BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - A Virginia town council voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban people from carrying firearms inside municipal buildings and other public places.
Passage of the ordinance by the Blacksburg Town Council on Tuesday makes it one of several localities to take such action based on a local option measure passed by the General Assembly last year and took effect in July, The Roanoke Times reported.
Other localities that have passed a similar measure include Fairfax County and the cities of Alexandria and Newport News.
Blacksburg Town Attorney Larry Spencer said the new ordinance will go into effect March 1. Other places where firearms will be banned are town parks and town-owned recreational facilities.
Blacksburg resident David McGrath said he thinks the ordinance could save lives, but Christiansburg resident Scott Bunn said he is not sure he’ll still feel safe going to events in Blacksburg, and he criticized the council’s unanimous vote.
“When no one’s thinking different, no one’s thinking,” Bunn said. “You’re making the good guy a criminal.”
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