up until a few months ago, I used to walk riverwalk almost every day. I often saw preschool children with their adult supervisors playing next to the river near the boat ramp parking lot.
one day in early January 2019, it was mid-morning and I was about halfway back from the high school to town park parking lot. I heard a blast from a shotgun--loud and close. it came from towards the river (about 100 yards away). at that point on riverwalk, there's an open field between riverwalk and the river. I couldn't see the river, but I could clearly see the trees along its bank. I walked a little farther to the town run crossing (there are trees between the town run crossing and the river) and called 911. about 10 to 15 minutes later I reached the parking lot where town police were talking to a man at the boat ramp. a row boat with a shotgun had been pulled onto the ramp.
the police blotter for January 2019 published in the northern virginia daily didn't include the incident. I guess that the police told the man with the shotgun to have a nice day rather than charging him. but, in all fairness to the police, they can't charge someone with a violation if there isn't a law on the books that makes it a violation.
65 of virginia's 94 counties have gun regulations.
link: dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/local-firearms-ordinances.pdf (go to
https://dwr.virginia.gov/ and search "local firearms ordinances" for the .pdf file.)
shenandoah county is the 26th most populated county in virginia.
link: virginia-demographics.com/counties_by_population
despite being ranked 26th in population, shenandoah county is one of the 29 counties in virginia without county gun regulations. neighboring warren county, ranked 28th in population in virginia, is one of the 65 counties in virginia with gun regulations. Front Royal, warren county seat, was once called "helltown".
is it any surprise to you, given that there isn't a law prohibiting someone from firing a shotgun while in a boat in the shenandoah river next to riverwalk, that some person would do so? (it doesn't surprise me.)
question: are you comfortable with this situation?
my answer: I'm not.
questions: where is strasburg's government? why doesn't the town's council pass an ordinance prohibiting firing of guns in the river next to riverwalk?answer: I don't know. what I do know is that in strasburg, the public (you and me) doesn't hear about these kind of incidents and situations.
question: can you say "cover-up", boys and girls?
remember that you heard about this first on
