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Published: 1/8/08, 6:46 PM EDT
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Tuesday proposed requiring background checks for everyone who tries to purchase firearms at gun shows - legislation he called critical to helping prevent tragedies like the shootings at Virginia Tech.
In Virginia and most other states, people can buy firearms from private, unlicensed sellers at gun shows without going through a background check. Such checks are required for sales by licensed dealers, whether they are at gun shows or somewhere else.
Attempts to expand background checks in Virginia have failed repeatedly, but the latest effort has support from relatives of several of those killed or wounded by a mentally ill student at Virginia Tech. Some of the family members joined Kaine for his announcement Tuesday at Virginia State Police headquarters in Richmond.
"If by doing this, we can keep one family from having to go through what these families have suffered, it will be the best thing that the Legislature will do this year," Kaine said.
Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech before committing suicide April 16, passed a background check and bought one gun from a store and a second online despite having been deemed mentally defective by a Virginia court.
Kaine has since signed an executive order requiring that anyone ordered by a court to get mental health treatment be added to a state police database of people barred from buying guns.
Opponents of expanding background checks argue that it infringes on Second Amendment rights and note that Cho did not purchase his weapons at a gun show. Those in favor of changing the law say it will help keep weapons out of the wrong hands, and argue that Cho would have gone to a gun show to purchase his weapons if his initial attempts to buy them had been thwarted.
"This has been a bill that's been a challenging bill in the past; let's be realistic," Kaine said. "But I think people have an awareness of how a loophole that might seem theoretical, as was the case in April, could lead to very, very serious harm."
The governor said the background checks take just minutes to conduct and insisted they would not unreasonably burden gun owners or sellers.
Andrew Goddard, whose son Colin survived despite being shot four times, said he takes exception to the argument that closing the loophole would inconvenience those trying to buy firearms.
"There's families here that have been incredibly inconvenienced," Goddard said after Kaine's announcement. "My son was very inconvenienced by the shootings. And if it takes a few extra minutes for a law-abiding person to get a gun from a non-licensed dealer, then I hope that they can put up with that inconvenience."
Kaine's announcement coincided with President Bush's signing of a bill Tuesday authorizing as much as $1.3 billion in grants for states to improve their ability to track and report individuals who shouldn't qualify to buy a gun legally, including those involuntarily confined by a mental institution.
Last month, Kaine proposed legislative reforms aimed at fixing mental health system failings exposed by the shootings. Cho had been ruled a danger to himself during a court commitment hearing in 2005 but never received the mental health treatment he was ordered to undergo.
Virginia's legislative session begins Wednesday.
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Published: 1/8/08, 6:46 PM EDT
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Tuesday proposed requiring background checks for everyone who tries to purchase firearms at gun shows - legislation he called critical to helping prevent tragedies like the shootings at Virginia Tech.
In Virginia and most other states, people can buy firearms from private, unlicensed sellers at gun shows without going through a background check. Such checks are required for sales by licensed dealers, whether they are at gun shows or somewhere else.
Attempts to expand background checks in Virginia have failed repeatedly, but the latest effort has support from relatives of several of those killed or wounded by a mentally ill student at Virginia Tech. Some of the family members joined Kaine for his announcement Tuesday at Virginia State Police headquarters in Richmond.
"If by doing this, we can keep one family from having to go through what these families have suffered, it will be the best thing that the Legislature will do this year," Kaine said.
Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech before committing suicide April 16, passed a background check and bought one gun from a store and a second online despite having been deemed mentally defective by a Virginia court.
Kaine has since signed an executive order requiring that anyone ordered by a court to get mental health treatment be added to a state police database of people barred from buying guns.
Opponents of expanding background checks argue that it infringes on Second Amendment rights and note that Cho did not purchase his weapons at a gun show. Those in favor of changing the law say it will help keep weapons out of the wrong hands, and argue that Cho would have gone to a gun show to purchase his weapons if his initial attempts to buy them had been thwarted.
"This has been a bill that's been a challenging bill in the past; let's be realistic," Kaine said. "But I think people have an awareness of how a loophole that might seem theoretical, as was the case in April, could lead to very, very serious harm."
The governor said the background checks take just minutes to conduct and insisted they would not unreasonably burden gun owners or sellers.
Andrew Goddard, whose son Colin survived despite being shot four times, said he takes exception to the argument that closing the loophole would inconvenience those trying to buy firearms.
"There's families here that have been incredibly inconvenienced," Goddard said after Kaine's announcement. "My son was very inconvenienced by the shootings. And if it takes a few extra minutes for a law-abiding person to get a gun from a non-licensed dealer, then I hope that they can put up with that inconvenience."
Kaine's announcement coincided with President Bush's signing of a bill Tuesday authorizing as much as $1.3 billion in grants for states to improve their ability to track and report individuals who shouldn't qualify to buy a gun legally, including those involuntarily confined by a mental institution.
Last month, Kaine proposed legislative reforms aimed at fixing mental health system failings exposed by the shootings. Cho had been ruled a danger to himself during a court commitment hearing in 2005 but never received the mental health treatment he was ordered to undergo.
Virginia's legislative session begins Wednesday.
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