Anti-Gun Rules Removed from Park Books

City policies and signs recently received an official once-over to make sure they don't give the impression that firearms are prohibited in Fredericksburg's parks. Virginia law excludes localities from banning the legal possession of firearms in public places. 

The administrative housecleaning effort was in response to a complaint from Spotsylvania County resident Mike Plaugher. On May 2, Plaugher sent a letter to Fredericksburg Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Bob Antozzi, as well as the City Attorney's office and the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Department informing them that language prohibiting firearms appeared in at least two locations on the city park's website outlining general use policies for Motts Run Resevoir. 

Plaugher wrote that the regulations were in violation of Virginia law 15.2-915, which almost completely prohibits localities from regulating the possession of guns. As a result, Plaugher argued, the advertised policies on the city website were null and void. 

The City Attorney's office looked into the matter and found that Plaugher's legal opinion was accurate: the policies and signs must change. On May 9, Antozzi sent a reply to Plaugher thanking him for brining the matter to his attention and promising to delete or correct the offending language.

As of May 22, language prohibiting firearms had been removed from the sections of the website which Plaugher had cited. 

Though Plaugher's letter did not cite any specific signs, city staff discovered a few signs up at Motts Run Park which bore language restricting firearm activities and were removed, Antozzi told members of the city Parks and Recreation Commission last week.