Category Archives: Local Ordinances

The Dark Knight casts a long shadow over civil rights after Aurora

Posted on August 9, 2012 by John Pierce

‘‘I think that the Second Amendment is crucially important to protect. When baseless breach of peace and interfering charges are brought against people that have a right to carry, it really threatens our constitutional right to bear arms.’’  – Sung Ho Hwang … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse of Power, Fourth Amendment, General Civil Rights, Law Enforcement Misconduct, Local Ordinances, Media Views on The Second Amendment, Movies, Open Carry, Popular Culture | 4 Comments

VCDL’s Roanoke County picnic was a rousing success

Posted on July 16, 2012 by John Pierce

On Saturday last, VCDL held a picnic in Green Hill Park in Salem, VA.  The event, billed as the “Oh yes we can!” picnic garnered quite a bit of media attention. The picnic, which was attended by over 150 people … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse of Discretion, Abuse of Power, Dillon Rule, Local Ordinances, Parks, Public Parks, Slideshow, Virginia | 14 Comments

The Definitive Guide to Virginia’s Air Gun Laws

Posted on June 29, 2012 by John Pierce

I use a WordPress plugin that allows me to monitor the number of visitors who have read each article and what website they came from.  Additionally, if they found the article by using a search engine, it shows me the … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Guns, Airsoft, BB Guns, Brandishing Statutes, Felons, Local Ordinances, Myths & Misconceptions, Paintball, Popular Culture, Public Parks, State Laws, Virginia | 95 Comments

Roanoke County’s preempted parks ordinance is prompting calls for legal action

Posted on April 23, 2012 by John Pierce

I recently wrote about a Roanoke County ordinance which seemingly imposes a complete ban on the possession and carrying of firearms inside county parks. As I pointed out in the original article, such an ordinance would be void due to … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse of Power, Dillon Rule, FOIA, Local Ordinances, Public Parks, Virginia | 11 Comments

Roanoke ordinance may run afoul of state preemption statute

Posted on April 21, 2012 by John Pierce

Virginia is a Dillon Rule state.  Under the Dillon Rule, municipalities have powers that are strictly limited. As the Virginia Supreme Court has repeatedly held, Virginia municipalities have only those powers that are: Expressly granted; or Necessarily or fairly implied from … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse of Power, Dillon Rule, Local Ordinances, Public Parks, Virginia | 15 Comments