Prince William board reduces concealed-handgun permit fees
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Version 0 of 1. The second time was the charm for a Second Amendment-themed vote in Prince William County last week. The Board of County Supervisors voted 5 to 3 Tuesday for a measure that reduces the fee for a concealed-handgun permit in Prince William from $50 to $15. The idea was first floated by board Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large) in January, but a move Feb. 9 to make it happen failed on a 4 to 4 vote. Because that vote ended in a tie, Stewart was allowed to bring up the matter again. This time, Supervisor Martin E. “Marty” Nohe (R-Coles), who previously voted against the fee reduction, sided with the chairman, board Vice Chairman Peter K. Candland (R-Gainesville) and Supervisors Ruth M. Anderson (R-Occoquan) and Jeanine M. Lawson (R-Brentsville) in favor of the change. Nohe said in a phone interview late last week that the initial plan to reduce the fee lacked specifics, but that he was comfortable supporting the move once more information was available. He said he was never opposed to the notion of lowering the fee for permit applicants. “I’m a big supporter of the Second Amendment,” he said. The $50 fee for a concealed-carry permit was made up of $10 collected by Prince William Circuit Court Clerk Michèle B. McQuigg (R), as well as $35 for the county sheriff’s office and $5 for the state police for processing applications. The Code of Virginia mandates that court clerks collect the $10, but gives the law-enforcement agencies discretion in determining fees as long as the total charge does not exceed $50. The supervisors’ vote Tuesday requested that Prince William Sheriff Glendell Hill (R) waive his portion of the charge, and Hill confirmed Wednesday that he will begin doing so. The sheriff’s office plans for annual revenue $75,000 from the permit fee but usually ends up collecting more than that. The supervisors pledged to find money in the next county budget to replace this revenue, and they also agreed to provide $20,000 immediately for McQuigg’s office so she can hire an employee to help process the permits. An average of 160 people apply for permits each week, the clerk told the supervisors. That means McQuigg’s staff is already strapped, and she said the lower fee “will bring people in, so our demand will go up.” She and Hill expressed concern Feb. 9 about reducing the fee, but Stewart and Candland met with them before Tuesday’s vote. News of that discussion prompted Supervisor Frank J. Principi (D-Woodbridge) to refer to the gathering as having resulted in a “backroom” deal. “I think it smells to high heaven,” said Principi, who also unsuccessfully tried to tie the fee reduction to additional funding for mental health services. He voted against decreasing the concealed-handgun permit fee, as did Supervisors Maureen S. Caddigan (R-Potomac) and John D. Jenkins (D-Neabsco). Caddigan complained about the move being made outside of the board’s annual budget talks, and she said that because only Stewart and Candland met with the clerk and sheriff, the rest of the supervisors didn’t know what, if any, promises were made to accomplish the chairman’s goal of getting the concealed-permit fee reduced. “We are out of the loop,” she said. Candland, however, bristled at the accusation that speaking with Hill and McQuigg amounted to devising an untoward arrangement. “One of the concerns that people on the board had was the fact that we needed to talk more with the sheriff and the clerk of the court,” Candland said, “and so that’s what I did, is I went and I talked more.” Reached Wednesday, Stewart also said that no deal was made to get the permit fee lowered. “There’s no quid pro quo,” he said. Tuesday’s vote was a big political win for Stewart, who is also chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in Virginia. But it’s possible that the concealed-weapon permit fee could be cut even more in Prince William. State Sen. Amanda F. Chase (R-Midlothian) filed a bill to make the $10 fee charged by local circuit court clerks optional, and that measure has been approved by the state Senate in Richmond. It was next to be discussed in a House of Delegates subcommittee. Hunley is a freelance writer. |