Category Archives: Local Ordinances

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

‘‘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

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

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

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

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