ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke leaders have come to an agreement on what to ask for during the upcoming state government session.
Under current state law, the city can't do something unless the state specifically says it can. In past years the city has asked the state's permission to restrict guns at council meetings and limit smoking at Elmwood Park. Both of those requests were not approved.
But city leaders are hoping for a different outcome this year, saying they've tightened and narrowed the language of the asks for a better chance of being approved. The smoking restrictions would be limited to Elmwood Park and would create smoking sections within the park. The gun restrictions would be for certain city meetings within the municipal building. Leaders cited the fact that citizens cannot bring guns into the courthouse as a defense to second amendment violation accusations.
"(We did this) to make it more palatable and easier for people (to agree with), we've had situations where people have come to city council meetings, even children have come to city council meetings and other people have come armed, and it tends to intimidate people."
When city leaders attempted the gun restriction in 2016, a number of people against the proposal came to the next meeting while openly displaying their firearms as a sign of protest. Reflecting on that time, some people said they saw it as intimidation and that's why they want the restriction. Delegate Chris Head is a member of the legislative committee and one of the leaders the city has asked to support the plan, but he spoke before Council Monday saying he would not support it.
There are three other legislative priorities for the city this year. They are allowing real estate liens for unpaid solid waste bills, finding ways to fund school facilities and education opportunities and allowing the city to hire collection agencies to collect taxes and other unpaid bills.