As recent as a few decades ago localities in Virginia had some say over firearm laws. Just off the top of my head some of the changes in the last 20 years that impacted local governments,

-Ability to require a local permit for a handgun purchase
-Discretionary issuing of concealed carry permits by local Circuit Court judges
-Ability of localities to restrict guns from being carried in locally owned public buildings and in areas such as locally owned public parks

As a side note some of the weapons that we saw on Saturday would have been illegal in select Virginia cities and counties. Primarily the ones who have police departments that might be large enough to handle it?

" 18.2-287.4. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.
It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public in the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to law-enforcement officers, licensed security guards, military personnel in the performance of their lawful duties, or any person having a valid concealed handgun permit or to any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting activities at an established shooting range or shooting contest. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The exemptions set forth in §§ 18.2-308 and 18.2-308.016 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the provisions of this section."




[Post edited by 757 at 08/18/2017 5:00PM]