THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408120031
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Judge James Berry has refused to renew Oliver North's concealed-weapons permit because he thinks North ``is not of good character.''
Berry, a Clarke County Circuit judge, wrote in his decision that since North lied to Congress about arm sales to Iran to fund the Contras, a Virginia statute gave him the power to deny North the permit because of North's character flaws.
It is odd that Judge Berry is only just now getting caught up on the Iran-Contra scandal, which took place in the late 1980s. He had, after all, issued North the same permit in 1992 and did not detect any disqualifying character flaws at that time.
The only difference in Oliver North between now and then is that he is currently the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Virginia.
Also, North's convictions in the Iran-Contra wrongdoing were vacated by a federal appeals court, and the matter should not have been considered in the permit process. To think North is a danger to the community because he carries a concealed weapon is absurd.
North obtained his first permit in 1992 because of threats against his life. He requested a new permit because he says threats against his safety still exist. So who is showing poor character, North, or a judge who apparently indulges his personal political whims from the bench?
KEYWORDS: CANDIDATE U.S. SENATE RACE
by CNB