By John Crump
Leesburg, VA –-(Ammoland.com)- Loudoun County, Virginia is considering a de facto ban on shooting on private property.
The anti-gun Supervisor, Kristen Umstattd is introducing the new ban on shooting in the Washington, DC suburb. If the board passes the prohibition on shooting, it will prevent anyone from firing a firearm within half a mile from another residence. Loudoun County is densely populated, and no place would not be affected by the ban.
This ban would also shut down basically all firearms hunting in a county with a rich history of hunting. Umstattd claims it is necessary to keep people safe from gun accidents. She says it is a safety issue and not a gun control issue.
She points to an incident where someone was firing a machine gun into a berm. The shooter was not able to keep control of the firearm and overshot the berm. The bullet hit and damaged a house. There were no injuries, and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office did not make an arrest. The Loudoun County commonwealth’s attorney’s office declined to press charges in the case.
On Thursday, June 21st, at 5 pm at 1 E. Harrison Street Leesburg, VA the Board will meet to work on amending the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County: Chapter 684.03(3)(d)-Weapons and Explosives. This meeting is open to the public, and the public will be able to sign up to speak in front of the Board.
The Virginia Constitutional Conservatives is one of the multiple pro-gun groups that are planning on attending the meeting to oppose amending the ordinance.
“This is yet another case of the radical left working to destroy our God-given rights,” said S. Chris Anders, Director of the Virginia Constitutional Conservatives. “This effort, if successful, will end all shooting and hunting in Loudoun County, not to mention it violates private property rights. There is no compromise on this issue, and we will hold anyone who votes for it accountable in the upcoming election.”
Another group that plans to have a good turnout at the Board meeting is the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL). The VCDL considers changing the ordinance because of the actions of a single person as unfair to other gun owners in the county.
“Because the actions of a single person the board wants to amend the ordinance,” said Philip Van Cleave, President of the VCDL. ” We need everyone that can go to the meeting to go and tell them not to punish all gun owners for a single person’s action.”
Loudoun County has a shifting political demographic as new people move to the county from the northern states. The formerly staunchly conservative county has seen an explosion of growth as it shifted from agriculture to technology. In recent years the county has voted for liberal candidates over conservatives, which is a stark change from the past. It will take all gun-owning residents to band together to push back against bad ordinances like the proposed changes.
AmmoLand tried to contact several members of the Loudoun County Board of Directors, but no board members returned our request for comments at the time of this writing.
Residents can also reach The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors by calling them at 703-777-0204 and demanding that they don’t exploit on person’s mistake and reckless behavior to ban all shooting and hunting within the county.
The Board will hold the meeting on Thursday June, 21st at 5 PM at 1 Harrison St SE Leesburg, VA 20175
You can find individual contact information for Board Members at https://www.loudoun.gov/bos
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss or at www.crumpy.com.
MJS
Interestingly, you note that you have no knowledge of the skill levels or lack thereof of people re shooting activities. Despite this significant lack, it sounds like you would instruct unbidden. Strikes me as problematic.
Wild Bill: Re your comment to MJS, I rather suspect that what is in play here is the following. A prime example of ME, ME,ME, followed by more of the same. Visiting the neighboring property owner makes sense. Has the complaining party done that? It is also the courteous approach, which seems to escape notice of our complainer, or might he have actually spoken with his neighbor, he doesn’t tell us. As for the local officials who seek to ban or restrict shooting, assuming that they are elected officials, Election Day arrives shortly, which seems a very good venue for… Read more »
@Albbac2, Yeah, there is a lot of that going around.
You all might want to think about it without attaching politics all the time and getting yourselves all riled up about your threatened rights. I am sitting here in Loudoun County in my home which I enjoy on 4 acres – with homes on similar lots on all sides. My dog is attached to my let because almost every day for hours a neighbor is target shooting. I can’t put the dog outside because I have no idea in which direction the bullets are coming/going. Some common sense laws about allowing shooting in certain density areas would be great. I… Read more »
@mjs you act like bullets are whizzing past you on your front porch. I highly doubt it. When people shoot they are aware that they need to shoot into a backstop to stop the bullet from traveling further than the intended targets.
@MJS, You espouse typical metrosexual conclusions. You buy a measly four acres. Move to it. Engage in the parade of imaginary horribles. And then seek to impose your will on your neighbors.
Why don’t you build a chain link fence around your house … for the dog. Why don’t you visit your neighbor and see his shooting range. Maybe he’d even let you shoot with him. Then you’d know where the bullets are going and that you are safe. As to noise, you could vote for changing the legal status of suppressor so that everyone could afford one.
Ben – I agree except that you are assuming everyone shooting has equal skills/knowledge. One neighbor I would let shoot an apple off my head, the others I don’t know and I just find it makes no sense that I should be the one to knock on doors and question the skill of the shooters and their visitors. A simple agreement on time, frequency and proximity (appropriate to the density in a particular area) could be reached and let everyone equally enjoy their property.
@MJS, No one said go to your neighbor and question his skill. And why should your neighbor agree to any time, frequency, proximity limitations? What would you give him in return for diminishing the value of his property?
Why don’t you go over to his house; make friends with him; shoot along side him; and if and only if you then feel there is a danger to yourself, make some polite suggestions?
The burden is on you. The burden is not on him.
@mjs I don’t know man. I would just go talk to my neighbor. The thing is I’m on 19 acres with similar lots as well as housing developments around me. I have mountains on 3 sides of my property and my range is facing one of those mountains. If people don’t like it then that is tough for them since we are safe it is nobody’s business what we do on our property. I would go politely talk to my neighbors if I were you. It may not even be a big deal. If you don’t like hearing gun shots… Read more »
I AM in the city – thats the point about opportunity for things to go wrong – 10 minutes from downtown Leesburg. All my neighbors are on 4-6 acre lots one or two 10 acres lots – I didnt squeeze myself into a rural area and then start trying to influence activities around me. I do talk to and like one neighbor who shoots and does it for short periods and I know is a responsible gun owner. Because there is an undeveloped area behind us other people come and shoot – I don’t know them or their skills and… Read more »
@MJS, You are the one with the complaint, therefore the onus is on you to go to your neighbor in private (as the scripture says). You want something … the burden in on you. And you might even make a good friend, but it it up to you to figure out how.
@MJS, I understand your fears and agree the whole situation could be scary for someone who doesn’t go to find the core of the problem. I suggest you take a bit of time and find out where this shooting range might be and how it’s set up. It could be you would find it to be a completely safe setup and alleviate your fears, or you may find potentials for bettering the range to make it safe for the neighbors. Just huddling in fear does not make the problem go away. If you are truly concerned, ask the local constabulary… Read more »
Have you spoken to your neighbor, or is it easier to take keyboard in hand and complain?
When are they going to propose a ban on driving to stop drunk driving?
@ Wayne Clark I think statistics would show that crime and shootings have gone up since Rogero. We use to go to Knoxville fairly often but not for a while now because it is not the friendly city it use to be. I use the hospitals in Johnson City because I feel Knoxville hospitals are only out to get into your pocket and the nurses are rude. I was in a Knoxville hospital last summer for surgery and I told the surgeon, afterwords, I did not want to have to go to that hospital again. A nurse at a hospital… Read more »
I have a friend who went to the hearing last night. He said there was one hour of citizen comments only one person spoke in favor of the proposal. When it was proposed to the board, none of the board members would second it.
Great info, Dan! Thanks for sharing.
@Ben you might be a little leary of Nashville or Knoxville because they are both becoming a little liberal like most large cities. Memphis would be out of the question for me, also. My opinion is that you would be better off settling in a smaller town or area where it is still conservative. Check it out before you take the big step but Tennessee is a good state to live in.
An alternative thought on that, tomcat, is we should move INTO these cities to bolster up conservative thought. Fleeing these areas only makes liberal thought stronger there, without helping the lesser populated areas surrounding them.
@mac E. Johnson you do have a valid point when you say flood the cities with conservatives. The only problem I have in doing that is that my patience would run out and I would end up choking some liberal.
From a Knoxvillian, that may not be such a bad thing.
We have republicans in office but it’s getting a little sketchy as to their loyalty to conservative values. City Mayor is definitely a no-no, as she is as liberal as they come. If Glenn Jacobs wins County Mayor, he might just choke-slam some RINOs…provided he doesn’t become one too. We are still a conservative majority, so don’t lose hope.
Mark, move on down here. I would love to hang out!
@ Wayne Clark I know what you are saying and the sooner Knoxville gets rid of Rogero the better off it will be. I see on the local news they had a party for the ‘refugees” illegals Saturday and a gay parade the same day and a craft beer tasting thing going on. Busy city and a lot of it points to the liberals.
@tomcat…you got that right! I stayed home Saturday just to avoid that crowd. I don’t live too far from downtown & they had nothing for me…well, I might have enjoyed a beer or two but my LGS (local grocery store) sells all I could ever want. Lol. Knoxville started the down hill turn when they finished the Henley Street Bridge repairs/updates & lit it up with rainbow lights. Now, I don’t hate on anyone but let’s just say, my values are different than what my city taxes paid for. Rogero pushes her liberal views on whatever she can put her… Read more »
Like a cancer the disease is spreading from the commie states to Virginia and getting stronger all the time. What the hell gives them the right to change our country over to a U,K, or worse yet, an E.U. Soro’s money is funding it and they are just paid whores for him.
I believe that the following is also a factor, possibly a large factor. To many people simply don’t pay sufficient to what is going on around them, and or to what they are doing, especially respecting to voting.
As far as I know, state law trumps any township ordinance. In Pennsylvania, townships cannot enact ordinances that affect legal hunting. They’ve tried to enlarge safety zones and lost. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any state laws that address one’s right to target shoot. These anti gun people are going mad!
Please do not make the mistake of believing it when gun banners give some reason for their common sense gun law
Public safety, crime or terrorism are not he reason for magazine limits, assault rifle bans, and no outdoor discharge of firearms.
These are incremental steps to total gun bans
Do not fight with an appeal to reason and do not compromise!
Take a look at Chicago, toughest gun laws of large cities, the highest rate of gun crimes in the USA. Run by liberal mayor Rohm Emanuel big anti-gunner and ex-clintonite and Obama stuge.
Re the claimed status of the proposal, ” not gun control, but safety”, exactly how many people suffered gun shot injuries during hunting season last year, the year before, etc. Actual numbers should be easily obtained, numbers that would support or show how ridiculous, how phony the proposers claims actually are.
Such a law would be a “taking” and each landowner would be due payment for loss of their right to use their property.
ok, an other woman …nuff said
Point take, however when last I looked, there were any number of male elected things whose heads weren’t screwed on right.
So I Post a comment; there were 9 (NINE) other comments. I refresh the page, and PRESTO! No comments.
There’s something wrong here.
Has Hillary hijacked the comments section?
So the county decides to not prosecute what would appear to be an endangerment case, and a lawmaker decides we need another law rather than take the county to task for not enforcing a current law.
What else is new? Is water wet?
If it had been an Illegal alien that had been deported 10 times, it was still be a good enough excuse for the libtards.
BS it’s not a “Gun control” issue! You start there and stop???? If you have an area that is safe there should be no issue!
With car accidents accounting for 2/3rds more accidents over firearms, I don’t know why she isn’t trying to ban cars. Oh wait, I get it, she owns a car but not a gun.
sounds like Hitler all o people need to be ready at any tine Remember April 24 a775 when America was born.ver again.
Like the bear hunting ban in NJ, and then the libs wonder why there are more bears and bear attacks in NJ. They don’t think past the ‘moment’.
We are either out numbered in the US or it is simply that conservatives won’t get off of their butts and vote. What we should be seeing is states that are hugely conservative and states that are hugely liberal not just liberals taking over our once conservative states. For example I am moving from California to Tennessee and will be voting conservative. That’s one less conservative in Ca and 1 more in TN.
We need all the help we can get here. Welcome. I wish you all the very best in your new home. What part of Tennessee?
I’m close to Shiloh. They had a very good “skirmish” there a time ago. The cannons could be heard here.
Yes sir. I’m taking the wife out there soon to see if we want to live near Nashville or Knoxville (it’s where the jobs are). I’m super excited to move to the United States and own a little land to shoot and do as I please. Freedom, it’s really what we should all want is a little freedom. I don’t understand the liberal mindset of more taxes and control. Don’t worry my family is voting conservatives.
Good luck in your new locale. By the way, which country are you leaving. Years ago, I worked in the U.K., Holland, West Germany abortively. Also spent some time in Madrid, chasing a will o’ the wisp of a job, which I think never really existed. These days, that is all ancient history.
I was joking but we are leaving Kaliforniastan. The lefties have destroyed it here. Taxes, cost of living, homelessness, crowded, ridiculous laws and I could continue but you get it.
From Knoxville…COME ON DOWN! You could be the new contestant on the Right to Fight…the left, that is. Nashville has nothing on us! We need to build our conservative constituency.
SEEMS LIKE COMMUNISM TO ME !!!
YEP! It is called CONTROL by the DemocRATic communist/muslem party! “I as a DemocRAT get to tell you PEONS what you can and cannot do”.
COMMUNISM ??
Vote out Every board member that votes yes on this issue. make them pay dearly for violating their oath to support the Constitution.