Charleston Council repeals handgun restrictions

[Lasher]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Handgun sales in Charleston will no longer be subject to additional city restrictions after city council voted 26-1 Monday night to repeal the city's firearm sales laws.

Councilman Robert Sheets, a Democrat representing downtown and part of the East End, cast the lone "no" vote.

The repeal of the nearly 21-year-old ordinance is an attempt by the city to encourage Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to veto Senate Bill 317, which contains a provision that forces municipalities to allow concealed-carry firearms in city recreation centers — something city officials have been strongly against.

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Charleston's gun ordinance concerning sales includes a 72-hour waiting period for handgun sales, and requires a registration form, photo identification and background checks for handgun buyers. It also limits handgun sales to one per person per month.

The law was implemented in 1993 after a string of violent crime in the city, in particular a situation where drug dealers from large metropolitan areas in the Northeast and Midwest would sell drugs in Charleston, then use the profits to buy cheap guns, according to a Daily Mail article at the time. The city chamber of commerce also endorsed the law.

http://www.charlestondailymail.com/News/Kanawha/201403170253