Saslaw, Scott Hear Falls Church General Assembly Wish List

Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-35th District) wasn’t too optimistic about some of the items on the City of Falls Church’s 2013 legislative program.

The senator, joined by Del. Jim Scott (D-53rd District), who represents the city in Richmond, answered council members' questions as best they could.

On their priority list, city officials want the legislature to adopt an ordinance prohibiting people from carrying guns and other dangerous weapons in any city-owned and publicly leased property or facility. Currently, Virginia law only prohibits people from carrying guns into places of worship, courthouses and schools.

Under the current state law, people can carry their guns into city-owned facilities, meeting halls and recreational facilities.

“You’re not going to get a gun ordinance through the General Assembly,” Saslaw said. “Some of the other stuff we’ll take a look at and see what we can do.”

Some of those other things are on the city's laundry list of items they want protected in the 2013 Virginia General Assembly, which convenes Jan. 9. City officials have identified affordable housing, libraries, law enforcement funding and land development and property maintenance as some of the areas they want to see protected.

The city would be better off trying to localize some of the issues on their list of interests, but then they would need two-thirds of the votes on it, Saslaw said—a feat he said would be difficult. 

“We’ve got plenty of work to do from a governmental point of view,” Saslaw said.

Saslaw and Scott said they would have to wait and see what Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) will introduce in both houses in January before they can firmly say anything.

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