The Virginia House Public Safety Committee advanced a sweeping slate of criminal justice, behavioral health, and emergency management bills — most without controversy — while killing a permitless concealed carry bill by tabling it 13 to 6 and sending two contested confinement-related bills to the Appropriations Committee on split votes.
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The bill patron [UNCLEAR SPELLING — 'Delegate Zaire'] argued that independent analysis including FBI crime data and studies from the Crime Prevention Research Center show no increase in violent crime in the 29 states with similar laws, with permitless carry states experiencing roughly 10% lower violent crime than the national average. Andrew Goddard of the Virginia Center for Public Safety directly countered that 'there is a lot of evidence that there has been an increase in crime, increase in violence, an increase in deaths' in states that have taken this route. Goddard also argued there is 'a contradiction' in the bill because Virginia is an open carry state requiring nothing at all, meaning the bill's framing of qualifying criteria removes the very things that would make someone otherwise qualified.
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“The bill removes only the permit requirement, the paperwork, the fees, the delays for those citizens who can already carry openly and are fully vetted under existing standards. This bill is not granting a prohibited person any new ability to conceal carry. It simply trust responsible adults to protect themselves and their families without mandating a tax or training class that isn't required for open carry.”
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Sign in to subscribeSeeing no one on my request, Clerk will open the roll. Members will cast their votes. All right. That bill is reported and referred to appropriations by a vote of 15 to 2. Thank you, delegate Rasool. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The next is a block of uncontested votes. First we have House Bill 63 from Delegate Moorefield which provides that the southwest regional recreation Area rangers that are appointed by the board be certified through successful training through the criminal justice academy. Subcommittee recommended reporting 7 to 0. The House Bill 91 by Delegate Sebold which would limit the room and cell confinement for minors who are committed to juvenile correction facilities. There is a report on that. And the subcommittee recommended reporting 7 to 0. House Bill 248 from Delegate Watts allows for an interjurisdictional appointment, law enforcement agreements with behavioral health co response teams and recommendation of the behavioral health Commission. And that reported 7 to 0. House Bill 454 from Delegate Willett removes the requirement that DCJS and consultation with behavioral health commission develop a model addiction recovery program. This is to help, I think, streamline the process. This bill is a recommendation of the joint…
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