Ban on guns in Greensboro parks remains unresolved

By: MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE EXCHANGE | News & Record (Greensboro)
Published: February 22, 2012

GREENSBORO

The Greensboro City Council was divided Tuesday night on changing an ordinance to ban all concealed handguns from city parks and recreation areas.

The council voted 5-4 for the ban, but that isn't sufficient to change an ordinance -- at least six votes are needed. Another vote will be needed at the council's next meeting. If it passes again, the ban would become effective.

Council members Nancy Vaughan, Trudy Wade, T. Dianne Bellamy-Small and Zack Matheny voted against the ordinance change.

Vaughan said she worried the ban would make Greensboro's parks and recreation areas “a place for the criminals to bring their guns, because they're not going to obey the law.”

Vaughan said she had heard from mothers who carry handguns in their purse who wondered how they would pick up their children from city parks and recreation areas, worrying they would have to drop the guns off at home before doing so.

Greensboro parks and recreation Director Greg Jackson said that actually wouldn't be a problem -- the proposed ordinance allows those with permits to leave guns in their locked cars if they need to while in places where the ban is in place.

Jackson said he agreed with Greensboro police Chief Ken Miller, who expressed support for the ban when asked for his input by the council. Miller said he could see no need to allow guns in city parks, permitted or otherwise.

Wade said with rapes and murders on the rise in Greensboro she does not want to tell women jogging in the city's park that they can't have a permitted concealed handgun while criminals will have no qualms about carrying the weapons.

Bellamy-Small also expressed concerns about citizens' safety with the ban in place and said she saw serious problems with enforcing such a law.

Councilman Jim Kee said he agreed it might be difficult to enforce, but that doesn't stop the city from giving parking tickets and collecting money from them, for instance.

Earlier this month the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance that allows people with permits to carry concealed handguns in county parks.

Ban on guns in Greensboro parks remains unresolved

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