Asheville City Council expresses ‘outrage and condemnation’ over state concealed handgun law

At the Nov. 12 Asheville City Council meeting – the last meeting held before new members (and a new mayor) are sworn in — current Mayor Terry Bellamy addressed the filled Council Chambers.

“Being mayor of this city has been a blessing. It hasn’t been easy — no,” Bellamy said, dragging out the word “no” with a smile. “But I am extremely grateful to have had this honor to be here. … Tonight I have a heart filled with gratitude. I am so grateful to have been mayor of this wonderful city.”

Following her speech, the room stood and applauded Bellamy’s words. In other developments at the meeting:

• Assistant City Attorney Jannice Ashley addressed the Council, focusing on a state law that went into effect Oct. 1; it omits playgrounds and athletic fields (while not currently in use) from the official definition of “recreational facilities,” therefore not protecting these areas from laws prohibiting concealed handguns. The city ordinance was changed to bring Asheville in line with state law.

Councilman Jan Davis spoke on the issue, saying the recent headlines have provoked unnecessary concern to citizens of Asheville. “It’s disturbing to me that this morning’s headline in the Asheville Citizen-Times may look as though the Council was enabling the carrying of handguns in recreational areas,” Davis said. “We’re doing the best job we can to protect our children and our citizens who use recreational areas.”

Councilman Cecil Bothwell added, “It’s a shame that it’s been presented as if we’ve somehow been loosening the rules. What we’re doing is trying to preserve as much control as we can preserve under the idiotic laws passed by our state legislature.”

The motion to revise the definition of recreational facilities to include both playgrounds and not-in-use athletic fields carried unanimously. However the Council approved a resolution of opposition to the General Assembly, which declares Asheville’s “outrage and condemnation” for the change in the law.

• A public hearing for an amendment to the construction plan for A-B Tech’s new health and workforce development facility passed unanimously, after Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton weighed in on the issue. “We basically went through a redesign process, and I personally think we came up with a better building — one that doesn’t impact the surrounding community like it did.”

He also noted what he believed to be “the most important part” of the redesign as the new plan’s proximity to Victoria Road, rather than having the building sit farther back on the campus. “You actually know you’re on campus now,” he said. “I think now there’s a sense of ‘OK — I’ve arrived.’”

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About Hayley Benton
Current freelance journalist and artist. Former culture/entertainment reporter at the Asheville Citizen-Times and former news reporter at Mountain Xpress. Also a coffee drinker, bad photographer, teller of stupid jokes and maker-upper of words. I can be reached at hayleyebenton [at] gmail.com. Follow me @HayleyTweeet

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11 thoughts on “Asheville City Council expresses ‘outrage and condemnation’ over state concealed handgun law

  1. Tycer

    The author wrote “…therefore not protecting these areas from laws prohibiting concealed handguns.” I believe the word “not” is either misused or should have been omitted in that sentence.
    To those worried about pools of blood on our playgrounds, my thought is there won’t be any. Like I thought in 1995 that there would not be blood running in the streets and shootouts at every fender bender with the loosening of gun restrictions then. I don’t think anyone will notice any difference.

  2. Stephen

    I’m not sure why a lot of people think that because a new gun law was passed, that allows CCP holders to carry in a park, means your going to have a bunch of pistol packing criminals running around the park. Just so you know the law was designed for people that have went through extensive training and a rigorous back ground check to carry a concealed weapon. The sheriffs department, which has a person you elected to office perform the back ground checks for people wishing to obtain a CCP. Also you only look at the rule put into place and not the facts that a criminal is not going pay any attention to the laws. A criminal will carry a gun and use it whenever and where ever they want. At least some one with a CCP has gone through training and would not use there weapon unless they absolutely have to.

  3. Big Al

    What is the BFD? None of the hippie peacenicks that live and work within city limits carry, and the redneck roughnecks in Buncombe County that do tend to avoid Asheville like the plague.

    Frankly, I feel safer living out here in the boonies with guys who live in camo and keep guns in their trunk than I do when I walk “gun free” downtown. I’ve never been threatened by a bumpkin like I have by the street trash that CoA practically INVITES to come downtown.

  4. boatrocker

    Because the only thing between a ‘bad guy’ (aka Yelton-style dark skinned minority) with a gun is a ‘good guy’ packing heat who hangs out on underage playgrounds during normal business hours.

    Creeeeeeepy!

    Or… mental health screen ASAP every cop and member of the military as many GOP types have suggested- so our so called protectors won’t kill innocent people any more.

    Let’s stop them before they kill people on military bases (they have guns and supposedly can shoot bad guys),

    on firing ranges before they kill a famous sniper (they supposedly have guns too),

    at guns shows (don’t they have guns there too?)

    in police stations (I think they have guns there too)

    maybe the next United States Army Sgt. Robert Bales can be thwarted by a ‘good guy with a gun’ vs. the USA having another Mai Lai Massacre on our bloody guilty hands.

    Or just cave in to the NRA’s money-making scare tactics. It doesn’t matter to me as I don’t have kids.

    Record breaking gun sale profits always trump personal safety concerns anyway.

  5. infinitybbc

    Cecil Bothwell, along with the rest of the authoritarian collectivists who make up the AVL government and those who keep putting these dangerous people in positions of power, exemplify the FACT that they would rather have CONTROL over a would-be free people in a would-be free country AND allow ONLY CRIMINALS to carry firearms in these VERY DANGEROUS “Gun Free Zones” (aka: Helpless Victim Zones), thus putting ALL our children’s and neighbor’s lives at risk.

    They IGNORE the FACT that most every case of a public shooting occurs in these Helpless Victim Zones

  6. infinitybbc

    Cecil Bothwell, along with the rest of the authoritarian collectivists who make up the AVL government and those who keep putting these dangerous people in positions of power, exemplify the FACT that they would rather have CONTROL over a would-be free people in a would-be free country AND allow ONLY CRIMINALS to carry firearms in these VERY DANGEROUS “Gun Free Zones” (aka: Helpless Victim Zones), thus putting ALL our children’s and neighbor’s lives at risk.

    They IGNORE the FACT that most every case of a public shooting occurs in these Helpless Victim Zones

  7. infinitybbc

    Cecil Bothwell, along with the rest of the authoritarian collectivists who make up the AVL government and those who keep putting these dangerous people in positions of power, exemplify the FACT that they would rather have CONTROL over a would-be free people in a would-be free country AND allow ONLY CRIMINALS to carry firearms in these VERY DANGEROUS “Gun Free Zones” (aka: Helpless Victim Zones), thus putting ALL our children’s and neighbor’s lives at risk.

    They IGNORE the FACT that most every case of a public shooting occurs in these Helpless Victim Zones

  8. infinitybbc

    Cecil Bothwell, along with the rest of the authoritarian collectivists who make up the AVL government and those who keep putting these dangerous people in positions of power, exemplify the FACT that they would rather have CONTROL over a would-be free people in a would-be free country AND allow ONLY CRIMINALS to carry firearms in these VERY DANGEROUS “Gun Free Zones” (aka: Helpless Victim Zones), thus putting ALL our children’s and neighbor’s lives at risk.

    They IGNORE the FACT that most every case of a public shooting occurs in these Helpless Victim Zones

  9. boatrocker

    Just for the sake of honest reflection, here’s a what-if situation: I was recently challenged by another to consider this possibility and what my reaction would be.

    Let’s say that there are several folks in a public place that allows for carry and conceal weapons. Then someone randomly pulls out a firearm and starts shooting at others. Several carry and conceal permit holders with guns then all draw their weapons and start shooting at aforementioned crazy guy.

    Say one of the carry and conceal permit owners misses the crazy guy shooter and hits another carry and conceal holder who has his gun drawn. Even worse, what if the carry and conceal guy who missed hit an innocent bystander or a family member of another carry and conceal holder?

    The 2 questions to consider are

    1) What is to keep the whole scene from turning into a OK Corral style bloodbath with one crazy guy shooting people randomly and one or more carry and conceal holders exchanging gunfire not only with said crazy guy but possibly with each other?

    2) What are the police supposed to make of this scene once they arrive after taking their sweet time? Who do they shoot first if nobody will surrender their weapon? Who are the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’?

    This scenario was asked of me by someone who pointed out the one major flaw in CCW holders’ thinking- the simple fact that nobody can hit a (moving or stationary) target with 100% accuracy, no mater what level of training and practice. Do you want your loved ones to be in the middle of a firefight between ‘good guys’ and bad guys’ if there is not a 100% guarantee of a CCW holder’s accuracy?

    I guess the point is unless you’re Robin Hood (with a handgun instead of a bow and arrow) or Hawkeye from “Last of the Mohicans”, any CCW carrier itching to play Dirty Harry instead of running for cover presents just as much danger to innocents.

    Both Robin Hood and Cooper’s Hawkeye were fictional characters by the way. Oh yeah, so was Dirty Harry.

    Weigh in dear posters- how would you react to the above mentioned situation?

  10. boatrocker

    Just for the sake of honest reflection, here’s a what-if situation: I was recently challenged by another to consider this possibility and what my reaction would be.

    Let’s say that there are several folks in a public place that allows for carry and conceal weapons. Then someone randomly pulls out a firearm and starts shooting at others. Several carry and conceal permit holders with guns then all draw their weapons and start shooting at aforementioned crazy guy.

    Say one of the carry and conceal permit owners misses the crazy guy shooter and hits another carry and conceal holder who has his gun drawn. Even worse, what if the carry and conceal guy who missed hit an innocent bystander or a family member of another carry and conceal holder?

    The 2 questions to consider are

    1) What is to keep the whole scene from turning into a OK Corral style bloodbath with one crazy guy shooting people randomly and one or more carry and conceal holders exchanging gunfire not only with said crazy guy but possibly with each other?

    2) What are the police supposed to make of this scene once they arrive after taking their sweet time? Who do they shoot first if nobody will surrender their weapon? Who are the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’?

    This scenario was asked of me by someone who pointed out the one major flaw in CCW holders’ thinking- the simple fact that nobody can hit a (moving or stationary) target with 100% accuracy, no mater what level of training and practice. Do you want your loved ones to be in the middle of a firefight between ‘good guys’ and bad guys’ if there is not a 100% guarantee of a CCW holder’s accuracy?

    I guess the point is unless you’re Robin Hood (with a handgun instead of a bow and arrow) or Hawkeye from “Last of the Mohicans”, any CCW carrier itching to play Dirty Harry instead of running for cover presents just as much danger to innocents.

    Both Robin Hood and Cooper’s Hawkeye were fictional characters by the way. Oh yeah, so was Dirty Harry.

    Weigh in dear posters- how would you react to the above mentioned situation?

  11. bsummers

    “All this just goes to show the character of these bureaucrats that typically less than 25% of the population show up at the polls to keep re-electing.”

    So who’s to blame here? The people who vote, or the ones who don’t? Or the people like yourself who why don’t you run for office, if you hate it so much for cripesake?

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