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1993-03-05
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Part 1 of 2 parts
02/26/1993 By Donald P. Baker Washington Post Staff Writer
RICHMOND, Feb. 25 - The Virginia General Assembly today climaxed
an unprecedented six weeks of intense lobbying and debate by passing
and sending to Gov. L. Douglas Wilder legislation he proposed to
change the state's reputation as a leading supplier of handguns for
drug dealers and other criminals on the East Coast.
The measure, the cornerstone of an anti-crime package pushed by
Wilder in his final year in office, limits handgun purchases to one
a month per person.
Tonight, Wilder praised the legislature and said he will sign the
bill when it reaches his desk, which could occur before lawmakers
adjourn Saturday.
"Together we have accomplished what few believed possible a mere
two months ago: We instituted gun control in Virginia," Wilder said
in a statement. "While we have closed the door on gunrunning and gun
trafficking in the Commonwealth, we have maintained the rights of
law-abiding, bonafide Virginia citizens to purchase and own guns."
After today's 60 to 40 vote by the House, Speaker Thomas W. Moss
(D-Norfolk) said that though he preferred a more restrictive bill
proposed originally, the compromise "will be a significant first
step toward putting an end to gunrunning that has marred the
reputation of this great commonwealth."
The Senate had approved the measure Wednesday by a vote of 33 to 6.
"The public demanded that the General Assembly act, and we
did. We did our duty," said Del. James F. Almand (D-Arlington), who,
along with Sen. Edward M. Holland (D-Arlington), sponsored the
legislation.
"We won't see any gunrunning" after July 1, when the law takes
effect, "because it won't be profitable any more," said state police
Lt. R. Lewis Vass, who has tracked the legislation since the session
began Jan. 13. "With monitoring and investigation of suspicious
persons, it will virtually cease."
U.S. Attorney Richard Cullen, a Republican who joined forces with
Democrat Wilder to boost the idea, said passage of the bill "will
have a substantial impact on gun trafficking out of Virginia."
Wilder said the bipartisan support for the legislation
"demonstrated what we can do when we work together, when we reach
across the partisan aisle and open our minds to others' ideas. This
is what government really is - the art of compromise."
Arlington resident Sara Brady, chairwoman of Handgun Control,
said legislators have taken "a vital step . . . to stop the flow of
Virginia's deadliest export. . . . The big losers today are the
drug dealers, the gunrunners and the National Rifle Association,"
which led opposition to the bill.
Charles H. Cunningham, the NRA's lobbyist here, said, "The shame
is that the focus has been on restricting the rights of law-abiding
citizens rather than those of drug dealers and violent criminals."
David S. Weaver, lobbyist for Handgun Control, said today's
action demonstrates that the NRA's "clout is not what it was. This
shows you can stand up to the NRA and the people will support you."