Virginia will no longer recognize its concealed carry reciprocity agreements with 25 other states, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring is set to announce Tuesday. "Our General Assembly has already identified who can and cannot conceal handguns in Virginia, and we cannot have that decision undermined by recognizing permits from other states with more permissive standards," Herring said in a statement to The Washington Post, underscoring that he saw this as a "commonsense step that can help make Virginians and our law enforcement officers safer by ensuring that Virginia's laws on who can and cannot carry a concealed handgun are applied evenly, consistently, and fairly."
The decision follows the Democratic attorney general's review this year of Virginia's reciprocity agreements with 30 other states. While five of the agreements — including those with West Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah — will stay in place, states with concealed handgun permit regulations weaker than Virginia's will no longer be recognized.
Herring is facing pushback from only one Republican, former state prosecutor Del. Robert B. Bell III.