Virginia – -(Ammoland.com)- Member Mark Anderson, who is a firearms instructor (Discover Shooting), went with a student to the new Fairfax Public Safety Building to assist the student in getting fingerprinted for an out-of-state permit. Upon arriving, Mark saw metal detectors and was advised that he couldn’t bring his gun in the building.
Mark asked the security guard (non-sworn, private security) what ordinance allowed such a prohibition. Unable to answer that question (of course), the guard relented somewhat and told Mark he could place his gun in a lockbox they had in the building. Due to time constraints, Mark complied and got in touch with me that evening.
I made some calls to the police and was told that Fairfax had an ordinance that allowed them to designate any government building as a gun-free zone. I knew that wasn’t the case and ended up leaving a message for the Fairfax Chief of Police.
I didn’t know when I’d get a return call from Chief Roessler, so I also called the County Attorney. She was busy, but returned my call about 10 minutes later. She was pleasant and professional. She said she would check into the matter and get back to me.
A little while later I got a call from a Major with Fairfax PD. The Chief had asked him to return my call. The Major agreed with my assessment that carry, both openly and concealed with a CHP, was lawful and said he would contact security right away to resolve the problem.
No whining, no hedging, no delays. That’s how a police department and a county attorney’s office should be run. Fairfax County PD continues being on the top of my list for Virginia law enforcement agencies.
About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
For more information, visit: www.vcdl.org.