Sen. Roscoe Reynolds | Sunday, January 27, 2008 By SHAWN HOPKINS - Bulletin Staff Writer State Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Ridgeway, on Friday explained his vote against a bill that would have required criminal background checks for guns purchased at gun shows. Reynolds and Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke joined with Republicans on the Courts of Justice Committee in voting to reject the bill, which delays it for at least a year. The bill was backed by Gov. Tim Kaine and the families of Virginia Tech shooting victims, who claimed that it would close a loophole and help keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons and people with dangerous mental illnesses. However, Reynolds pointed out that Seung Hui-Cho, the Virginia Tech gunman who killed 32 people April 16, did not buy his guns at a gun show but from licensed dealers. “Gun shows have nothing to do with what happened at Blacksburg,�Reynolds said. Opponents of the bill have argued that requiring checks at gun shows would have required private, unlicensed sellers to handle sales differently at gun shows than during other transactions, when they are not required to perform checks. Requiring gun checks at gun shows only would hinder the transactions of and “put limits on law-abiding citizens,�Reynolds said. He readily admitted that the fact that his district includes Hillsville, the scene of an annual VFW Flea Market and Gun Show each Labor Day, played a part in his decision. People convicted of felonies and some with mental health problems are barred from buying guns under state law. Anyone who is not supposed to buy a handgun but purchases one at a gun show “has no respect for the law,�Reynolds said. If background checks were required at gun shows, he said, those people could find other ways of getting guns, such as through private sales that do not require background checks. Reynolds, however, said there is nothing to prevent sellers at gun shows from running background checks if they chose to voluntarily. |
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