In a surprising 180-degree twist, Virginia lawmakers have reversed a previous mandate from Attorney General Mark Herring last month that the state would no longer be recognizing reciprocity agreements from 25 states regarding concealed carry licenses.
The policy announcement, which would have gone into effect on Feb. 1, had lit a firestorm among Republican lawmakers and gun owners across the state, who accused the attorney general of infringing on citizens’ Second Amendment rights
The agreement between outspoken gun critic Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the Republican-controlled General Assembly is set to be announced Friday, the Washington Post reported.
In exchange for the reinstatement of the reciprocity agreements, Republicans agreed to a new regulation stating that anyone who had been subject to a permanent protective order for domestic violence would be banned from carrying a gun while under the order, which spans two years. The issue had already been put up for discussion in the General Assembly, but had never made it past the front door among the Republican-controlled legislature.
Under federal law, a person placed under a permanent protective order for domestic violence was unable to legally purchase or transport a firearm. However, state law did not further prohibit the person from carrying a firearm they already owned.
While the new agreement set to be announced Friday does reestablish the concealed carry agreements, one can only wonder whether the original announcement was made as a potential way to force a compromise on a bill that, otherwise, would have never been considered.