Families, Va Tech victims oppose U.S. gun measure

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Some of the survivors and families of the victims of the deadly Virginia Tech shootings are appealing to Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb to reject a proposed national standard for carrying concealed weapons.

In a full-page ad in Monday’s Richmond Times-Dispatch, about 30 families and individuals urged the two Democrats to vote against the so-called Thune concealed carry amendment.

Sponsored by South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the amendment would allow people licensed to carry concealed weapons in their home state to legally carry their weapons in other states.

The ad contends the amendment would allow residents from states with weak laws on concealed weapons to bring their handguns into Virginia.

Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people before committing suicide on April 16, 2007.