The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (BOS) postponed until March 2 a decision on local gun bans at a public hearing Wednesday night.
The BOS has been considering a ban for months. The current proposed ordinance would ban firearms and ammunition on county property, but the supervisors are also considering drafts with exemptions for concealed handgun permit (CHP) holders to carry concealed in parks despite the ban.
The vote was delayed because Chair Phyllis Randall included the potential exemption at the last minute, leaving Supervisor Juli Briskman no time to consider the exemption.
“There were lots of excellent speakers, the majority of which were against the ordinance. A couple of Jewish speakers supported the exemption for CHP holders in parks due to threats to the Jewish community,” says a Virginia Citizens Defense League update. “I was baffled why they would accept the carry prohibition in buildings. Surely, they must realize that they could be attacked just as easily in a library as in a park?”
After the public comments, Supervisor Tony Buffington said, “[There were] a lot of great comments this evening, actually on both sides.”
He said, “I appreciate those of you who tried to get to the details of what we’re talking about.”
Buffington said gun-free zones are some of the most dangerous places in America, but Loudoun County has good safety statistics.
“What I thought made the most sense was those who got to the statistics of gun free zones,” he said. “And so the last thing I would want to do based on those statistics is make another gun-free zone.”
“Why are we trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist?” he said.
Buffington then moved to vote to table the bill indefinitely, effectively killing the ordinance, but only Supervisor Caleb Kershner joined him in the vote, with seven other supervisors voting no.
“The gun lobby has used fear tactics money and lots of it and misinformed patriotic arguments that we are somehow violating someone’s precious individual rights if we restrict firearms in certain areas that should be safely accessed by the public,” Briskman said. “I have every confidence that Loudoun County will pass an ordinance on March 2 of some sort.”
– – –
Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Email tips to [email protected].
