Do you think Virginia should have stronger regulations?

[billbuckhead]

Buying guns, ammo easy under Virginia's lenient laws

Buying a handgun or rifle is relatively easy in Virginia, where a gunman slaughtered at least 30 people at a university Monday, but the state's gun control laws are not the most lenient in the United States.

Virginia laws allow any state resident over 18 to buy a firearm, including assault weapons, if they pass a check of any possible criminal background against state and federal databases.

According to the Brady Campaign lobby for gun control, the state merits a C-minus on a scale of A to F for the strength of its gun control laws, with 32 of the 50 states ranked D or F.

Buying and owning a gun in Virginia does not require a permit, but without a gun permit only one handgun purchase per month is allowed, and there is no waiting period to acquire the gun.
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<http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Buying_guns_ammo_easy_under_Virgini_04162007.html>

[BamaLefty]

1. There's no need for assault weapons

But I will admit, I'm very pro-gun provided that responsible people on them and they are kept out of the hands of criminals.

Criminals are going to get guns, legally or illegally. I believe that we should have a means of defending ourselves, as well.

[RedCappedBandit]

2. An 18 year old

being able to purchase a deadly weapon is absurd.

This coming from a 19 year old.

[BamaLefty]

3. Yikes!

I didn't see that.

I am 19 as well (Go College Dems!) and I agree that most in our age group are too immature to handle firearms. I wholeheartedly agree.

[davepc]

4. If he was on a visa like some reports suggest, then Virgina law already made it illegal for him

to own, buy, carry, or otherwise possess a firearm.

§ 18.2-308.2:01. Possession or transportation of certain firearms by certain persons.

It shall be unlawful for any person who is not a citizen of the United States or who is not a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence to knowingly and intentionally possess or transport any assault firearm or to knowingly and intentionally carry about his person, hidden from common observation, an assault firearm. It shall be unlawful for any person who is not a citizen of the United States and who is not lawfully present in the United States to knowingly and intentionally possess or transport any firearm or to knowingly and intentionally carry about his person, hidden from common observation, any firearm. A violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 6 felony.

For purposes of this section, "assault firearm" means any semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-308.2C01

It would also be a violation of Federal Law

(g) It shall be unlawful for any person -
(1) who has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable
by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
(2) who is a fugitive from justice;
(3) who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled
substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances
Act (21 U.S.C. 802));
(4) who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or who has
been committed to a mental institution;
(5) who, being an alien -
(A) is illegally or unlawfully in the United States; or
(B) except as provided in subsection (y)(2), has been
admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa (as
that term is defined in section 101(a)(26) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(26)));
(6) who has been discharged from the Armed Forces under
dishonorable conditions;
(7) who, having been a citizen of the United States, has
renounced his citizenship;
(8) who is subject to a court order that -
(A) was issued after a hearing of which such person received
actual notice, and at which such person had an opportunity to
participate;
(B) restrains such person from harassing, stalking, or
threatening an intimate partner of such person or child of such
intimate partner or person, or engaging in other conduct that
would place an intimate partner in reasonable fear of bodily
injury to the partner or child; and
(C)(i) includes a finding that such person represents a
credible threat to the physical safety of such intimate partner
or child; or
(ii) by its terms explicitly prohibits the use, attempted
use, or threatened use of physical force against such intimate
partner or child that would reasonably be expected to cause
bodily injury; or

(9) who has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime
of domestic violence,
to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess
in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive
any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in
interstate or foreign commerce.

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000922----000-.html

[aquart]

5. Virginia's gun policies have killed people all over the United States.

The ugliest thing I thought about this shooting was that it was finally coming home to them.

Except, of course, it was a college...filled with people from all over the United States.

We all get to suffer from Virginia's lax laws.

[gravity]

8. The gun laws didn't kill the students

The gunman did, who broke the laws.

Your post is also inappropriate to suggests that the killings were worst since some victims were non-Virginians. The students didn't choose the laws, and most Virginians aren't gun nuts.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. An assault gun is just a fun toy right?

Harmless except when it gets used by the wrong bastard at the wrong time, otherwise it's perfectly safe.

[Richard Steele]

7. Yes. Virginia needs to make murder illegal right away. CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN!!!!!!

:eyes:

[Thothmes]

9. Regulations

Before everyone goes of the deep end about guns, lets learn the specifics of the shooters possession of the fire arms he used in the commission of this crime. Did he purchase them legally? Were they stolen? Did the fire arms come from Virginia?

[billbuckhead]

10. We now know he purchased them legally

Virginia will sell anyone a gun.

[AZBlue]

11. This would have been my vote: entire country should have stricter gun laws.

eom

[AZBlue]

12. To check out your state's report card:

http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/reportcards/2005/

Arizona got a D. Well, they did want to legalize guns in bars - oh, and you can carry a gun on school grounds here. We have no limit on the amount of guns you can buy, there's no waiting period and you don't need a license! Surprised we got a D - what would qualify us for an F??