Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, a Republican, sent a letter to Republican leaders yesterday in which he criticized Gov. Tim Kaine's push to close the so-called gun show loophole.
"There is no 'loophole' that applies to gun shows," Mr. Gilmore said in the letter, which addressed to House Speaker William J. Howell, Stafford County Republican, and emailed to reporters. "Federal and state law applies to gun shows in exactly the same manner as anywhere else. The vast majority of sellers at gun shows are federally licensed dealers who are required under current law to perform instant background checks on their customers. The remainders are private sellers who are not required in any setting — gun show or otherwise — to submit to the same regulations that apply to licensed dealers."
"There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that bringing the heavy hand of gun control down on private sellers (who are usually collectors who buy, sell or trade a very small quantity of guns) will do anything to reduce violent crime," he said.
Mr. Gilmore's letter come as he tries to build some momentum for his U.S. Senate bid. He will fight for the Republican nomination at a party convention this summer against Delegate Robert G. Marshall, Prince William County Republican.
Odds are the winner will face former Gov. Mark R. Warner, a Democrat who enjoys double digit leads over Gilmore in early polls.
The letter also comes after Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, devoted a chunk of his State of the Commonwealth address last week urging lawmaker to change the law, saying "there is no reason for law-abiding gun owners or gun sellers to oppose the instant check."
"Since 1991, Virginia has required that anyone purchasing any type of firearm from a licensed dealer undergo a background check," Mr. Kaine said in his address. "This instant, computerized check is designed to prevent a felon or other dangerous individual from buying a gun."
He continued: "However, a loophole still exists in this important measure. Anyone can walk into a gun show and purchase a firearm without the background check. I support 2nd Amendment rights, and I believe that Virginia’s laws generally strike the right balance of protecting that right consistent with public safety. But, if we are to enforce current law keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, we must require instant background checks for purchase of weapons at gun shows."
Since the speech, gun-rights activist have accused Mr. Kaine of distorting the Virginia Tech tragedy, where 32 students and faculty where killed by a student with mental illness, to make it seem as if the "loophole" had something to do with the massacre. They say and Mr. Kaine agrees that the law would not have stopped the gunman from buying the guns he used in the massacre.
In his letter to Speaker Howell, Gilmore points to a 2001 study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that less than one percent of guns used in crimes have come from gun shows.
"It is clear that subjecting private collectors to more gun control regulations would do nothing to reduce violent crime, while setting a dangerous precedent that all private firearms transactions would be subject to regulations that were intended to apply only to licensed dealers, not private individuals," he said.
— Seth McLaughlin, Virginia politics reporter, The Washington Times
