George -

I do not now, nor have I ever owned a gun, and do not now, nor have I ever had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Hypothetically, however, if I were to own a gun and have an active permit to carry a concealed weapon, I would consider myself to be governed by the same "no guns in the workplace" rules that apply to all city employees, as specified in Charlottesville's Policy on Workplace Violence. The privilege to carry a gun into City Hall should not be a "perk of office" for city councilors.

(As a side note: Our only perk is a small, laminated dashboard sign which reads, "City Councilor - Official Business". This allows us to park beyond the usual time limits in legal city parking spaces. Even this isn't assured, as city "ticket issuers" often fail to observe the sign.)

I am very comfortable with the absence of perks, and I do not think of myself as being above the usual standards of conduct and expectations which govern all city public servants. I strongly believe, therefore, that no councilor should, as a special privilege of office, retain the right to carry a concealed weapon on city property when conducting city business, as long as city government adheres to a different policy for its employees.

Are there situations which might arise that could change the balance in favor of councilors retaining the right to carry concealed weapons while "on the job" on city property? Possibly.

For example, there is the occasional irate citizen or disgruntled employee who believes that he/she has been unfairly treated. One can imagine situations where councilors are the targets of threatened or actual violence. I have occasionally been the target of anonymous callers who say things that genuinely scare me. I am sure other councilors receive similar calls. But we are no different from other city employees in this respect. I know of many reports of city employees receiving angry, occasionally threatening, calls from citizens.

Since September 11, some city employees would prefer to have the security of carrying a concealed weapon into the workplace. The desire to keep a gun in one's desk, purse, briefcase, etc. for protection in the event of a terrorist attack on City Hall is an understandable reaction to our changing times.

However, I believe that guns in the workplace pose greater risks to our employees than do potential terrorists. Anyone visiting City Hall today is allowed to enter only through the front door, where a city police officer is stationed during all working hours. This is one way in which we have increased security for the protection of our city employees.

There are no easy answers in today's complex world. There may even be legal ambiguities about the applicability of policies governing city employees to City Councilors. But my own opinion is that no one, including city councilors, should carry a gun into the "workplace" of city property, except where allowed by official policy.

Meredith Richards (Electronic Mail, January 10, 2002)