The House Committee on Public Safety's firearms subcommittee on Oct. 12 laid on the table House Bill 1569, which would reduce the $50 fee for Virginia concealed handgun permits. The motion to lay the bill on the table passed 6-3, halting immediate action by the subcommittee.

Del. Delaney Wiley presented the bill, saying the original $50 charge was broken down as $10 for the circuit court clerk, $10 for local law enforcement background checks, $5 for the Virginia State Police and $25 for FBI fingerprint processing. "In 2012, the General Assembly repealed the fingerprinting requirement which meant that $25 of the $50 was no longer going to the FBI," Wiley said, and HB 1569 would "reduce the permit fee by the $25 no longer being paid to the FBI." She added the bill would not require reimbursement for past payments but would "set a correct fee going forward."

Supporters, including Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League and Taylor McKee of the National Rifle Association, said many localities already charge less than $50 and that the fee should reflect current processing costs. William Barrett, a resident of Arlington, said the change "is not a Democrat or Republican or pro-gun or anti-gun bill" but rather an effort to align fees with actual costs.

Opponents, including Andrew Goddard of the Virginia Center for Public Safety and Liddy Ballard of Brady, said the fee helps cover the cost of processing and enforcement. Goddard said, "This is not a tax on gun owners. This is to pay for the cost of the processing." Lori Haas noted other licensing fees in the Commonwealth are higher because of training or medical evaluations.

After public testimony, a member moved to lay the bill on the table. The clerk reported the roll and announced the bill was laid on the table by a vote of 6 to 3.

Because the subcommittee laid HB 1569 on the table, it will not move forward from this panel for now. The chair noted that the full committee chair retains discretion to pull bills from subcommittee for a full hearing under the procedural approach the subcommittee is using this session.