PETERSBURG, Va. — A Virginia city is banning firearms from public spaces.
The Progress-Index reports that the Petersburg City Council unanimously passed a measure Tuesday barring people from carrying firearms in any place open to the public.
The ban includes city buildings, public parks, city-owned recreation or community centers and any public street, road, alley or sidewalk.
On-duty law enforcement officers and armed security personnel acting on a contract with the city are exempt.
Councilor Charlie Cuthbert introduced the idea in July shortly after community activist Willie Noise III was fatally shot at the city-owned Patton Park.
A violation is equal to a class one misdemeanor, which carries the possibility of a 12-month jail sentence and up to a $1,000 fine.
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