Henrico supervisors pass ordinance banning firearms in county facilities

The Henrico Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance at its Feb. 27 meeting prohibiting possession of firearms, ammunition and components in all county buildings, as well as those owned by the county but operated by another entity, like the Henrico Sports and Events Center.

Violation of the ordinance would result in a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. A violation would be considered a Class 1 misdemeanor, however – punishable by up to $2,500 in fines and one year in jail – if committed with the intent to intimidate or harass another person.

Henrico County Attorney Andrew Newby explained that law enforcement officers, including some retired officers, security personnel, military personnel on official duty and certain athletic teams all will be exempt, as will weapons left in cars. He also stressed that the ordinance prohibited “knowing possession” as opposed to accidental possession.

The vote came against the wishes of most of the dozen or so speakers who attended the meeting to voice their opinions about the issue. Board members also received about 500 emails about the matter from all over the country, according to board chairman Tyrone Nelson of the Varina District.

In response to questions from Nelson, Newby explained that weapons were already banned from federal and state buildings and there were similar bans in 17 other localities in Virginia. The new ordinance does not prohibit residents from carrying weapons outside of county buildings.

“If you go down the hierarchy of federalism, in local government the prohibitions are currently in courts, schools, and polling places,” Newby said. “This would extend those to county buildings and rec centers.

Officials proposed the ordinance in response to previous incidents in which armed people in public buildings had made county employees feel unsafe, Newby said.

A contingent of gun-rights supporters attended Tuesday’s meeting, many wearing “Guns Save Lives” stickers. Many argued that prohibiting firearms in public places could backfire on the county by signaling to would-be criminals that they are less likely to meet resistance in those locations.

“There’s an evil in the world, and if evil has a gun, I want one too,” said Glen Allen resident Michael Hutcheson.

“There are already laws in place to address your concerns, as far as brandishing weapons, and if they’re not brandishing a weapon, how do you even know they have one?” said Henrico resident Geoffrey Mann.

Glen Allen resident Howard Turner cited four recent examples of people being shot and killed in gun-free zones nationally and said that the concealed-carry permit revocation rate in Virginia was less than one-tenth of 1%.

“And your permit can be revoked for non-criminal activity, so that’s not to imply that even that one-tenth of 1%, those folks committed any kind of crime, much less a serious one,” Turner said. “I roll that up together in my head and I think there’s not a great argument for armed citizens being unwelcome in county buildings.”

Virginia Citizens Defense League President Philip Van Cleave told supervisors that there are 715,000 concealed carry permit holders in the state.

“These are good people, there’s quite a few in this room right now,” Van Cleave said. “Our right to keep and bear arms is a basic civil right. I think you’re fixing a problem that you don’t really have.”

He also noted that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen decision – which ruled that the ability to carry a pistol in public was a constitutional right – had changed the landscape for these kinds of regulations and that his organization had already successfully sued the city of Winchester, Virginia to change some ordinances there that had prohibited firearms in public parks and other spots.

Speaker Penny Page was one of two who supported the ordinance. Page, a former candidate for the Three Chopt District Board of Supervisors seat, cited the National Crime Victimization Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, which she said concluded that there is no advantage to self-defense gun use and no statistical reduction of the risk of injury or property loss.

Some speakers argued that the ordinance likely will cause some concealed-carry permit-holders to leave their firearms in their cars when visiting county buildings – something that could be more dangerous than carrying them into a public building, because they could be stolen by would-be criminals. They also noted that Virginia is considering a proposed $500 fine when a firearm is visible in a car.

“This is a solution in search of a problem, and in fact it creates problems,” said Henrico resident John Ring, a concealed-permit holder for 15 years.

Right to Bear Arms Virginia President Brandon Howard spoke about the importance of an armed citizenry to protect against government tyranny, ending his comments with the Virginia motto “Sic semper tyrannis!” (Death always to tyrants).

Henrico County NAACP President Monica Hutchinson was the other speaker who supported the ordinance, telling supervisors that her organization favored the move.

“We also believe that elections have consequences and we’re seeing those consequences in this ordinance,” Hutchinson said.

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In other matters, the board approved several spending measures at its Tuesday meeting. First was $20.8 million in budget amendments, with $10 million going towards state highway maintenance and $6.4 funding the renovation of Jacob L. Adams Elementary School.

Next, the board approved the sale of up to $45 million in bonds to be issued by the Henrico Economic Development Authority. County Finance Director Sheila Minor explained that the bonds would pay for land purchases and construction for various public safety facilities, parks, historical preservation areas, and economic development projects.

The board also approved open-ended contracts for up to $10 million a year to Moseley Architects and Engineers Plus for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design and engineering services as needed by the county.

Finally, the board authorized a performance agreement between the commonwealth, Henrico County, and PPD Inc, a research company with 1,700 employees in Henrico County. PPD would receive a $2 million grant and a $2 million county biotechnology tax cut in exchange for investing $92 million at its two facilities.

Henrico Economic Development Authority Executive Director Anthony Romanello explained that PPD would also agree to create and maintain at least 400 new jobs in the County.

– Citizen Editor Tom Lappas contributed to this article.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly reported that the sale of $45 million in bonds reflected an issuance approved by voters in a 2022 bond referendum. The Citizen regrets the error.