I urge supervisors to support a local ordinance prohibiting firearms in government buildings and on public property. Virginians can obtain conceal-carry permits without even touching a handgun, and licensing isn't required at all for open-carry, neither of which enhances public safety. After the violent 2017 Unite the Right attack on Charlottesville — where officials were powerless to disarm neo-Nazis and white supremacists — both the independent report commissioned by the city and the governor's task force suggested a change in state law. Such lax regulations needlessly endanger public safety and are exploited by extremists intent on intimidating or outright threatening political foes; this is especially worrisome now with BLM demonstrations.
I urge supervisors to support a local ordinance prohibiting firearms in government buildings and on public property. Virginians can obtain conceal-carry permits without even touching a handgun, and licensing isn't required at all for open-carry, neither of which enhances public safety. After the violent 2017 Unite the Right attack on Charlottesville — where officials were powerless to disarm neo-Nazis and white supremacists — both the independent report commissioned by the city and the governor's task force suggested a change in state law. Such lax regulations needlessly endanger public safety and are exploited by extremists intent on intimidating or outright threatening political foes; this is especially worrisome now with BLM demonstrations.