VCDL update on Albemarle meeting 7/23

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Bob A

    όυ φροντισ
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Nov 11, 2009
    30,691
    From the email:


    Sorry for the delay in the alert. The video of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors (BoS) meeting on local gun-control from Wednesday night was finally posted late yesterday and I watched it in its entirety for this report. (I couldn’t watch it live as I had another engagement after the rally and was out of pocket.)

    Between 5 and 6 pm, there were over 100 people at the rally (arranged by Steve Harvey) in opposition to any local gun-control. Steve (who is running to be on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors against incumbent Ann Mallek), Delegate Matt Fariss, Delegate Chris Runion, as well as candidate Philip Hamilton (running for the House of Delegates District 57 Albemarle/Charlottesville), and I addressed the GSL-stickered crowd. At 6 pm many at the rally got on their cellphone to call into the Virtual Board of Supervisors hearing.

    Since I could not speak at the hearing, I authorized Pat Webb and Ed Levine to speak on behalf of VCDL. Both did so and did an excellent job.

    In the end, the Board of Supervisors did NOT vote on the proposed ordinance and won’t do so until at least August 18. That’s because many key changes had been proposed and the supervisors wanted to have the new ordinance redrafted before they voted on it. Fair enough. So, for now nothing has changed regarding firearms in Albemarle County.



    MY READING OF THE TEA LEAVES

    Based on the discussion by the BoS members before and after they listened to the public testimony (there were only two people who called in support of the proposed ordinance), I believe the ordinance WILL pass in some form. I believe that the ordinance will likely include an exemption of some sort for CHP holders. Finally, I expect that the ordinance will allow for storage of guns in vehicles while on park property.



    DISCUSSION

    It was clear that open carry is abhorrent to the supervisors, but all seemed open to allowing for some kind of exemption for CHP holders.

    Most of the supervisors admitted to not knowing much about guns and asked quite a few questions about guns, components, ammunition, CHPs, and CHP holders. Supervisor Price noted that she has a CHP, as did the County Attorney. It’s too bad the other supervisors hadn’t gotten CHPs as well.

    Worth noting was that Supervisor Price said that all CHP holders, including County employees, should be allowed to carry. The employees with CHPs carrying suggestion did not get much of a response from the other supervisors, but Albemarle County would not be the first county in Virginia to do this. Bedford County, for example, passed such an employment policy some years ago and it has been quite successful.

    As usual with such hearings, there was a lot of misinformation and unrealistic firearm-use scenarios presented. The County Attorney, the Police Chief, the County Executive, and some of the callers cleared up much of the misinformation.

    When the Police Chief was asked about whether having armed citizens in the BoS meetings was a good or bad idea, the Chief said that each scenario is different. The Chief noted a study that showed police usually get to the scene of a public mass-shooting after the shooting is over (such shootings typically only last thirty seconds to one minute). That same study showed that in 40% of the shootings, citizens, armed and unarmed, stopped the murderer before police could get there.



    SUMMARY



    There is clearly no need for this ordinance at all in Albemarle County. The ordinance, in any form, infringes on the rights of citizens and would take the County out of lockstep with the counties surrounding them, as well as 94% of the localities in the Commonwealth.

    Dislike of open carry is what seems to be mostly driving the effort for the ordinance. While exempting CHP holders is a major improvement over the original ordinance, that still leaves those law-abiding gun-owners who don’t have a CHP, or maybe don’t want a CHP, without a way to protect themselves in County buildings, parks, and recreation and community centers.

    It is unlikely that the BoS will have another hearing before they vote next month. As soon as I get a copy of the revised ordinance, I’ll let you know.



    ACTION ITEM

    We can continue to contact the Board of Supervisors and politely urge them to just walk away from any changes to the gun laws in the County, as no changes to gun laws are needed.

    To send an email to the entire Board of Supervisors at one time, click here: bos@albemarle.org

    -

    Thanks to all of you who are helping with this!





    Media Coverage of Hearing

    Protesters gather to tell Albemarle BOS 'hands off my guns'

    WATCH NOW: Dozens protest Albemarle's proposed ban on firearms on county-owned property

    https://www.nbc29.com/2021/07/20/gu...head-proposed-firearm-ordinance-albemarle-co/

    After Pushback, Virginia County Delays Vote On Gun Ban



    PO Box 513, Newington, VA 22122-0513
    (804) 639-0600
    Website: www.vcdl.org
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,930
    Messages
    7,259,482
    Members
    33,350
    Latest member
    Rotorboater

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom