Evidence of just how divided Virginians are over firearms legislation played out on the lawn of the state Capitol yesterday.

As more than 100 men and women -- including some family members of the Virginia Tech shooting victims -- lay down on the grass in a symbolic "die-in" to protest gun violence and push for more controls on firearms sales, an equal number of people opposed to further gun legislation stood around them.

"So I guess everyone here was unarmed," one man shouted at the group on the grass.

"All those for gun rights, stand up!" called another man, drawing laughter from like-minded colleagues.

The silent protest ended without incident. But it was just one more contentious battle in the war of words that dominated debate in the Senate yesterday over a proposed law to require background checks on all firearms purchases at gun shows.

Roughly 300 people packed a Senate hearing room and overflowed into the hallways of the first floor of the General Assembly building.

Many wore yellow stickers that stated, "Close the gun-show loophole." Tech family supporters wore ribbons in the school's colors round their necks . Mothers carried 8-by-10 school portraits of children who had been killed in gun violence.

Others wore orange stickers stating, "Guns Save Lives." They pasted signs on their backs with slogans stating "Self-defense is a basic human right," "Freedom is not a loophole," and "Life is precious. Guns protect it."

Courts of Justice Committee Chairman Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond, put off until tomorrow afternoon a committee vote on his legislation, Senate Bill 109, to close the so-called gun-show loophole. A similar measure was defeated last week in a House of Delegates committee by a 15-7 vote.

During the committee hearing yesterday, a long blue line of state and local police officials stepped to the podium to support the legislation, which would require background checks on gun-show purchases from unlicensed dealers, but would not apply to private sales that take place outside of gun shows.

"Guns don't kill people, people do -- so we need to look at the people who are buying guns," said Col. Gerald Massengill, the former superintendent of the Virginia State Police who headed the panel Gov. Timothy M. Kaine appointed to review the April 16 Virginia Tech massacre.

"If we are not going to keep the guns out of the hands of felons and the mentally defective at the point of sale, where are we going to start?" Massengill said.

"We know. We can bet, there's another Cho out there," he said, referring to the mentally disturbed Tech gunman, Seung-Hui Cho. Cho killed 32 Tech students and teachers before killing himself on April 16.

"There is no loophole at gun shows," insisted Joel Partridge, Virginia liaison for the National Rifle Association.

"Everything that takes place at a gun show can take place anywhere else in the commonwealth with regard to transaction of a firearm."

Partidge invoked the fear that many opponents of the bill have articulated -- that closing the "gun-show loophole" is a first step toward legislation seeking to require background checks on all firearms transactions.

"You can't stop the criminals from getting guns," argued Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, who opposes the legislation. The solution, he suggested, is to allow people to defend themselves. In addition he said the background checks are "onerous."

Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, stopped Van Cleave and posed a question:

"How onerous do you think this has been on that family sitting there to your left?" he asked, pointing to the family of slain Tech victim Reema Samaha.

Joseph T. Samaha Jr. was one of several Tech family members who rose to support the bill.

As his daughter and wife embraced each other in their seats, Samaha told the Senate panel that the Tech tragedy was preventable -- "a failure of people, law and institutions.

The bill's "sole purpose is to take away from what we've learned about our tragedy and translate that into a measure of public safety that will benefit all Virginians," he added.

"The opponents know the problem at gun shows exists," Samaha said. "Percentages mean nothing. It takes only one."
Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or jnolan@timesdispatch.com.