City Council To Host Hearing On Gun Ban In Public Spaces

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Fairfax City Council is hosting a public hearing Tuesday night on an ordinance to prohibit the possession of firearms in city buildings, facilities, public property, and some public events.

The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in 2020 enabling localities to enact ordinances to prohibit firearms in and on certain public properties. Since then, several nearby jurisdictions, including Fairfax County, the City of Falls Church, and the City of Alexandria, have all enacted ordinances prohibiting firearms in public buildings and spaces.

At its Jan. 26 meeting, the City Council voted unanimously to introduce the ordinance and scheduled the public hearing for Tuesday, at 7 p.m.

If enacted the ordinance would prohibit firearms and ammunition in the following areas, according to a staff report:

1. In any building, or part thereof, owned or used by the city, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the city for governmental purposes.
2. In any public park owned or operated by the city, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the city.
3. In any recreation or community center facility operated by the city or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the city.
4. In any public street, road, alley, or sidewalk or public right-of-way or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public and is being used by or is adjacent to a city-permitted event or an event that would otherwise require a city permit.

For buildings not owned by the city or a local governmental authority created or controlled by the city, the restrictions outlined above shall affect the parts of the building being used primarily for a governmental purpose.

A violation of the ordinance if enacted would be classified as a class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 12 month in jail, a fine of up to $2,500 or both.

In order to implement the prohibitions, the city manager may provide for security measures, which could include metal detectors and security personnel, whose duty would be to prevent unauthorized access to the building.

The ordinance contains a number of exceptions to the restrictions, including military or law enforcement personnel acting within the scope of their official duties, private security hired by the city, and the transportation of firearms in a vehicle, when the firearms are secured out of site in a vehicle being driven on a public street.

The public may watch Tuesday night's meeting on Channel 12 (Cox/Verizon) or via live stream on the city's website. Once instructed at the beginning of the public hearing, those wishing to make a comment can call 571-282-3524. Calls will be made on a first come, first serve basis. The queue will be cleared between public hearings. Callers will be asked to state their full name and address before making their comments. Each caller will be given 3 minutes to speak.

Following Tuesday's public hearing, the City Council the will vote on the ordinance. If the City Council enacts the ordinance as it's currently being considered, it will go into effect on July 1.

Also see ...

Fairfax Lawmakers To Consider Banning Firearms On City Property