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By MARY K. BLEWITT , and MARK SCOLFORO
Arundel Newspapers Staff Writers
RICHMOND — A gun control bill became a product of compromise in the House Militia and Police Com-mittee and succeeded in passing both houses. Virginia is .now the first state in the union to require a check of potential gun buyers’ criminal records.
Under terms of the bill, originally introduced by Sen. Moody E. Stallings Jr., D-8th District, gun dealers 'must verify, through a toll-free number, that buyers of small handguns and assault rifles are not convicted felons.
i ‘ Scott Carter, of Clark Brothers’ Gun Shop in Opal, -said the bill, which takes effect on Nov. 1, will probably have an adverse effect on the business.
The new law applies to so-called “assault rifles” and handguns with barrels shorter than five inches.
The exact definition of assault rifles under the new law is any semi-automatic, center-firing rifle or pistol provided by the manufacturer with a magazine capable of holding 20 or more rounds, or designed to accommodate a silencer, bayonet, tripod, flash suppressor or folding stock. . Carter said he and opponents of the bill “argued for (Jays” in vain to make the law read “and designed” instead of “or designed.”
A toll-free number will be administered by the State Police for instant reference to police records of felons. Carter said the buyers must sign a release, and the State Police will only inform the dealer if the person is or is not allowed to buy the gun. An appeal process was built into the bill.
Police must respond to the requesting dealer during the call, or by return call, without delay. If a criminal background is found, police have until the end of the next business day to notify the dealer as to whether or not the firearm may be purchased.
No legislation introduced during the General Assembly session was more emotionally-wrought or more dramatically-debated than the gun control legislation.
Carter said the original bill looked much different from the final product, which includes more precise descriptions of the types of guns that are covered under the law.
The original bill covered any gun that could fire 10 or more rounds in succession, said Carter, and would have applied to most firearms. “The problem was, the people drafting these laws are not up-to-date on firearms,” said Carter.
With the shooting spree in Stockton, Calif., occurring less than one week into the session and which resulted in the deaths of five school children, the spectre of
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