VICTORY: Spotsylvania County public hearing TONIGHT to remove CHP fingerprinting on Tuesday 9 DEC

[rlh2005]

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This is short notice alert. The agenda was just put on the web this morning.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, December 9), the Spotsylvania County Board of
Supervisors will hold a public hearing to remove the CHP fingerprint
requirement. It's the second to last item on the agenda (see
http://tinyurl.com/5pxdzq ). The public hearing portion of the meeting starts at 6:30PM.

Unfortunately, I cannot attend the public hearing due to a prior
commitment. If there are any other Spotsy residents on here, please try to attend.


Edit: This is in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

 

[TFred]

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From the Executive Summary at the link provided, we find:

Summary: Va. Code Ann. §18.2-308 (1950, as amended) requires that persons applying for concealed handgun permits submit fingerprints as part of their application, if the locality has an ordinance that requires it. Pursuant to Section 2-12 of the Spotsylvania County Code, the County currently has an ordinance that requires fingerprints be submitted. Staff recommends that the current requirement contained in Section 2-12 be repealed, since the majority of the fee the County can charge by statute is paid to the FBI for examination of the fingerprints. In addition, staff supports the repeal of the requirement because this ordinance has not prevented anyone from acquiring a concealed handgun permit. The County will also save money by not having to pay a deputy two Saturdays a month to do fingerprints.

Common sense... Wow.

I would count on the Free Lance-Star being there.

TFred

 

[Mike]

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Let's go guys - a lot of us are spread thin - if you are from Spotsy. County, please go and speak briefly in favor - very important so we can bootstrap this to other jurisdictions - only about 27% of localities CHOOSE to waste money and fingerprint.

 

[TFred]

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Early morning coverage in the Free Lance-Star:

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/122008/12092008/430206

PVC is quoted!

TFred


Weapon permit rules may change
December 9, 2008 12:35 am

By DAN TELVOCK

Spotsylvania County residents may soon be able to obtain concealed-handgun permits without having to submit fingerprints.

Tonight, the Board of Supervisors will consider removing the fingerprinting requirement from the concealed-handgun permit ordinance. According to a county staff report, the national background check has never prevented a person from acquiring a permit.

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for tonight at the Holbert Building on Courthouse Road. Public hearings begin at 6:30 p.m.

The state allows localities to add fingerprinting into local ordinances as an extra step before anyone can obtain a permit. The fingerprints are sent to Virginia State Police, who forward the applications to the Federal Bureau of Investigations for a national background check.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said fingerprints are an unnecessary burden on law-enforcement agencies that process the applications.

"The State Police has already made it clear that [fingerprints] are not required to do a thorough background check," he said.

Supervisors are considering removing the clause because most of the local fee goes to pay the $24 cost of each national background check. By law, the fee local law-enforcement agencies can charge for the background check cannot exceed $35, and the total for processing an application cannot exceed $50.

Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office Maj. Michael Timm said the county won't have to pay a deputy two Saturdays a month to perform the fingerprinting. There has been a spike in permits this year, he said.

"It just alleviates the burden of us having to do all of that fingerprinting," he said. "We just about have to devote someone to that full time."

Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com

=================================

SPOTSYLVANIA PERMITS

2005: 578

2006: 601

2007: 527

2008: 785

THE LAW IN OTHER AREA LOCALITIES REQUIRE PRINTS: Caroline, Fauquier, Louisa, Westmoreland, Fredericksburg
DON'T REQUIRE PRINTS: Stafford, King George, Culpeper, Orange

 

[rlh2005]

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NRA-ILA has picked it up and just sent an email alert:


http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4256

Virginia: Spotsylvania County to Consider Simplifying Right-to-Carry Permit Process Tonight!

Tuesday, December 09, 2008


Please Stand-Up and Make Your Voices Heard!

Tonight, the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors will consider removing the fingerprinting stage of requirements to obtain a Right-to-Carry permit. This will help ensure an easier path for law-abiding citizens to acquire a permit to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense.

In a recent county staff report, the background check has never prevented a person in Spotsylvania from acquiring a permit. Not only will removal of this clause make things easier for the applicants, but it will also ease the burden on the County Sheriff due to the dramatic spike in permit applications this year.

Tonight’s meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Richard E. Holbert Building located at 9104 Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania.

Please attend tonight’s hearing and respectfully urge the County Board of Supervisors to remove the fingerprinting requirement. If you are unable to attend, please contact the Board of Supervisors to voice your disapproval with the fingerprinting requirement. Contact information can be found below.

Hap Connors
Chancellor District
540-548-4813
hconnors@spotsylvania.va.us

Jerry Logan
Courtland District
540-786-9753
jlogan@spotsylvania.va.us

Gary Jackson
Salem District
540-785-0585
gaj@spotsylvania.va.us

Emmitt Marshall
Berkeley District
540-582-5381
spotsyebm@aol.com

Gary Skinner
Lee Hill District
540-891-6610
gskinner@spotsylvania.va.us

Benjamin Pitts
Battlefield District
540-898-4335
bpitts@spotsylvania.va.us

T.C. Waddy
Livingston District
540-854-4043
spotsytcw@aol.com

Randy Wheeler
County Administrator
540-507-7010
cadmin@spotsylvania.va.us

 

[zoom6zoom]

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Just heard this on the news on WMAL... supposedly the request was submitted by Sheriff Smith, who was quoted as saying it was an unnecessary expense that didn't contribute to safety.

One more domino...

 

[rlh2005]

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I'll let Sheriff Smith take the credit but I know where it really came from (see page 10).

 

[rlh2005]

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The Spotsy BOS voted unanimously to remove the fingerprinting requirement.

 

[TFred]

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rlh2005 wrote:

I'll let Sheriff Smith take the credit but I know where it really came from (see page 10).

Amusing read... the wording of that proposal was incorrect:

"to consider bringing the County Code into compliance with amendments to State law no longer requiring fingerprinting for the renewal of an existing permit."

As if they had a choice... to not do so would have left an illegal law on the books!

TFred

PS: This was from November 2007, in case you are just skimming!

 

[Mike]

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Great - hopefully folks around VA get to work and get their boards to repeal optional fingerprinting.

 

[Mike]

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http://tinyurl.com/5khrb7

Weapon permit rules may change

Spotsylvania County supervisors will consider removing fingerprint
requirement for those seeking concealed weapons permits

Date published: 12/9/2008

By DAN TELVOCK

Spotsylvania County residents may soon be able to obtain concealed-
handgun permits without having to submit fingerprints.

Tonight, the Board of Supervisors will consider removing the
fingerprinting requirement from the concealed-handgun permit
ordinance. According to a county staff report, the national background
check has never prevented a person from acquiring a permit.

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for tonight at the
Holbert Building on Courthouse Road. Public hearings begin at 6:30 p.m.

The state allows localities to add fingerprinting into local
ordinances as an extra step before anyone can obtain a permit. The
fingerprints are sent to Virginia State Police, who forward the
applications to the Federal Bureau of Investigations for a national
background check.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League,
said fingerprints are an unnecessary burden on law-enforcement
agencies that process the applications.

"The State Police has already made it clear that [fingerprints] are
not required to do a thorough background check," he said.

Supervisors are considering removing the clause because most of the
local fee goes to pay the $24 cost of each national background check.
By law, the fee local law-enforcement agencies can charge for the
background check cannot exceed $35, and the total for processing an
application cannot exceed $50.

Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office Maj. Michael Timm said the county won't
have to pay a deputy two Saturdays a month to perform the
fingerprinting. There has been a spike in permits this year, he said.

"It just alleviates the burden of us having to do all of that
fingerprinting," he said. "We just about have to devote someone to
that full time."