Covington VA –-(Ammoland.com)- A supervisor assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Richmond had given member Brandon Howard an interpretation of 18.2-287.4 that had Brandon extremely concerned, so he gave me a call.
18.2-287.4 says that in certain localities, like Richmond, a person cannot have a LOADED firearm that has a magazine in the gun that holds MORE than 20 rounds, or a folding stock, or is configured to accept a suppressor. CHP holders ARE exempted.
However the attorney, who admitted that she does not deal much with firearms, had interpreted that code to mean only a loaded handgun and not a loaded long gun was exempted by having a CHP.
I contacted the attorney who issued the opinion to Brandon and we had a pleasant conversation about the issue. I explained Virginia Citizens Defense League’s interpretation of how a CHP holder was totally exempt from that law. I added that the wording giving CHP holders a full exemption along with some other clarifying language was actually put in on Virginia Citizens Defense League’s behalf by Delegate Mark Cole and passed into law in 2005.
She said she would have a pow-wow with the other attorneys, including those that dealt with firearms cases, and get back to me.
She kept her word and was back to me in few days. She said her interpretation of the law was indeed wrong and that the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office AGREED with Virginia Citizens Defense League’s interpretation of 18.2-287.4.
Case closed and I appreciate the professionalism and quick turnaround by the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in regard to this matter.
We certainly don’t want any false arrests and this helps.
About:
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right. Visit: www.vcdl.org
It’s still an evil and unconstitutional law.