JohnBT
Member
This is from a post I made on 9/11/03...
"I'm eagerly awaiting the 'other' new mall opening in Richmond in a week or two. There will be a Galyans sporting goods store and I'm trying to figure out how, or if, they are going to sell guns in the City. (The Short Pump mall is in Henrico County.) The City requires an individually obtained buyer permit and a seller permit for each transaction within the City limits."
I meant to call them and ask, but then I slipped a disc in my back...
____________________
From the front page of this morning's Richmond Times-Dispatch...
"No permit, but store sells gun
Reporter buys revolver from Galyan's at the new Stony Point mall
BY PAIGE AKIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 25, 2003
A sporting goods store at Richmond's new mall is selling handguns without the required city permit to do so.
A reporter for The Times-Dispatch bought a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver Thursday from Galyan's at Stony Point Fashion Park in South Richmond. The transaction to purchase the gun and ammunition - including a background check and copying two forms of identification - took an hour.
As of late yesterday, Galyan's did not have a city-issued permit to sell handguns, said Assistant Chief Teresa Gooch of the Richmond Police Department.
"If a retailer doesn't comply with city ordinance, there are some criminal outcomes," she said.
The city also requires handgun buyers to obtain a permit, which the reporter did not have.
The reporter bought the gun with the knowledge of her editors after the newspaper received a tip that the store was selling guns in violation of city ordinances.
Galyan's officials did not provide comment for this story.
Selling handguns without a permit is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and up to a $2,500 fine. Gooch said she knows of no other gun dealer in the city limits.
"In conversations we've had with the retailer, they are very much intent on complying with our code," Gooch said, adding that Galyan's is licensed by the state and federal government.
Henrico and Chesterfield counties have no waiting period for handgun purchases, nor do they maintain any record of how many retailers in the counties sell handguns.
An old ordinance on the city's books requires a 15-day waiting period for handgun sales. City officials, however, say that ordinance is out of date and has been overridden by state law, which only requires a state-police background check.
The code has been on the city books since 1985.
"If the city code contains important laws that have been deemed unenforceable because of changes in state laws, that's of great concern to me. That means city code isn't being maintained," Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney David M. Hicks said. "Likewise, if these laws are valid, I'm concerned that they aren't being enforced. Either way, it doesn't make us look good."
City Councilman G. Manoli Loupassi said the council is looking at reworking its codes.
"[The waiting-period code] is on the books and it needs to come off the books," he said.
To purchase the revolver on Thursday morning, Galyan's required the Times-Dispatch reporter to fill out two one-page forms for criminal background checks - one required by the state and one by the federal government. A salesperson called in the information.
Less than five minutes later, the sale was approved and the reporter walked out with the gun, which cost $329.99. An extra $2 was tacked on for the state background check.
At no point did store employees ask the buyer for the city's required purchase permit.
Galyan's has more than 40 stores in 19 states.
Dick's, the major sporting-goods store at the new Short Pump Town Center in Henrico County, does not sell handguns. A Dick's employee referred The Times-Dispatch to Galyan's for guns.
Contact Paige Akin at (804) 649-6671 or [email protected]
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer Chris Dovi contributed to this report. "
_______________________
I knew I should have warned them. Sigh.
John
"I'm eagerly awaiting the 'other' new mall opening in Richmond in a week or two. There will be a Galyans sporting goods store and I'm trying to figure out how, or if, they are going to sell guns in the City. (The Short Pump mall is in Henrico County.) The City requires an individually obtained buyer permit and a seller permit for each transaction within the City limits."
I meant to call them and ask, but then I slipped a disc in my back...
____________________
From the front page of this morning's Richmond Times-Dispatch...
"No permit, but store sells gun
Reporter buys revolver from Galyan's at the new Stony Point mall
BY PAIGE AKIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 25, 2003
A sporting goods store at Richmond's new mall is selling handguns without the required city permit to do so.
A reporter for The Times-Dispatch bought a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver Thursday from Galyan's at Stony Point Fashion Park in South Richmond. The transaction to purchase the gun and ammunition - including a background check and copying two forms of identification - took an hour.
As of late yesterday, Galyan's did not have a city-issued permit to sell handguns, said Assistant Chief Teresa Gooch of the Richmond Police Department.
"If a retailer doesn't comply with city ordinance, there are some criminal outcomes," she said.
The city also requires handgun buyers to obtain a permit, which the reporter did not have.
The reporter bought the gun with the knowledge of her editors after the newspaper received a tip that the store was selling guns in violation of city ordinances.
Galyan's officials did not provide comment for this story.
Selling handguns without a permit is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and up to a $2,500 fine. Gooch said she knows of no other gun dealer in the city limits.
"In conversations we've had with the retailer, they are very much intent on complying with our code," Gooch said, adding that Galyan's is licensed by the state and federal government.
Henrico and Chesterfield counties have no waiting period for handgun purchases, nor do they maintain any record of how many retailers in the counties sell handguns.
An old ordinance on the city's books requires a 15-day waiting period for handgun sales. City officials, however, say that ordinance is out of date and has been overridden by state law, which only requires a state-police background check.
The code has been on the city books since 1985.
"If the city code contains important laws that have been deemed unenforceable because of changes in state laws, that's of great concern to me. That means city code isn't being maintained," Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney David M. Hicks said. "Likewise, if these laws are valid, I'm concerned that they aren't being enforced. Either way, it doesn't make us look good."
City Councilman G. Manoli Loupassi said the council is looking at reworking its codes.
"[The waiting-period code] is on the books and it needs to come off the books," he said.
To purchase the revolver on Thursday morning, Galyan's required the Times-Dispatch reporter to fill out two one-page forms for criminal background checks - one required by the state and one by the federal government. A salesperson called in the information.
Less than five minutes later, the sale was approved and the reporter walked out with the gun, which cost $329.99. An extra $2 was tacked on for the state background check.
At no point did store employees ask the buyer for the city's required purchase permit.
Galyan's has more than 40 stores in 19 states.
Dick's, the major sporting-goods store at the new Short Pump Town Center in Henrico County, does not sell handguns. A Dick's employee referred The Times-Dispatch to Galyan's for guns.
Contact Paige Akin at (804) 649-6671 or [email protected]
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer Chris Dovi contributed to this report. "
_______________________
I knew I should have warned them. Sigh.
John
