RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Newly released figures show Virginia State Police arrested more people than ever in 2015 for illegally attempting to buy firearms at state gun shows.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports state troopers arrested 91 people last year at 75 gun shows on charges related to someone being prohibited from possessing a firearm. That's a 54 percent increase over 2014 and the most since 71 people were arrested in 2013.
Twenty-six arrests were for people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, while 25 arrests were for those convicted of felony offenses as an adult or juvenile.
Although the number of arrests increased, the percentage of people denied approval through background checks to buy firearms at Virginia gun shows who then were arrested dropped from 35 percent in 2014 to 33 percent last year.
