Ironic. This story appeared in the NJ feed of my Associated Press App!

 

Note the last paragraph of the story.

 

House, Senate advance bills ending monthly gun cap

 

BOB LEWIS

Published: Feb 1, 2012 19:35

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A law Virginia passed a generation ago to end the states' reputation as a haven for gun runners is on the verge of being repealed.

 

On a largely party-line vote, the House passed Wednesday with a 66-32 vote the measure to end the law that limits handgun purchases to one a month.

 

Only two Democrats - Portsmouth's Johnny Joannou and Washington County's Joe Johnson - siding with the GOP majority. A Republican, David Albo of Fairfax, voted with Democrats to oppose it.

 

A similar Senate bill was engrossed overwhelmingly on a voice vote before being reconsidered and delayed for a day.

 

They were among several pro-gun bills winding their way through a gun-friendly General Assembly under total Republican dominance this year for the first time since 2001.

 

One bill that advanced easily to a final Senate passage as early as Thursday would eliminate the right of local governments to require that applicants for concealed handgun permits submit fingerprints. Another restricts the questions that may be asked of firearm purchasers.

 

The bills to abolish the one-handgun-per-month law would end one of the legacy laws of former Gov. Doug Wilder. The Democratic governor pushed for it after Virginia became a prime supplier of guns used in crimes in major East Coast cities.

 

There was no immediate response from Wilder to telephone messages left for him Wednesday afternoon.

 

Del. Joseph Morrissey, D-Henrico, noted that current law allows for the purchase of up to 12 handguns a year - more with the proper permits - and contended the repeal will return Virginia "to the days when we were the gun capital of the South."

 

"An individual can go into any gun store and buy an unlimited number of guns," Morrissey said.

 

Supporters argued that information technology advances had made instant background checks of gun buyers commonplace, and that because of it the law had outlived its usefulness. They also said the bill was in infringement on the U.S. Constitution's 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

 

Morrissey countered that no right guaranteed in the Constitution is absolute. People aren't free to cause mayhem by yelling fire in a crowded theater and are held accountable for speech that's slanderous. If religious freedom was absolute, he said, Mormons could still legally practice polygamy.

A law abiding citizen should be able to buy as many guns as they want. This 12 per year (with perfect timing on the purchases) is BS.

 

I won't ever buy 12 per year, but I do not wish to restrict anyone who wants to buy many more.

 

Ask a woman why she needs to buy a pair of shoes every week or two. Then tell her she is limited to one pair every 30 days and needs to apply for permits which are good for 90 days..............

I don't see how anybody has the money for more than one gun a month, but the problem with the law always seemed like it manufactured criminals out of people who miscounted by a day.

 

I can easily see why somebody would buy two guns during a store visit: especially when they want to buy the .22 version of a gun alongside the full size version. I can also see somebody coming in to a store to buy one gun, and then seeing the Colt Python they always wanted and putting it on the credit card.

 

The law was a solution in search of a problem.

I don't see how anybody has the money for more than one gun a month, but the problem with the law always seemed like it manufactured criminals out of people who miscounted by a day.

 

I can easily see why somebody would buy two guns during a store visit: especially when they want to buy the .22 version of a gun alongside the full size version. I can also see somebody coming in to a store to buy one gun, and then seeing the Colt Python they always wanted and putting it on the credit card.

 

The law was a solution in search of a problem.

 

Why should I or anyone be restricted in how many we can buy at all. If I want to buy 1 or a dozen I should be allowed. I agree it's a BS law and does nothing just like 99.9999 of the gun laws on the books that basically only restrict law abiding citizens.

I don't see how anybody has the money for more than one gun a month, but the problem with the law always seemed like it manufactured criminals out of people who miscounted by a day.

 

I can see buying a pair of pistols or finding a collection of pistols. Not everyone is looking to buy a $1200 1911 every trip to the gun shop. Bottom line is its BS to have a restriction like OGAM.

 

I can easily see why somebody would buy two guns during a store visit: especially when they want to buy the .22 version of a gun alongside the full size version. I can also see somebody coming in to a store to buy one gun, and then seeing the Colt Python they always wanted and putting it on the credit card.

 

The law was a solution in search of a problem.

Despite one gun a month, I am still legally purchasing hand guns..

 

Tony357

Why should I or anyone be restricted in how many we can buy at all. If I want to buy 1 or a dozen I should be allowed. I agree it's a BS law and does nothing just like 99.9999 of the gun laws on the books that basically only restrict law abiding citizens.

I don't know how many times it's been said here, but it bears repeating until everyone understands it.

 

Gun Control, at any level of government, is NEVER about guns, and always about CONTROL!

Morrissey countered that no right guaranteed in the Constitution is absolute. People aren't free to cause mayhem by yelling fire in a crowded theater and are held accountable for speech that's slanderous. If religious freedom was absolute, he said, Mormons could still legally practice polygamy.

 

What part of "Shall not be Infringed" do they not understand???? The other rights are not that clear as the 2nd Amendment on the limits of the right. The 2nd there clearly is no ground for limiting the sale of any arms to anyone, yet we accept it like sheep.