



(Reuters) - Virginia will no longer recognize concealed-carry handgun permits from 25 states that have reciprocity agreements with the state, effective Feb. 1, Attorney General Mark Herring said on Tuesday.

Virginia took the step because laws in those states are less restrictive, Herring's office said in a statement.



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The change prevents people convicted of a felony, domestic abusers, those adjudicated mentally ill or incompetent, recently convicted drunk drivers and dishonorably discharged military personnel from using a permit from those states in Virginia.

The state is the site of worst mass shooting in U.S. history, a 2007 rampage at Virginia Tech University in which 32 people were killed.

The change came after a review by Herring's office and the Virginia State Police of the 30 states whose concealed handgun permits are valid in Virginia under a reciprocity policy.

Virginia will continue to recognize concealed-carry permits from Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.



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5 PHOTOS 2016 groups shaping the election: Gun control activists See Gallery Virginia to stop honoring 25 states' concealed-carry gun permits UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 10: Yvonne Crasso, holds a picture of her sister Nina Michele Bradley, who was killed by a gun at age 23 in 2012, during a rally on the East Front lawn of the Capitol to demand that Congress take action on gun control legislation, September 10, 2015. Ashley Cech, whose mother Yvonne Cech, a librarian, survived the Sandy Hook shootings, appears with Crasso. The event, titled #Whateverittakes Day of Action, was hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety and featured speeches by political leaders and families of gun violence victims. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) WASHINGTON, USA - JANUARY 4: A group of people demonstrate in front of the White House for greater gun control to help curb gun violence in Washington, USA on January 4, 2015. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 10: Natasha Christopher, center, holds up a photo of her son Akeal Christopher, who was 14 years old when he was shot in the back of the head and killed while walking home in Brooklyn, New York, during a press conference, on Capitol Hill on December 10, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The conference featured supporters of gun control and family members of gun violence victims. (Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 10: Miyoshia Bailey cries as she describes how her only son, Cortez Bailey, 23, was shot to death in Chicago, Illinois, during a press conference, on Capitol Hill on December 10, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The conference featured supporters of gun control and family members of gun violence victims. (Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 05: Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) (L) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are joined by Newtown Action Alliance Vice Chairman David Stowe (R) to announce the re-introduction of legislation that would ban high-capacity ammunition magazines at the U.S. Capitol February 5, 2015 in Washington, DC. Citing the 2012 mass shooting of children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, Democratic members of the House and Senate joined the Connecticut delegation to support and emphasize the need for the proposed law. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

Concealed permit rules approved by Virginia lawmakers "should not be undermined by wrongly recognizing permits from other states with more permissive standards," said Herring, a Democrat.

Governor Terry McAuliffe, also a Democrat, has vowed to tighten gun laws but has been thwarted by the Republican-controlled legislature.





Chris Cox, executive director of the Institute for Legislative Action at the National Rifle Association, the Virginia-based gun lobby, said permit holders were among the safest groups of people in the United States.

"Plain and simple, this is putting politics above public safety. This decision is both dangerous and shameful," he said in an emailed statement.



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