ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, December 1, 1995               TAG: 9512010019
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-3  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: FAIRFAX
SOURCE: Associated Press 

IN NORTHERN VA., MANY TAKE AIM AT NEW GUN LAW

Northern Virginia officials, fearful that handguns are becoming too prevalent in suburbia, want to roll back a new state law that has given most adult Virginians the right to carry concealed weapons.

In Fairfax and Prince William, county officials say they also want the General Assembly to allow localities to bar people from carrying weapons into county government buildings. =r4 The assault on the concealed-weapons law comes as Virginia Democrats - emboldened by Republicans' failure to win assembly control in last month's elections - are taking aim at GOP Gov. George Allen's conservative agenda.

``We have a serious violence problem,'' said Alexandria Mayor Patricia Ticer, a Democrat who will join the state Senate in January. ``The way to deal with that is not to put more guns on the streets, more guns in people's hands.''

The concealed-weapon law, backed by Allen, grants a permit to virtually any Virginia adult who has received some gun-safety training and who does not have a felony record or mental illness. Previously, judges issued permits only to people who demonstrated a need to carry a gun, such as security guards or people who routinely carry large amounts of money.

Gun enthusiasts say fears concerning the law are unjustified. They note that there have been no shootings at local government buildings in Northern Virginia since people began receiving permits under the new law last summer.

But Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Katherine Hanley said that with so many people carrying handguns under their coats or in their handbags, the county must take steps to protect its employees and others in local government buildings.

State law already prohibits people from carrying firearms into churches, schools or courthouses. Concealed weapons are not allowed in places that serve alcohol, and owners of private property can bar them.

``Because of the nature of some of the things government has to do, people are often angry or upset in government buildings,'' said Hanley, a Democrat. ``That is why it is important to restrict access to firearms in all our county buildings.''

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