Virginia soon will stop recognizing concealed carry permits from the 25 states it had a reciprocity agreement with, Attorney General Mark Herring announced Tuesday.
Herring, a Democrat, said doing away with the agreement could prevent those who are dangerous from carrying a concealed gun, according to The Washington Post. The new policy would prevent Virginia residents who have a history of stalking, drug dealing or inpatient mental-health treatment from obtaining a permit in states with looser laws.
Herring added that the commonwealth’s standards for obtaining a handgun will be applied “evenly, consistently, and fairly,” as quoted by the Post.
The announcement comes after several mass shootings put gun control back in the headlines nationwide. But some conservatives argued the attorney general’s announcement was an assault against the Second Amendment.
“He is damaging the integrity of the office he holds,” Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell (R) told the newspaper.
The new restrictions will go into place Feb. 1.
Here are the states with which Virginia is breaking its agreement:
Alaska,
Arizona,
Arkansas,
Delaware,
Florida,
Idaho,
Indiana,
Kansas,
Kentucky,
Louisiana,
Minnesota,
Mississippi,
Montana,
Nebraska,
New Mexico,
North Dakota,
North Carolina,
Ohio,
Pennsylvania,
South Carolina,
South Dakota,
Tennessee,
Washington,
Wisconsin,
Wyoming.
