15100379D Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1. That §§18.2-308.01, 18.2-308.02, 18.2-308.04, 18.2-308.05, and 18.2-308.011 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows: §18.2-308.01. Carrying a concealed handgun with a permit. A. The prohibition against carrying a concealed handgun in
clause (i) of subsection A of §18.2-308 shall not apply to a person who has a
valid concealed handgun permit issued pursuant to this article. The person
issued the permit shall have such permit on his person at all times during
which he is carrying a concealed handgun and shall display the permit and a
photo identification issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth or by
the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. State Department (passport) upon demand
by a law-enforcement officer. A person to whom a nonresident permit is issued
shall have such permit on his person at all times when he is carrying a
concealed handgun in the Commonwealth and shall display the permit on demand by
a law-enforcement officer. B. Failure to display the permit and a photo identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer shall be punishable by a $25 civil penalty, which shall be paid into the state treasury. Any attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which the alleged violation occurred may bring an action to recover the civil penalty. A court may waive such penalty upon presentation to the court of a valid permit and a government-issued photo identification. Any law-enforcement officer may issue a summons for the civil violation of failure to display the concealed handgun permit and photo identification upon demand. C. The granting of a concealed handgun permit pursuant to this article shall not thereby authorize the possession of any handgun or other weapon on property or in places where such possession is otherwise prohibited by law or is prohibited by the owner of private property. §18.2-308.02. Application for a concealed handgun permit; Virginia resident or domiciliary. A. Any person 21 years of age or older may apply in writing to
the clerk of the circuit court of the county or city in which he resides, or if
he is a member of the United States armed forces, the county or city in which
he is domiciled, for a B. The court shall require proof that the applicant has demonstrated competence with a handgun and the applicant may demonstrate such competence by one of the following, but no applicant shall be required to submit to any additional demonstration of competence, nor shall any proof of demonstrated competence expire: 1. Completing any hunter education or hunter safety course approved by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries or a similar agency of another state; 2. Completing any National Rifle Association firearms safety or training course; 3. Completing any firearms safety or training course or class available to the general public offered by a law-enforcement agency, junior college, college, or private or public institution or organization or firearms training school utilizing instructors certified by the National Rifle Association or the Department of Criminal Justice Services; 4. Completing any law-enforcement firearms safety or training course or class offered for security guards, investigators, special deputies, or any division or subdivision of law enforcement or security enforcement; 5. Presenting evidence of equivalent experience with a firearm through participation in organized shooting competition or current military service or proof of an honorable discharge from any branch of the armed services; 6. Obtaining or previously having held a license to carry a firearm in the Commonwealth or a locality thereof, unless such license has been revoked for cause; 7. Completing any firearms training or safety course or class, including an electronic, video, or online course, conducted by a state-certified or National Rifle Association-certified firearms instructor; 8. Completing any governmental police agency firearms training course and qualifying to carry a firearm in the course of normal police duties; or 9. Completing any other firearms training which the court deems adequate. A photocopy of a certificate of completion of any of the courses or classes; an affidavit from the instructor, school, club, organization, or group that conducted or taught such course or class attesting to the completion of the course or class by the applicant; or a copy of any document that shows completion of the course or class or evidences participation in firearms competition shall constitute evidence of qualification under this subsection. C. The making of a materially false statement in an application under this article shall constitute perjury, punishable as provided in § 18.2-434. D. The clerk of court shall withhold from public disclosure the applicant's name and any other information contained in a permit application or any order issuing a concealed handgun permit, except that such information shall not be withheld from any law-enforcement officer acting in the performance of his official duties or from the applicant with respect to his own information. The prohibition on public disclosure of information under this subsection shall not apply to any reference to the issuance of a concealed handgun permit in any order book before July 1, 2008; however, any other concealed handgun records maintained by the clerk shall be withheld from public disclosure. E. An application is deemed complete when all information required to be furnished by the applicant, including the fee for a concealed handgun permit as set forth in §18.2-308.03, is delivered to and received by the clerk of court before or concomitant with the conduct of a state or national criminal history records check. §18.2-308.04. Processing of the application and issuance of a concealed handgun permit. A. The clerk of court shall enter on the application the date on which the application and all other information required to be submitted by the applicant is received. B. Upon receipt of the completed application, the court shall consult with either the sheriff or police department of the county or city and receive a report from the Central Criminal Records Exchange. C. The court shall issue the permit via United States mail and
notify the State Police of the issuance of the permit within 45 days of receipt
of the completed application unless it is determined that the applicant is disqualified.
Any order denying issuance of the permit shall be in accordance with §
18.2-308.08. If the applicant is later found by the court to be disqualified
after a D. A court may authorize the clerk to issue concealed handgun permits, without judicial review, to applicants who have submitted complete applications, for whom the criminal history records check does not indicate a disqualification and, after consulting with either the sheriff or police department of the county or city, about which application there are no outstanding questions or issues. The court clerk shall be immune from suit arising from any acts or omissions relating to the issuance of concealed handgun permits without judicial review pursuant to this section unless the clerk was grossly negligent or engaged in willful misconduct. This section shall not be construed to limit, withdraw, or overturn any defense or immunity already existing in statutory or common law, or to affect any cause of action accruing prior to July 1, 2010. E. The permit to carry a concealed handgun shall specify only
the following information: name, address, date of birth, gender, height,
weight, color of hair, color of eyes, and signature of the permittee; the
signature of the judge issuing the permit, of the clerk of court who has been
authorized to sign such permits by the issuing judge, or of the clerk of court
who has been authorized to issue such permits pursuant to subsection D; and the date of issuance §18.2-308.05. Issuance of a de facto permit. If the court has not issued the permit or determined that the
applicant is disqualified within 45 days of the date of receipt noted on the
application, the clerk shall certify on the application that the 45-day period
has expired, and mail or send via electronic mail a copy of the certified
application to the applicant within five business days of the expiration of the
45-day period. The certified application shall serve as a de facto permit,
which shall expire 90 days after issuance, and shall be recognized as a valid
concealed handgun permit when presented with a valid government-issued photo
identification pursuant to subsection A of §18.2-308.01, until the court
issues a §18.2-308.011. Replacement permits. A. The clerk of a circuit court that issued a valid concealed handgun permit shall, upon presentation of the valid permit and proof of a new address of residence by the permit holder, issue a replacement permit specifying the permit holder's new address. The clerk of court shall forward the permit holder's new address of residence to the State Police. The State Police may charge a fee not to exceed $5, and the clerk of court issuing the replacement permit may charge a fee not to exceed $5. The total amount assessed for processing a replacement permit pursuant to this subsection shall not exceed $10, with such fees to be paid in one sum to the person who receives the information for the replacement permit. B. The clerk of a circuit court that issued a valid concealed
handgun permit shall, upon submission of a notarized statement by the permit
holder that the permit was lost or destroyed or that the permit holder has
undergone a legal name change, issue a replacement permit. 2. That §18.2-308.010 of the Code of Virginia is repealed. |