Chairman Corey Stewart proposes to eliminate $50 concealed handgun permit fee in Prince William Coun

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart said Jan. 18 he will propose at the Jan. 19 Board of County Supervisors’ meeting that the county waive all fees associated with the county issuance of concealed handgun permits.

If such waivers are enacted, Prince William County would be the first locality in Virginia to take this action.

Stewart said the change will benefit law abiding county citizens who pass the existing state background checks and meet the state statutory requirements for the issuance of the permit.

Generally the fees amount to $50. Stewart said that is $10 to the Clerk’s Office, $35 to the Sheriff’s Department and $5 to Virginia State Police. He estimates the total amount the county will have to cover to be about $70,000 a year.

Stewart said he expects lively discussion on both sides of the issue before the supervisors vote on the measure at their meeting on Feb. 9.

What sparked his fee elimination proposal, said the board chairman, was Attorney General Mark Herring’s ending reciprocity on gun rights.
“This at least takes the cost out of it,” he said.

“I support the rights of Prince William County citizens… our current Attorney General has put gun owners in a position of defending the exercise of their Second Amendment rights rather than expanding them. This policy allows well qualified citizens to freely exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Stewart was quoted as saying.

He noted the Prince William County Sheriff’s Department and Clerk of the Court already offer citizens high levels of service, which includes their efficient and timely processing of existing applications.

Clerk of Court Michele McQuigg said any time there is a “incident,” the Clerk’s Office sees a spike in applications to carry a concealed handgun.
Applications are running about 60 a day, up from 20, she said. McQuigg noted, “More and more women have been applying…especially in the past year.”