The Virginia Senate has passed legislation repealing the state's 19-year-old one-handgun-a-month law.

The vote on Sen. Bill Carrico's bill was 21-19. The House of Delegates passed its version of the bill last week.

The law limiting handgun purchases to one per month was one of the signature accomplishments of former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder's administration. The Democratic governor pushed for it after Virginia became a prime source of guns used in crimes in New York and other major East Coast cities.

Carrico said the law is no longer needed because federal restrictions have proven effective. Opponents of the bill said it makes no sense to repeal a law that has been working.