Concealed handgun permits, lifetime; Department of State Police to issue, penalty. (SB608)

Introduced By

Sen. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson) with support from co-patron Sen. Tom Garrett (R-Lynchburg)

Description

Lifetime concealed handgun permits; Department of State Police to issue; penalty. Provides for the issuance of concealed handgun permits that do not expire to Virginia residents upon payment of a one-time fee of $100, except that the fee for a person currently holding an unexpired permit is $50. Currently, the fee for issuing such permits is $50, and the permits must be renewed every five years with an additional $50 fee charged each time. Such lifetime permits will include a photograph of the permittee. The bill also centralizes the issuance of concealed handgun permits with the Department of State Police, instead of current law which provides that the circuit court clerk for the jurisdiction where the applicant resides issues such permits. The Department of State Police must issue a permit within 45 business days of receipt of a completed application, unless the applicant is disqualified, and a replacement permit within 30 business days of receipt of a notarized statement from the permittee that the permit was lost or stolen. Permittees must notify the Department of State Police within 30 business days of any change in their address. The bill also requires the Department of State Police to conduct periodic background checks during the lifetime of any permit issued in the Commonwealth. The bill provides for a process by which a person whose permit application was denied or whose permit was revoked may appeal such determination. The Department of State Police will submit a report containing statistical information regarding the issuance of concealed handgun permits annually to the General Assembly. The bill also requires the Department of State Police to charge a fee of $25 for the issuance of a permit to certain retired non-Virginia law-enforcement personnel (currently no fee is charged), $200 for the issuance of a nonresident permit (currently $100), $10 for the issuance of a replacement permit (currently $10 due to an address change or $5 for a lost or destroyed permit), and $50 for the transference of a nonresident permit into a resident permit. Finally, the bill provides that any person who knowingly possesses a revoked or suspended permit is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and is guilty of a Class 6 felony if he is simultaneously in possession of a concealed handgun. The bill does not alter current penalties for carrying a concealed handgun without a permit. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2015. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History