Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 6, 1995 TAG: 9507060082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Virginians flocked to courthouses Wednesday to apply for concealed weapon permits under a new state law that makes it easier to legally carry hidden handguns.
The Roanoke County Circuit Court clerk's office gave out more than 180 applications for concealed weapons permits Wednesday, the first day the office was open since the law took effect.
Although most of the people took the applications home to review, 18 applicants filed their requests immediately. In 1994, 68 people applied for concealed weapon permits in Roanoke County.
"We've been real popular," Deputy Clerk Brenda Agee said. "Most of the time we're lucky to do five applications in a month. This is substantially busier."
Tom Moore, Botetourt County clerk of Circuit Court, said more than 30 applications for gun permits were picked up Wednesday. Forty-two permits were applied for in all of 1994.
"We had a handful of people who picked up two," he said. "It's been constant all day."
In Montgomery County, where 51 permits were applied for in 1994, clerks handed out 40 application packets and filed 14 completed requests. Fifteen people lined up at the sheriff's office next door to have fingerprinting done as part of the application process.
Nancy Trump, a deputy court clerk in Montgomery, estimated that 60 applications had been handed out since Monday.
And one person there filed an application Friday that will be processed under the old law, which required that applicants show a specific need for the weapon and gave judges broad discretion about whether to grant the permit. The new law limits judges' authority and allows practically any law-abiding citizen who wants a concealed weapon permit to obtain one without having to state a reason why.
In Roanoke, clerks had handed out about 150 applications by Wednesday afternoon, Circuit Court Clerk Arthur "Bert" Crush said.
Only 23 people applied for concealed weapon permits in the city last year.
More than 15 people took advantage of the clerk's office being open on Monday, completing their applications and filing them on the first day possible after the law became effective July 1.
Demand was so high that clerks would give only one application per person; one citizen had asked for 10, and others said they wanted an extra copy for a friend or spouse.
Since Monday, Salem Circuit Court has received five concealed weapon permit applications - the same number that was applied for in 1994. Four of those applications came in Wednesday.
"We've gotten numerous calls on a daily basis" about applications, said Salem Circuit Court Clerk Chance Crawford. "We're expecting our onslaught to come later this week or early next week."
Alice Hall, deputy clerk for Franklin County, said 15 to 20 applications were picked up there Wednesday. Last year, 80 applications were filed.
"That's about how many have been handed out, but only a small portion of those have actually been filed," she said.
Any applications filed before 5 p.m. on June 30 will be handled under the terms of the old law. In June nearly 10 concealed weapons applications were distributed daily but not all of them were filed, Hall said.
Clerks in Giles County gave out 14 applications Wednesday. In Floyd County, Deputy Clerk Rhonda Vaughn said eight applications had been requested.
The new concealed weapon law that took effect July 1 no longer requires that applicants demonstrate a need to carry a concealed weapon. But applicants still must be 21 and must be able to prove they are proficient with a handgun. That generally means they must have a certificate of completing a gun safety course or have military or employment history that involved using a gun.
The new law means that practically any law-abiding citizen should qualify to carry a concealed weapon. Exemptions include convicted felons, those convicted of two or more serious misdemeanors in the past three years, those under restraining orders or those who have been treated at a residential mental facility in the last five years.
Staff writers Sarah Huntley, Laurence Hammack, Ron Brown, Kim Martin and Tonya Woods contributed information to this story.
by CNB