Attorney General Mark Herring announced Tuesday that Virginia will no longer recognize conceal handgun permits from 25 states that have less restrictive laws.
The concealed carry permits from the states will no longer be recognized beginning Feb. 1, 2016, because “their laws are not sufficient to prevent someone who is disqualified under Virginia law from receiving a concealed handgun permit,” the attorney general’s office said.
According to Virginia law, there are 20 conditions that would disqualify a person from being issued a concealed carry permit, including being in the United States illegally or being convicted of drunken driving.
Currently, Virginia has reciprocity agreements with 30 states. A review by Herring, a Democrat, found 25 of those had weaker permit regulations than Virginia. They are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming will now no longer recognize Virginia concealed carry permits because of laws requiring mutual recognition of permits.
Delaware, Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin do not currently recognize Virginia concealed carry permits. Permits from Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia will still be recognized in Virginia.
Republican Del. Rob Bell, who is running against Herring in 2017, called the move “Washington-style overreach from a nakedly partisan attorney general.”
