The deal would scrap the Attorney General’s new concealed carry reciprocity plan altogether and extend concealed carry reciprocity to every single state in the Union, regardless of whether they can provide 24/7 verification of the validity of permits . This would allow the following dangerous out-of-state individuals to again carry loaded guns in Virginia:  stalkers; those convicted of violent misdemeanor offenses (i.e., assault/battery, weapons charges, sex offenses, etc.); habitual drunkards; juveniles convicted of offenses that would have been felonies had they been adults; and persons whose mental illness causes them to be a potential danger to self or others.

Attorney General Mark Herring had recently announced that Virginia would end concealed carry reciprocity with 25 states whose laws are insufficient to prevent the issuance of a permit to an individual who would be denied a permit in the Commonwealth. Governor McAuliffe applauded Herring’s directive just 11 days ago at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day vigil for victims and survivors of gun violence at the State Capitol. “Let’s hear it for [Attorney General  Mark Herring] and the great work he is doing,” he told the hundreds in attendance.

The gun reform proposals included in the package, which are supported by CSGV, are modest and not enough to ameliorate our concerns.  For example, the voluntary background check provision in the deal would not require a single private seller in the Commonwealth to run background checks on buyers and maintain records of sale. Such checks would remain strictly optional for private sellers.

“Terry McAuliffe has been a good friend and strong ally to those of us in the gun violence prevention movement in Virginia,” said CSGV Virginia State Director Lori Haas. “Unfortunately, this deal with the NRA and pro-gun politicians is a mistake that, on the whole, would do far more harm than good.”

On January 18, at the MLK vigil, McAuliffe bragged openly about his ‘F’ rating from the NRA and his willingness to stand up to the Virginia General Assembly on guns. “We have not changed our tune [on gun policy] one iota and we are just warming up,” Governor McAuliffe told attendees. “I want the folks in [the General Assembly] to understand that we are going to continue to fight for every single citizen here in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

“How can I explain this deal with the NRA to a young man who hears gunfire every single day in his community in Hampton Roads?” said CSGV Organizer Kayla Hicks.  “The Governor is not with us on this one.  And he is squandering valuable political capital that Virginia youth helped him to build. Virginia families deserve better than this.”

“The governor is engaging in a political strategy that is neither wise nor prudent,” said CSGV Executive Director Josh Horwitz.  “He should veto the universal reciprocity bill that comes out of the General Assembly and then negotiate a package that is more amenable to both sides of this debate.”

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The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy. CSGV can be found on Facebook and Twitter.