Get Your Dog Back.'''
Callahan bestowed the ``Et tu Brute?'' award - named after Caesar's question to his backstabbing friend, Brutus - to the so-called ``Gang of Four'' Democrats who engineering a parliamentary move that led Republicans to slaughter Gov. George Allen's budget.
Each of the four, including Del. Thomas Jackson of Hillsville, was awarded a plastic sword.
For Salem's Griffith, a lesson in arcane House of Delegates procedure turned into a lesson in partisan politics last week.
The freshman Republican had studied the House procedures enough to recognize an opportunity Wednesday to work the rules in his favor.
The House was debating the controversial bill that makes it easier for people to obtain concealed weapons. Opponents appeared to have succeeded - by a razor-thin 49-48 margin - in attaching an amendment disqualifying people with long records of minor criminal convictions from receiving a weapon permit.
Griffith, who opposed the amendment, noticed on the electronic voting board that one Democratic delegate was in his seat but had not voted. Griffith jumped to his feet and challenged the delegate - a move that under House rules would require the nonvoting delegate to be counted in the negative. Democrats had employed the same tactic earlier in the session when two Republicans declined to vote on a budget matter.
If Griffith had succeeded, the concealed weapons amendment would have died on a 49-49 vote.
But House Speaker Thomas Moss ruled that Griffith's challenge was premature because it came before the clerk had announced the official vote.
``Timing is everything,'' Moss said.
Two days later, Republicans tried to use the same rule when a Democrat was present but not voting when the House killed a bill granting limited civil immunity to teachers.
This time, however, Moss ruled that the challenge would not change the outcome but merely cause the official journal to note the delegate in question was ``present but not voting.''
House Minority Leader Vance Wilkins of Amherst protested, noting that Moss had ruled differently just two days earlier.
``Which way is it?'' Wilkins asked.
``Whichever way I feel,'' Moss replied.
Griffith said he learned a valuable lesson.
``It's hard to play by the rules,'' he said, ``when the rules keep changing.''
Thomas of Roanoke came in for some good-natured ribbing from his Democratic colleagues last week when he inadvertently voted against a different version of the concealed weapons bill.
Thomas promptly walked up to the clerk's table to change his vote, but he was in for a hard time when he came back to his seat.
``Vic, you just put your perfect record with the NRA in jeopardy,'' said Del. Watkins Abbitt, D-Appomattox, brandishing a written tally of the vote.
Thomas explained that he wasn't paying close attention because the House had approved a similar concealed weapons bill a few days earlier. ``Nobody told me about the thing,'' he complained, sounding more than a little defensive.
Cranwell tried to provoke Thomas by flapping his arms and clucking - accusing Thomas of being too scared to cross the National Rifle Association.
``You guys are chicken,'' Thomas shot back.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB