va-alert: vcdl update-wytheville town council hearing wrap-up 10/28/25
as expected, wytheville drops gun-ban ordinance,
but there's a potential twist!
A VCDL member attended the Wytheville Town Council meeting on Monday night and provided this detailed report on what happened in reference to the proposed gun-ban ordinance. The part in
red jumped out at me:
We attended the council meeting in Wytheville tonight.
The first item addressed was removing the proposed ordinance from the agenda. I would estimate there were 70 to 80 citizens in attendance, most of whom were there in opposition of the ordinance. Quite a few attendees spoke during Citizen’s time and, together, presented a very good case in opposition.
During the comments every council member expressed their opposition to the ordinance and their support for the second amendment with all stating they own firearms and have a CHP, however when pressed, they refused to elaborate on how the ordinance was placed on the agenda and took no responsibility for the ordinance proposal, instead blaming it on administrative staff.
The reason given for the proposal was a misunderstanding of a discussion during executive session at the September council meeting concerning safety in the Town’s parks. At least 2 council members made statements that the ordinance was worded poorly, and it was an attempt to copy Wythe county's park ban ordinance.
From their discussion during citizens comments we felt that
they will most likely propose a park ban ordinance in the future and plan to monitor the monthly agenda for any such ordinance.
Wythe County has no such park gun-ban ordinance! What they have done is to use wording in a park rule that confuses and discourages carry in Wythe County parks: “No Firearms or Explosives: Firearms, fireworks, or any type of explosive are prohibited except as otherwise permitted by law.”
I underlined the key part. If you are in legal possession of a firearm in Virginia, you can carry in parks unless the locality has an ordinance that prohibits carry in parks. So, the rule is toothless, just an underhanded way to discourage carry without actually banning it.
As a reminder, VCDL and GOA sued the City of Winchester and struck down their park gun-ban ordinance as being unconstitutional.
You never make people safer, especially in a park, by disarming them!
For now, we ask that members in Wytheville and Wythe County keep a careful eye on both localities for any attempts at a gun-control ordinance for parks.
A big thank you to everyone who sent emails, made phone calls, and showed up at the Town Council meeting! You made a difference.
