Senator favors keeping gun ban

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A new restriction in Virginia that bars anyone without a concealed-weapons permit from openly carrying weapons into the state Capitol in Richmond will not be reversed, said a senior Republican state lawmaker who helped pass the ban earlier this year.

Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle said even though he supports Second Amendment rights, he views it as a safety issue and doesn't want the ban lifted. The Virginia Beach Republican is on the 14-member Joint Rules Committee, which passed the ban without fanfare in March. The ban took effect in April.

"Somebody can walk up to the front door with a loaded shotgun, not just a handgun, hand it to the Capitol Police officer, go through the metal detector and the Capitol Police officer has to hand it back to the guy coming through the front door," Mr. Stolle said on Dec. 17. "That's ridiculous. That's not safe for the citizens that come see us, it's not safe for the Capitol or for the legislators."

Mr. Stolle said the same scenario would apply for assault rifles, such as an AK-47 or M-16. He said the restriction that Virginia Capitol Police asked lawmakers to put in place is "fair" and "responsible."

Any bills proposing to overturn the ban would have to go through the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, where Mr. Stolle serves as chairman.

The new ban went unnoticed by many lawmakers and gun-rights advocates for months because the measure was not subject to a vote by the full legislature.

Gun-rights advocates are furious over the ban -- which specifically states that persons must hold a concealed-weapons permit if they want to carry a weapon either openly or concealed into the Capitol or the General Assembly building, which is on the grounds of the Capitol.

In Virginia, a permit is required to conceal a handgun on one's person, not to own a handgun or carry it openly.

An estimated 112,000 Virginians hold such permits, so the new ban would restrict many from openly carrying weapons into the Capitol and the General Assembly building. Statistics show that permit holders rarely commit violent crimes.

Mike Stollenwerk, a Fairfax County resident who owns a gun, said the new restriction might encourage some gun owners to challenge it by carrying openly more frequently.