Republican lawmakers on Virginia's Senate Courts of Justice Committee defied Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) by passing a bill on January 20 to allow concealed carry in the state without a permit. Currently, Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Vermont, and Wyoming allow concealed carry without a permit. According to Fredericksburg.com, Republican lawmakers also struck down a bill supported by McAuliffe intended to "require background checks on all gun buyers at gun shows." McAuliffe has been pushing for such an expansion from the time he assumed the governor’s office.